CAA News Today

Free Los Angeles Art Apps for Your Smart Phone

posted by Christopher Howard — February 15, 2012

CAA encourages you to look into a handful of free and low-cost smart-phone apps to help you navigate museums, galleries, and other art-related events, enhancing your conference experience in Los Angeles. Most of the apps, which offer an abundance of exhibition information for the Hammer and Fowler Museums and for Pacific Standard Time, are designed for iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches; several work with mobile devices using Android. A few of these apps assist with travel and transportation around the city, and with finding restaurants. The apps are available in the iTunes Store and in the Android Market.

Art Openings and Events

ArtConcierge is a free guide to galleries, art fairs, and art-related exhibits, including programming for the Getty Center’s Pacific Standard Time and to independently organized events. GPS navigation is available for all selections. ArtConcierge is produced by Fabrik Media Group, which publishes the magazine Fabrik.

Artcards gives you free instant access to a comprehensive list of current art openings, talks, performances, screenings, and related events in greater Los Angeles. Galleries are grouped by neighborhood or city. Artcards provides names of artists, titles of shows, event day and time, and links to maps and to each gallery’s website.

The free LA Weekly app offers content from the printed newspaper and its website. Updated events listings include: live music, art openings, comedy clubs, theater, and dining options. Search for a particular event or use a GPS device to find events near you. More than two thousand restaurant listings and write-ups by the celebrated food critic Jonathan Gold. Get it for Apple or Android devices.

Museums and Exhibitions

Learn all about the Los Angeles art world from the 1940s to today with The Getty: Art in LA, Pacific Standard Time at the Getty Center. This free app for both Apple and Android devices highlights all four Pacific Standard Time exhibitions held at the Getty Center. See paintings, sculptures, photographs, and archival material, listen to audio, and read the stories behind the artworks.

Getty Goggles will help you explore and learn more about paintings in the Getty Center in Los Angeles. Simply photograph a work of art you are interested in and click the Getty result to hear insightful commentary from artists, curators, and conservators. Getty Goggles works with Apple products and mobile devices using Android.

This free app for Apple and Android can help you plan a visit to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In addition to learning about the museum’s collection, you can reserve tickets for film screenings, concerts, lectures, and gallery talks. Video interviews with artists and curators are also available. The museum has also created an Apple-only app for its exhibition, California Design, 1930–1965: “Living in a Modern Way.”

Use the free Hammer Museum app to plan your visit and to experience in-depth content about the Hammer’s exhibitions and collections. Features include: interviews with artists and curators discussing specific works of art, videos of artists describing their practices, and excerpts from exhibition catalogues. The Hammer app is compatible with Apple products and mobile devices using Android.

The free Fowler Museum Guide app provides visitors with a tour of the Fowler Museum’s permanent collection of more than 150,000 art and ethnographic objects and 600,000 archaeological objects representing ancient, traditional, and contemporary cultures of Africa, Native and Latin America, and Asia and the Pacific. The app also gives information on temporary exhibitions.

Designed to help you learn more about the Norton Simon Museum’s current and upcoming exhibitions and events, this free app lets you browse the collections, listen to podcasts and audio stops, watch videos, and learn about the museum’s history. The app also lists the museum’s hours, admission fees, and directions.

Listen to the award-winning Norton Simon Museum Audio Tour. More than four hundred stops are featured in English and Spanish, including tours for adults and children. Look for the audio-tour icon and stop number on the labels of many of the museum’s artworks.

Navigating the City

Mappity Los Angeles, available for $.99, offers a map of Los Angeles with features such as street-level map details and custom mapping for door-to-door travel.

The free Beat the Traffic app for Apple, Android, and BlackBerry tells you about the road and traffic conditions in your desired city. Its features include: real-time traffic maps, GPS displays of traffic jams in your area, and weather information. Beat the Traffic HD Plus+ is an ad-free version that is available for $4.99 in the iTunes Store and $3.99 in the Android Market.

The California Traffic Report, a free app produced by the University of California, San Diego, delivers real-time traffic reports, including approximate commute time, traffic speeds, and maps. It covers greater Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and San Diego.

Yes, public transportation does exist in Los Angeles. Use the free Go-Metro Los Angeles app to help you navigate the city’s bus system. Features include: maps, timetables, fare information, and a trip planner.

Eat Like a Native

The Los Angeles Street Food app ($1.99) covers cheap eats in the city, from Vietnamese pho houses to Mexican taco stands to grilled-cheese food trucks. The interactive maps will help you navigate the city, while listings are organized into categories and publish in-depth reviews, Twitter links, and picture slideshows. This app, though, does not track food trucks.

