Annual Conference

2009 Annual Conference
October 21-24
University of South Alabama (Mobile, Alabama)
Conference chair: Jason Guynes

SECAC will meet October 21-24, 2009 in Mobile, Alabama. The conference will be held at the Marriott Riverview Plaza Hotel and will be hosted by the University of South Alabama. SECAC was last in Mobile in 2002, and though only a short time has elapsed, several exciting changes have occurred in the city. Many may remember the Adam’s Mark hotel, where the conference was held 2002. The conference is again at this location; however, the hotel was purchased by Marriott and underwent a total renovation in 2007. The Marriott Riverview Plaza Hotel is an outstanding venue and will be a wonderful site for the conference. There is on-site parking for those driving and a shuttle service from the airport (fees are required for all services).

The most important change in Mobile for the art community has been the opening of Space 301, a contemporary arts center that is part of Mobile’s Center for the Living Arts. Space 301 boasts an 8,000 square foot exhibition hall, auditorium, classrooms, meeting spaces, and a beautiful outdoor terrace overlooking Cathedral Square in the heart of downtown Mobile and is only four blocks from the conference hotel. The 12th Annual SECAC Member’s Exhibition is scheduled for the expansive main gallery, and strong participation will be needed in order to fill the space. Please consider entering your artwork in this exhibition. In addition, Space 301 will host the SECAC Artist Fellowship Exhibition, a reception, and artist demonstrations and workshops.

Though plans are not completely finalized at this point, events that are scheduled in addition to the traditional sessions include a keynote address from an eminent artist, receptions on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights, a special viewing of the Mobile Museum of Art’s exhibition of work by June Kaneko, glass blowing demonstrations at the University of South Alabama’s new facility, a tour of historic Mobile, an opportunity to visit Bellingrath Gardens, a “beach bus” tour, and riverboat dining on the Mobile delta to wrap up the conference.

Mobile and the University of South Alabama are pleased to again be hosting SECAC’s annual conference and look forward to seeing everyone next year in L.A.—that’s “Lower Alabama” around here.

Jason Guynes, Department of Visual Arts at the University of South Alabama, is the conference chair. Please direct any questions or inquiries to him at jguynes@usouthal.edu or by calling 251-461-1438.

The session submission form is on the right-hand side of this page. For this conference, proposals are being sought for artist demonstrations in addition to the traditional sessions. Facilities are limited and individuals interested in proposing demonstrations should be prepared to supply any specialized equipment. Please send all session proposals (email only) to Jason Guynes by January 1, 2009. Session proposals received after that date will not be given consideration. No slide projectors will be available.


FUTURE CONFERENCES

October 20-23, 2010 (Joint conference with MACAA)
Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, Virginia)

November 9-12, 2011
Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, Georgia)

October 24-27, 2012
Winston-Salem State University (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)


PAST CONFERENCES

For a list of past SECAC conference locations, dates, and chairs, see Annual Conference History.