October 1, 2013
Dear ICDAD member,
I am writing to you at the conclusion of our very successful conference held in Switzerland, which was beautifully organized by Monica Bilfinger and Merle Riessiek. We heard very stimulating papers on the subject of Decorative Arts and Design as Expressions of National and Cultural Identity, and we were able to explore first‐hand the "Swissness" of museum collections and architecture from Basel to St. Gallen.
As you know, it is now time to elect new ICDAD board members. After 12 years of service on the board, I will be stepping down, as will my fellow members Ellenor Alcorn, Silvia Barisione, Elsebeth Welander‐ Berggren, and Wolfgang Schepers. Petra Krutisch and Helena Koenigsmarkova have agreed to run for re‐ election.
I invite you now to nominate candidates for the Board. We welcome your proposals, particularly for members who have attended several of our conferences, who can help expand the membership, maintain the website, and advance the level of discussions at our conferences.
The election schedule is as follows:
- 15 October: last day for Board nominations (Please e‐mail me with your recommendations.)
- 4 November: voting will begin (You will receive an e‐mail with instructions.)
- 29 November: voting closes
- 2 December: results will be announced
The fall, 2014 conference will be held in Graz, Austria, kindly organized by Martina Pall; I am confident it will be an excellent program. The Board recently discussed the question of the papers given and we have made the following decision: we would like to give more members the opportunity to present. To accommodate the many proposals, we have had to limit presentations, often to 10‐15 minutes. It would be best if speakers could submit papers only once in three years rather than every year. I realize that many museums require that their delegates give a lecture as part of their participation, and I am writing to all the museum directors to suggest a change in policy that would make room in our speaking program for different lecturers every year. But please be assured that we value the participation of everyone, and will not exclude anyone from attending or lecturing if their museum continues to require it!
It has been an honor to serve as ICDAD Chair, and I know the rest of the board share my willingness to help a new ICDAD Chair continue to serve the membership.
Sincerely,
Rainald Franz