Vegan Los Angeles supports a healthy vegan lifestyle in Los Angeles. Find recipes and vegan restaurants and watch cooking demonstrations using this free app for Apple and Android mobile devices.

Revised on February 16, 2012.

Filed under: Annual Conference, Exhibitions — Tags: Digital Issues —

Wireless Internet at the 2012 Conference

posted by Emmanuel Lemakis — February 14, 2012

Please visit the website for the 100th Annual Conference in Los Angeles for complete details about obtaining access to wireless-internet connections at the Los Angeles Convention Center and the four conference hotels.

Filed under: Annual Conference — Tags: Digital Issues —

Add or Update Your Email Address for the Online Board of Directors Election

posted by CAA — September 28, 2011

CAA’s future depends on strong leadership. For the past several years, the organization has offered members the option to vote online in the annual Board of Directors election—and the majority of you have done so. Only a few voters (1.57 percent) use paper ballots sent by mail. Thus the board determined at its February 2011 meeting that future CAA elections will only be conducted online.

In November, CAA will notify you by email when it publishes the statements and biographies for the six candidates participating in the 2012–16 board election. To make sure you receive this message, log into your CAA account to add or update your email address. When the polls open in December, all members can vote by logging into their CAA account.

Filed under: Board of Directors, Governance — Tags: Digital Issues —

CAA Advocacy for Artists, Art Historians, and Art Museums

posted by Christopher Howard — May 23, 2011

CAA is the principal national and international voice of the academic and professional community in the visual arts; the organization was founded on the principle of advocating the visual arts and actively continues that engagement today (see The Eye, The Hand, The Mind: 100 Years of the College Art Association, edited by Susan Ball). The principal goal of CAA advocacy is to address issues of critical importance in the visual arts that benefit artists, art historians, and museum workers and to inform the public.

CAA specifically advocates change and improvements in these areas:

Government funding for the arts and humanities
Freedom of expression and against censorship
Intellectual-property rights
Preservation of the artistic integrity of public spaces
Higher education and technologies to facilitate distance learning
Philanthropy for the arts and humanities
Tax policy as it applies to CAA members
Conditions in universities, museums, and other workplace environments of CAA members

CAA cosponsors and regularly sends representatives to the annual Arts, Humanities, and Museum Advocacy Days in Washington, DC. Email petitions are requested of CAA members throughout the year when legislation is being considered in Congress related to specific issues. This year’s advocacy message to Capitol Hill focused on maintaining the funding levels of the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Recent issues related to freedom of expression and censorship on which CAA has taken a public position include:

Incarceration of the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei
Removal of David Wojnarowicz’s video from the Hide/Seek exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery
Proposed removal of the John T. Biggers mural at Texas Southern University
Removal of the Department of Labor mural in Augusta, Maine
Adrian Piper’s placement on the Transportation Security Administration Watch List
Supreme Court amicus brief in support of petition for review regarding artists whose vehicular artwork was removed by the City of San Marcos, Texas
Supreme Court amicus brief asserting the unconstitutionality of a federal law criminalizing the depiction of animal cruelty in United States v. Stevens

In addition, CAA has been involved in intellectual-property rights, as described below.

Orphan Works

CAA participated actively in US Copyright Office proceedings to study orphan works and, thereafter, actively supported legislation—yet to be passed by Congress—that would require users to conduct work-by-work, due-diligence searches to identify and find the copyright holder. If that search failed to identify or find the copyright holder, the work could be used without the threat of injunctive relief or statutory damages. If the copyright holder emerges after the work has been researched and used, he or she could still sue the user for copyright infringement, but a losing defendant would only be required to pay the normal license fee; the proposed legislation includes a safe harbor for museums that removed works expeditiously. It is unclear if any orphan-works legislation will be reintroduced in this or subsequent Congresses. After the March 2011 decision of Judge Denny Chin of the US Court of Appeals Second Circuit rejecting the settlement of the Google Books litigation, CAA’s counsel was approached by Public Knowledge (“a D.C. public interest group working to defend citizen’s rights in the emerging digital culture”) asking if CAA remained interested in orphan-works legislation and, if so, to sign a letter to Congress requesting that orphan-works legislation be reintroduced.

