Call for Papers: 2026 CAA Annual Conference

Expanding Critical Frameworks: Unraveling Devaluation and Recontextualizing the Field of Fiber Art

Chairs: Meghan Kelly, Jefferson University and Jessica Braum, Temple University

Irene Waller, in her 1977 text, ‘Textile Sculptures,’ identified a persistent condition of fiber art: “The fact that the materials, tools, and techniques are familiar, domestic, and have been the means of practical fabric productions throughout man’s history, is both the movement’s asset and its problem.” Fiber art comprises diverse techniques, approaches, concepts, and material engagements. Limited readings of this medium result in part from the devaluation of craft, quotidian materials, and practices associated with female labor relative to fine art, leading to inadequate frameworks for situating and contextualizing associated materials and processes. Artists such as Do Ho Suh, Mrinalini Mukherjee, and Lin Tianmiao (among others) have deployed unconventional approaches to fiber artworks that are innovative in form, construction, and spatial engagement.

This panel challenges the persistent dualism that has limited critical, curatorial, and academic engagement with fiber art, aiming to foster layered discourse on its artistic uses. This exploration will engage the aesthetic, conceptual, and contextual applications of such materials and modes of production to challenge the critical limitations imposed on the medium.

We welcome abstracts on fiber art from all periods, disciplines, and methodological perspectives that critically engage the following themes, among others:

https://caa.confex.com/caa/2026/webprogrampreliminary/Session16805.html