2010 Annual conference - march 24-27, Atlanta, GA

History, Theory and Discipline in Education and Practice

A Joint Symposium of Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), U.S.A & Modern Interiors Research Center (MIRC), Kingston University, London

Atlanta, Georgia
March 23-24, 2010

Conference Hosts:
Bridget May, Ph.D. – Marymount University, Virginia Anne Massey, Ph.D. - Kingston University, London

The Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) and Modern Interiors Research Center (MIRC) are proud to sponsor a symposium centered on the modern interior, c. 1870 to the present. Abstracts are invited that explore the conference theme of history, theory and disciplinarity in the modern interior.
The symposium proposes that the history, education and practice of interior design have a very particular and disciplinarily specific relationship, and asks what roles do history and theory have in the education and practice of interior design? Is the history of the modern interior best addressed from the perspective of architectural theory, art or design history, material culture, visual culture, business history or life writing? Or is it an interdisciplinary subject, defined ‘through’ practice, which allows us to explore and question boundaries between different approaches and methods?

Subjects to be explored include, but are not limited to, issues of definitions and interpretations of the modern interior from a disciplinary and/or interdisciplinary perspective; examinations and re-examinations of the historiography of the modern interior; the social, political or cultural relevance of the modern interior in both history and practice; the role of individual interior decorators, designers and architects on the practice and history of the interior; significant people, firms and practices; the development and role of education in the modern interior. The aim of this joint symposium is to understand the practice of modern interior design through its histories, to understand how it interior design has been defined as a specific design discipline, and to identify champions of the modern interior and rebels who challenged its borderlines.

Submission Process
Abstracts of no more than 500 words should be attached to an email and sent by October 1, 2009 to Dr. Anne Massey, Kingston University, [email protected] OR Dr. Mary Anne Beecher University of Manitoba, [email protected]  Authors are to submit a brief vita along with their abstracts.

Please identify your emails by including “Symposium Proposal” in the subject line. An email confirming receipt will be sent within 48 hours. If such email has not been received, the author should contact the person to whom abstract was sent. To ensure a blind review, NO identifying information should be included on the abstract. Any abstracts with identifying information will not be reviewed. Questions regarding the submission process may be directed to either Drs. Massey or Beecher.

The blind review process will be completed by November 15, 2009 at which time authors will be notified of decision. Accepted abstracts will appear in the conference proceedings.

In addition, based on the quality of the abstract, certain authors may be invited to submit their full papers for publication. More information will follow the November  deadline.

IDEC Conference Information
The symposium will take place immediately before the Interior Design Educators Council’s Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, March 24-27, 2010.
Participants of the symposium (IDEC pre-conference) are encouraged also to submit these or additional abstracts to the IDEC conference. Go to http://www.idec.org/events/2010.php for more information.

UPDATE 9/01/09
Any non-member of IDEC who submits an abstract to this symposium may also submit an a
www.idec.org/events/2010.php