Frequently Asked Questions   Q:    Do I have to register for the conference? Is there a fee? A:    Our conference has an open attendance policy. Therefore, there is no registration process and no fee for either attending or presenting.   Q:    I’m an undergraduate/faculty member/professional. Am I eligible to submit my work? A:    We intend this to be an interdisciplinary event hosted by and for graduate students working in the general fields of art and philosophy, as well as related disciplines. While everyone is welcome to attend, we want to ensure that the standard of the work being presented is consistent, and that all the presenters are able to engage in a similar level of dialogue. Thus, unfortunately we cannot accept submissions from undergraduates, professors, or professionals, though we hope you will still consider attending!   Q:    I’m a graduate student in a discipline other than Art or Philosophy. Am I eligible to submit my work? A:    Absolutely! While our past contributors are predominantly students in Art History, Studio Art, and Philosophy, we also welcome submissions from graduates working in numerous other fields—Cultural Studies, Literature, History, Women’s and Gender Studies, etc. In principle, all disciplines are welcome to submit, though some are obviously more compatible with our primarily philosophical orientation than others.   Q:    My paper isn’t ready yet—can I just send an abstract? A:    No. All papers must be submitted in completed form by the deadline in order to be eligible. Abstracts without an accompanying paper will not be read by the review committee. Artwork does not need to be complete at the time of submission, but artwork submissions must include both an abstract and an accurate visual or aural representation of the piece to be displayed during the conference.   Q:    The deadline has already passed for submissions, but I have a paper/artwork that I really want to submit! Will you still accept it? A:    No, we can’t consider late submissions for inclusion in the conference. The review process begins immediately after the submission deadline, so by the time we receive your paper the committee will have already begun to make decisions regarding the final schedule. But we appreciate your interest and hope you will consider submitting in future years!   Q:    Do you only accept papers in the continental tradition of philosophy? A:    Students working in both the analytic and the continental tradition are welcome to submit their work. However, because of the Stony Brook MA Program’s continental emphasis, papers from the analytic tradition do not usually cohere well with the overall atmosphere of the conference, regardless of quality. Analytic papers that demonstrate a willingness to engage in conversation with continental philosophers will be considered.   Q:    What is the conference format like? What will there be for me to do? A:    The conference takes place over a period of two days. Each day’s schedule consists of a series of panels, each composed of approximately three graduate students delivering presentations of both papers and original artwork. Each panelist is allotted 20 minutes to present, and a faculty-moderated Q & A period follows when all panelists have finished presenting. (There are no simultaneous panels—all panels take place one at a time in the main conference hall.) Periodic breaks allow attendees to get refreshments and to view the artwork installations on display in the classrooms throughout the course of the conference. Friday evening culminates in the Keynote Address, with a wine and cheese reception following. Saturday evening follows the same format but culminates in the closing remarks, usually delivered by a Stony Brook Philosophy Department faculty member, also followed by a reception. In 2010, we are considering expanding our programming to including optional, off-site Sunday activities such as film screenings, gallery talks, and a coffee-and-conversation debrief. Check back regularly for schedule updates.   Q:    Will you provide any meals? A:    The conference does not offer meals for participants or attendees during the day. Panelists and faculty moderators are invited to attend the Keynote Dinner on Friday evening, free of charge. There are also evening wine and cheese receptions on both evenings of the conference which all attendees are invited to attend. For additional meals, please consult our Local Dining Options guide (available in the ‘Downloads’ section), which lists a variety of affordable restaurants within close walking distance of the conference facility. We will also have this on hand for you during the conference itself.   Q:    I’m a panelist from out of town. Can you help me with travel expenses? A:    While we can’t offer any direct compensation for travel and accommodations, panelists can request to be housed with a graduate student from Stony Brook University. Make sure you contact us well in advance of the conference weekend to guarantee that we can find housing for you. Non-panelist attendees must find their own accommodations.   Q:    I want to submit my artwork for exhibition. Can you help me with transportation or shipping costs? A:    We have been able to help some artists with minor logistical and shipping costs in the past. However, because the conference depends on fundraising to cover its expenses, we cannot guarantee any financial aid for artists who wish to display installations at the conference. You should plan to submit work that you can afford to transport or have shipped to the conference location.   Q:    What is the exhibition space like? A:    We offer an unconventional installation space that we hope you will take advantage of. The conference takes place in our Manhattan classroom facility, which consists of several seminar classroom spaces, as well as a main hall and two smaller meeting rooms. The rooms are carpeted, have white walls, and most of the rooms have a white board and bulletin boards. All of the classrooms have drop ceilings and fluorescent lighting. Several of the classrooms also receive ample natural light, which some artists have utilized for their displays in the past. Click on the “Logistics” link to the right to view room dimensions.   Q:    How much can I alter the exhibition space to meet my requirements? A:    Because of the functional, multi-purpose nature of our exhibition space, we cannot allow any physical alterations to the rooms. In other words, painting, drilling, removing white boards or bulletin boards, removing carpet, disassembling furniture, etc., are not permitted. You may cover walls, windows, floors, furniture, remove tables and chairs from the space, install fixtures that will not leave physical damage, rearrange furniture, and incorporate the whiteboards and bulletin boards into your installations. (Note that the conference tables in the large meeting rooms cannot be moved.)   Q:    How long will my artwork be on display? A:    Your work will be on display for the duration of the conference (Friday and Saturday, March 26th-27th 2010). You may remove your artwork earlier if necessary, but all items must be removed from the facility by Saturday evening at the latest. This is, again, because of the nature of the conference venue, which hosts classes, meetings, seminars, receptions, and colloquia on a daily basis. The conference is not primarily intended to provide gallery space for individual artists, but to bring graduate-level work from multiple disciplines into dialogue on the given theme, where art installations are only one aspect of the overarching conversation.   Q:    Do I have to be present at the conference to have my artwork displayed? A:    Yes, everyone whose work is accepted by the review committee must be present at the conference. Even if your artwork is only being featured during one of the evening receptions, you must attend the reception in order to engage in conversation about your work with other conference attendees. Remember, the goal of the conference is primarily cross-disciplinary dialogue, not individual exhibition.   Q:    Will my presentation be published? Will I receive a copy of the publication? A:    All of the presentations given at the conference will be compiled and edited to produce a proceedings journal, which is posted on the conference website for download in PDF format. We are not able to produce a physical publication, but panelists may print the PDF document for their own private use. Panelists may also request that their materials not be included in the proceedings journal if, for example, their work is being considered for publication elsewhere.