The seventh biennial MESDA Conference for recent research in the field of early American material culture and decorative arts will take place on October 25-27, 2012 at the East Tennessee Historical Societyin Knoxville, Tennessee.The conference provides the only major forum for scholarly presentation and interaction on American material culture and decorative arts with specific emphasis on the South.The MESDA Conference includes the Gordon Seminar, a day of presentations on a variety of topics in American material culture.

Call for Papers

Scholars and graduate students in American studies, southern studies, decorative arts and other fields as they relate to early southern material culture are invited to submit proposals. Papers are to be twenty minutes in length. Subjects with an interdisciplinary approach and with emphasis on the study of southern decorative arts and material culture are highly encouraged.

Proposals will be accepted for individual papers or for panel sessions. Paper proposals must include the author’s name, the paper title, a one-page abstract, and the author’s curriculum vitae. Session proposals must include a chair, list of presenters, cover letter, a one-page summary of the session theme, presenter curriculum vitae, and abstracts for all papers.

Deadline for proposals: May 15, 2012

Notification of acceptance will be received by June 15, 2012 and accepted papers must be submitted in full by September 15, 2010.

Electronic submission in Word format to Sally Gant (SGant@oldsalem.org) is preferred. Hard copies can be sent to:

Sally Gant
MESDA Conference
924 South Main Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Phone: 336-721-7361 Fax: 336-721-7367

For more information on the MESDA conference, including registration, please email MESDAPrograms@oldsalem.org or call 336-721-7360.