CAA Conversations

In episode two of this two-part conversation, Diedra Harris-Kelly, Camara Holloway, and Samantha Rowe continue their discussion of the The Romare Bearden Catalogue Raisonné Project. Catalogue raisonné research constitutes relatively new ground for the study of African American art. They address the unique challenges they faced bringing this project to fruition and reflect on the insights gained. This conversation sheds light on how digital catalogues raisonné can contribute to legacy-building for African American artists like Romare Bearden.

In the first episode of this two-part conversation, Camara Holloway and Samantha Rowe discuss the development of The Romare Bearden Catalogue Raisonné Project which was launched online in June 2025. The conversation is moderated by Diedra Harris-Kelley, co-director of the Romare Bearden Foundation. In 2020, the artist-endowed foundation formed a partnership the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, which is devoted to facilitating access to archival materials and publishing digital catalogues raisonnés. The project leveraged art historical, technological, and archival resources, including the Romare Bearden Papers. Working without the benefit of an artist inventory, Harris-Kelley, Holloway, and Rowe pooled their diverse backgrounds and expertise to recover vital information about the artist.

In this episode of The Museum Worker, hosts and CAA Museum Committee members Miriam Paeslack and Samatha Sigmon delve into the literal ins and outs of museum architecture today with experts in the field. This discussion features various stakeholders in the field: Erin Coe, a museum professional who has spearheaded major building projects; Lauren McQuistion, an educator and theorist specializing in museum architecture; and architects Paul Schulhof and Azadeh Rashidi, who design cultural spaces in both urban and rural environments. Working from the outside into the physical museum space, each speaker draws on their own experiences and case studies to underscore the imperative of incorporating the input of diverse voices along the design process. Museums today, all participants agree, must navigate between being beacons of unique design and crafting a meaningful environment that facilitates the institution’s role as a community anchor.

In this episode of the CAA Conversations podcast subseries, “The Museum Worker,” Andrew Gardner, Laura Raicovich, and Ella Wesly discuss with host Samantha Hull their multifaceted careers in and out of museums, how museums have shaped their career trajectory, and the skills and lessons they have learned from the field that have benefited their work today.

In this episode of CAA Conversations, Feixue Mei, Yanbin Li, and Eric Millikin explore how educators break down disciplinary barriers through collaborative teaching, community-engaged practice, and inclusive learning environments. Through discussion of interdisciplinary teaching framework, examples of cross-disciplinary classroom collaborations, and projects such as culturally grounded Tarot-card design and the Boundless Bound Symposium and Art Book Fair, the conversation highlights how students learn to translate concepts across fields, reflect on cultural and social contexts, and develop critical, creative, and adaptive problem-solving skills. The guests emphasize how shared learning spaces, low-barrier activities, and thoughtfully integrated technologies support meaningful participation, foster curiosity and dialogue, and empower students to connect theory with practice across diverse disciplines and communities.