Conference Activities and Events

38th Annual AAH Conference & Bookfair
The Open University, Milton Keynes
29 - 31 March 2012

Conference Visits
Conference Dinner
Keynote Lectures and Receptions
AAH Annual General Meeting
Special Interest Group Meetings

Conference Visits, Thursday 29 March, between 13.00 - 17.00
Visits are open to all paid-up delegates, but pre-booking is necessary. All visits have a minimal fee attached to cover transportation, but some have additional ticket price costs included as well. Extended booking deadline - book by 11 March

Visit A. Bletchley Park, 13.30 - 16.30 - click here to book. FULLY BOOKED.
Overview: Historic site of secret British code-breaking activities during WWII and birthplace of the modern computer. Home of the infamous Enigma Machines, Bletchley is synonymous with tales of spies, strategic deception and mathematician Alan Turing's buried silver.
No. places: 30
Cost: £6
Meeting point: registration desk, 13.15, coach leaves at 13.30. Departure: 16.00 arrive back 16.30
Transport: Taxi

Visit B: Woburn Abbey and Art Collection, 13.30 – 16.30 - click here to book. LIMITED SPACES LEFT
Overview: Woburn Abbey has been the home of the Dukes of Bedford for nearly 400 years. It houses one of the finest private art collections in Enlgand, including works by, among others, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Van Dyck and Canaletto as well as stunning eighteenth century French and English furniture. Woburn is set in 3,000 acres of beautiful grounds.
Tour guide/speaker: Christopher Gravett, Curator of Collection
No. places: 25
Cost: £33.00 (for full access to house, collection and private tour with curator)
Meeting point: registration desk, 13.15, coach leaves at 13.30. Departure: 16.00 arrive back 16.30
Transport: Coach

Visit C. Stowe Landscape Gardens, 13.30 – 16.30 - click here to book.
LIMITED SPACES LEFT
Overview: Stowe is the most significant of 18th-century landscape gardens. It explores ideas about love, liberty, virtue and politics, inspiring writers, artists and visitors for over three centuries. With over 40 temples and monuments, the gardens have beautiful lakes and vistas, as well as a new visitor centre. Suitable walking footwear necessary.
Tour guide/speaker: Susie West, OU Lecturer and an expert on Heritage and the Eighteenth Century.
No. places: 50
Cost: £15
Meeting point: registration desk, 13.15, coach leaves at 13.30. Departure: 16.00 arrive back 16.30
Transport: Coach

Visit D: Claydon House, 13.30 – 16.30 - click here to book. FULLY BOOKED.
Overview: Claydon's 18th-century interiors are amongst the finest in England. Chinoiserie, Rococo, Palladian and Neo-classical styles all jostle for position in a house designed to impress. Over 500 years of Verney family history play out within these walls. Set amidst 52 acres of peaceful parkland, Claydon is an inspirational place.
Tour guide/speaker:
No. places:
Cost: £15
Meeting point: registration desk, 13.15, coach leaves at 13.30. Departure: 16.00 arrive back 16.30
Transport: Taxi

Visit E: Milton Keynes: Roman to Modern, 13.30 – 16.30 - click here to book.
LIMITED SPACES LEFT
Overview: Milton Keynes is a fascinating place. Often perceived only as a postwar metropolis of concrete roads and tower blocks Milton Keynes (and, of course, the concrete cows!), there is much more to this place than may first meet the eye. This ‘time-travelling’ tour will enlighten delegates as they embark upon a legacy that encompasses Roman, Medieval, Norman, Industrial, as well as Modern history and heritage.
Tour guide/speaker: Vivien Hoare, Heritage Guide
No. places: 30
Cost: £6
Meeting point: registration desk, 13.15, coach leaves at 13.30. Departure: 16.00 arrive back 16.30
Transport: Coach

All visits will be booked on a first come first served basis. If minimum bookings are not received by 1 March, and the visit is cancelled, all pre-paid bookings will be offered an alternative visit or a refund. Some visit spaces will be available for sign-up on the day.

Conference Dinner, Thursday 29 March, 20.00 - 22.00, Origins Restaurant
- click here to book
Delegates are invited to attend a Conference Dinner on the evening of Thursday 29 March. The evening meal will take place from after the opening Plenary and Bookfair Reception in the Origins Restaurant (on campus). Delegates will pay a special price of £19 per person. Places are limited so please book early. Please note that evening dining options on campus are very limited. Click here to place your online dinner booking. Conference dinner bookings must be made before 1 March 2012.

Keynote Lectures and Receptions

Keynote Lecture 1: Lord Puttnam, Chancellor of The Open University
Thursday 29 March, 17.40 - 18.30, Berrill Lecture Theatre. Sponsored by Laurence King Publishing

Followed by a Bookfair Reception and Conference Dinner, in the Hub Theatre, 18.30 - 19.30. Sponsored by Wiley-Blackwell

Keynote Lecture 2: Penelope Curtis, Director, Tate Britain
Building on History; A New Archaeology - Tate Britain and the Millbank Project. Penelope Curtis will explore thinking on reconfiguring a museum of British art alongside a concurrent building project in anticipation of a relaunch in 2013.
Friday 30 March, 17.40 - 18.30, Berrill Lecture Theatre

Followed by a Private View and Reception at Milton Keynes Gallery, 19.00 - 21.00. Delegates will have access to the exhibition of work by prominent contemporary artist, Daria Martin.

Purchase books at Amazon.co.uk by Lord Puttnam and Penelope Curtis

Important: There are limited lecture theatre spaces for the keynote lectures, so places will be offered on a first come first served basis. However, an alternative viewing room with screen will be available as an 'overflow' option.

AAH Annual General Meeting
13.00 - 14.00, Friday 30 March, Christodoulou Meeting Room 15
All current AAH members are invited and encouraged to attend this annual meeting to offer comments, make suggestions and give feedback on the Association's aims, programme and membership services.

Special Interest Sessions

Thursday 29 March

Session 1, 12.15 - 13.15, Christodoulou Meeting Room 15
REF 2014, Discussion Forum
Speakers: Professor Bruce Brown (Brighton; Chair, REF Main Panel D) and Professor Paul Greenhalgh (UEA; Chair, UoA 34 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory) will be present to discuss particular aspects of the REF process. Full details available shortly.

Session 2, 16.15 - 17.15, Christodoulou Meeting Room 15
Preparing to Publish
Speaker: Philippa Joseph, Editor Humanities Journals, Wiley-Blackwell
This special interest session will equip participants with the skills needed to produce an academic article . It will deal with two key areas:

Firstly, it will advise students and early-career researchers on how to turn a chapter from their thesis into a concise and engaging journal article.
The session will then provide advice on how to approach publishing bodies and will investigate the different publication avenues that are open to art historians.

This hour-long workshop is ideal for both established and student art historians who find the process of publication challenging.

Saturday 31 March

Session 1, 13.00 - 13.45, Christodoulou Meeting Room 15
Making Exhibitions: International Networks & Collaborations
Speakers
Emma Dean, Head of Exhibitions at MK Gallery
Emma Williams, Exhibitions Organiser - Visual Arts, British Council
Martin Caiger-Smith, Courtauld Insitute of Art

Session 2, 13.00 - 13.45, Christodoulou Meeting Room 11
Teaching Art History: A-level Upwards
This session will operate as a drop-in discussion forum for anyone interested in supporting the expansion of art history in schools, or willing to work with museums/ galleries on preparing A level online materials.