52nd Annual Cleveland Symposium—Wear: Indexing the Human Body

Held in partnership with the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) as part of the joint program between Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and the CMA, the Cleveland Symposium is one of the longest-running annual art history symposia in the United States organized by graduate students. 

Please join us for a day of fascinating graduate presentations, gallery tours, and art-viewing sessions. This year’s Cleveland Symposium (opens in a new tab) invokes the double meaning of the word wear—as clothing, accessories, or adornments on the body and as the physical damage an item accumulates over time. The program concludes with a keynote address by Dr. Chassica Kirchhoff, associate curator of European sculpture and decorative art at the Detroit Institute of Art, entitled “Shifting Spirals: The Horns of Henry VIII’s Helmet and the Changeable Forms of Luxury Armor.” 

Event Schedule:

10:15–10:25 a.m.: Opening Remarks 

10:25–11:40 a.m.: Session 1: Wear and Tear: Records of Use 

11:40–11:55 a.m.: Morning Break 

12:00–1:15 p.m.: Session 2: Protective Wear: Amulets and Armor

1:15–2:55 p.m.: Lunch Break

3:00–4:15 p.m.: Session 3: Wearing Identity: Communities and Recognition

4:20–5:15 p.m.: Afternoon Break

5:15 p.m.: Closing Remarks 

5:30 p.m.: Keynote Lecture: Dr. Chassica Kirchhoff, “Shifting Spirals: The Horns of Henry VIII’s Helmet and the Changeable Forms of Luxury Armor” 

6:30 p.m.: Public Reception