Meredith
November 5,2003
ERALD
Volume XWIll, Issue II
Meredith co-hosts national art
conference over weelcend
TIFFANY ADAMS
Editor in Chief
Meredith College and
North Carolina State
University co-hosted the
annual conference for the
Southeastern College Art
Conference (SECAC) and
the Tri State Sculptors
Educational Asociation
conference.
The joint conferences
were held on October 29-
November 1 with events on
the two college campuses,
walking tours of museums,
other attractions in Raleigh
and sessions held at the
Sheraton Hotel in Raleigh.
The conference brought
approximately 500 people
to the Raleigh area for the
weekend. According to
Beth Mulvaney, professor
of art at Meredith and coor
dinator for the SECAC
conference said only one
previous SECAC confer
ence had higher attendance
numbers. That conference
was held in New Orleans,
Louisiana.
The idea for Meredith to
host the SECAC confer
ence began five years ago
when Mulvaney was on her
way to the conference in
Miami, F.L. She met Lope
Max Diaz, painting profes
sor at NCSU, on the air
plane heading to the con
ference. The following year
at the conference in
Norfolk, VA., she met
Diaz and Charles Joyner
from NCSU. At that time,
discussion of co-hosting the
conference in Raleigh
arose. By the end of the
conference, SECAC was
encouraging them
to submit a pro
posal to host the
event.
. Between
October 1999 and
October 2000 the
three began plan
ning a proposal.
During the same
time period, Lisa
Pearce, professor
of art at Meredith,
was encouraged
by individuals at
the Tri State
Sculptors confer
ence to consider
hosting its fall
conference.
Mulvaney said,
"It made sense to
bring the two
organizations
together."
In October,
2000, the SECAC '
board formally awarded
Meredith and NCSU the
2003 annual conference.
Pearce also received
enthuastic approval from
Tri State Sculptors.
The following year was
spent outlining the goals
for the joint conference and
both colleges decided on
different ways to showcase
the schools.
"We decided that both
our oi^anizations would
benefit fi»m seeking a
more diverse body of mem
bers, including not only
people of color, but also
student members," said
Mulvaney.
In order to achieve that
goal, the team decided to
organize and form a diverse
Sculpture by Hanna Jubran, professor
of Art at East Carolina University
Photo by Laura Bates
conference planning com-
mittee, which included rep
resentatives from historical
ly black universities and
colleges, lejiders from com
munity arts organizations,
professionals from muse
ums and galleries and
members of the faculty at
both Meredith and NCSU.
Joyner, Mulvaney and
Pearce served as co-chairs
for the committee.
Over the last three years,
those involved in planning
raised funds and interest in
the Raleigh community and
the schools' campuses.
Mulvaney said, "We put
together programs that
would enrich not only our
college intellectual commu
nities, but also the Raleigh
area."
The final presenta
tion to the SECAC
^board occurred in
October, 2002.
Following that,, the
planning committee
Ischeduled monthly
meetings and issued a
■ I call for session propos
als. Later in the Spring
of 2003, the committee
issued a call for indi-
ividuat proposals for
Ipapers and panel pre-
isentations.
"The collaboration
[between the two
jdepartments, the
Meredith Art
Department and the
InCSU Department of
Art and Design, was
fabulous and permitted
us to form strong rela
tionships that I believe
will continue long past
distant memories of the
conference," said
Mulvaney.
The conference kicked
off on Wednesday evening,
October 29 with a reception
hosted by Resident
Maureen Hartford at
Massey House.
"It was truly an elegant
affair that set the tone for
the rest of ttie conference,"
said Mulvaney.
The formal conference
proceedings followed on
Thursday morning with
paper and panel presenta
tions at the Sheraton
Capital Center in Raleigh.
Sessions included a wide
range of topics such as
diverse scholaKhip, print-
making, integrating tech
nology in a traditional art
department and art history.
Keynote speaker Alison
Saar, a noted African-
American sculptor
addressed the audience in
Stewart Theater at NCSU.
A member's juried exhibi
tion opening and a jazz
party and reception at the
NCSU gallery of art and
design followed the
keynote address.
On Halloween, there
were various sessions at the
Sheraton Hotel throughout
the day and an evening
event that began at 6:00
p.m. that involved a night
gallery walk in downtown
Raleigh. The more than 15
art galleries in Raleigh
hosted an "after hours" for
conference attendees and
the public.
Continued on page 2
On the inside:
Meredith
Letters to
Memories
the Editor
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