Midwest Art History Society
Annual Conference 2012

Blackbear Bosin, The Keeper of the Plains, 1974, Wichita

Attend the 2012 MAHS Annual Conference, to be held in Wichita, Kansas from March 29–31, hosted by Wichita State University and the Wichita Art Museum. Papers on topics ranging from art history and modern film to collecting Asian art will be presented on the WSU campus and at the Wichita museum. Hear Marilyn Stokstad of the University of Kansas, acclaimed author of one of the most widely used art history textbooks in American colleges, speak about “Art Patronage in a Civil Society”. Enjoy Final Fridays, a hallmark of the Wichita area arts scene, by gallery-hopping in the downtown arts district and visiting artists’ co-operatives such as Fisch Haus Studios and The Fiber Studio. See the WSU’s Ulrich Museum of Art, the Mid-America All Indian Center, the Kansas African-American Museum, and much more. To register, follow the links on the left menu bar. For more on the conference, click here.

History and Purpose

Welcome to the Midwest Art History Society, an organization that brings together academic, museum-based, and independent art historians in the common goal of scholarly inquiry and the exchange of ideas. Founded in 1973, the organization is open to all art historians, regardless of specialization.

The membership is focused in the states that comprise the Midwestern United States, but residents of any state or country are welcome to join. The Society gathers once a year in the spring, for three days of scholarly presentations, panel discussions and workshops. Meetings are usually hosted by universities, colleges and museums, and the programs reflect the collaboration between these institutions.

The Board of Directors meets every fall and during the annual meeting in the spring. Members of the organization work to foster close relationships between museum and academic art historians, and have devoted themselves to mentoring and encouraging the development of young art historians who are just entering the profession. Graduate student participation is eagerly encouraged, and grants to offset the expenses incurred by students presenting papers at the annual conference are offered.