Cost for Reproducing Images of Artwork in Museum Collections

In recent member surveys, one of the most critical issues articulated was the high cost of reproduction rights of works in museum collections that are not under copyright. CAA has requested formal attention to this issue from the Association of Art Museum Directors.

Fair Use

CAA’s Committee on Intellectual Property, chaired by Doralyn Pines and Christine Sundt, is reviewing and proposing revisions to the Intellectual Property in the Arts section of the CAA website. The committee will also review a draft set of fair-use guidelines being prepared by the Art Law Committee of the New York Bar Association and the Visual Resources Association; after such review, the CAA Board of Directors may be asked to endorse the updated guidelines.

Extension of Copyright Term

CAA signed a Supreme Court amicus brief regarding the retroactive application of the extension of copyright term in Eldred v. Ashcroft. The Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 was challenged with the original complaint filed on January 11, 1999. CAA was an amicus when the case was brought to the Supreme Court, which held on January 15, 2003, that the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 was constitutional (see the March 2003 CAA News).

Artist-Museum Partnership Act

CAA actively supports the Artist-Museum Partnership Act, which establishes fair-market-value tax deductions for works given by artists instead of the current limitation to cost of materials. Information on the progress of the Artist-Museum Partnership Act is published in the weekly CAA News email, posted in the Advocacy section of the website, and communicated to the Services to Artists Committee. If and when a bill is subject to a vote in Congress, CAA will urge all members, affiliated societies, and committees to contact their representatives.

Coalition on the Academic Workforce

CAA is a member of the Coalition on the Academic Workforce, which recently prepared a survey of contingent faculty. Over 30,000 individuals completed the questionnaire—many were CAA members—and the results will be tabulated this spring. Information on all aspect of working conditions is included in this survey and will assist in informing future standards and practices. CAA’s Professional Practices Committee and Education Committee are kept informed of the survey and its tabulation and will analyze the results and determine action to take that will benefit CAA members. Contingent faculty is currently responsible for 76 percent of teachers in American colleges and universities. CAA supports equitable hiring, representation, and benefits for this growing segment of the faculty.

How It Works

How does advocacy work at CAA? CAA both monitors advocacy issues and is approached by universities, colleges, organizations, and individuals who raise issues via CAA’s counsel, officers and members of the board, executive director, deputy director, affiliated societies, or other partner organizations such as the National Coalition Against Censorship, the Association of Art Museum Directors, or the associations of the American Council of Learned Societies. If an issue warrants action and is consistent with the advocacy policy, CAA will prepare a response. Depending on the importance and complexity of the issue, CAA will prepare an email, letter of support, or statement; cosign a letter with other organizations; or, in exceptional circumstances when legal action is required, prepare an amicus brief or support proposed legislation. All advocacy issues brought to CAA’s attention are reviewed by the counsel and the executive director. Consistent with the organization’s Advocacy Policy, the Executive Committee and, if necessary, partner organizations also review the issues. Important matters where legal action is involved will be brought to the board.

At the February 2011 board meeting, Andrea Kirsh, then vice president for external affairs, volunteered to work as CAA’s advocacy coordinator. She has since actively assisted in carrying out research and drafting letters and statements. CAA members who would like to be informed of the organization’s advocacy efforts—and spread the word—can send an email to nyoffice@collegeart.org .

Filed under: Advocacy, Intellectual Property, Legal Issues, Orphan Works, Workforce — Tags: and World Heritage, Conservation, Digital Issues, Freedom of Expression and Censorship, Government and Politics, Government Funding for the Arts and Humanities, Higher Education, Museums and Galleries, Philanthropy for the Arts and Humanities, Public Spaces, Tax Policy —

Federal Judge Rejects Google Book Settlement

posted by Christopher Howard — April 05, 2011

Federal Judge Denny Chin rejected the Google Book Search Copyright Class Action Settlement, better known as the Google Book Settlement, on March 22, 2011. Citing copyright, antitrust, and other concerns, he stated that the settlement went too far and would have granted Google a monopoly over information without the permission of copyright owners. The US Justice Department and other groups were similarly concerned that the settlement would have given Google exclusive rights to profit from so-called orphan works, books whose right holders are unknown or cannot be found. Download a PDF of Chin’s ruling.

The original lawsuit, Authors Guild, Inc., et al. v. Google Inc., had been settled in November 2008 with an amendment approved in November 2009, but this Amended Settlement Agreement will not go forward as stated. Chin left open the possibility for a revised settlement, suggesting that authors opt in rather than opt out. A second class-action suit for copyright infringement brought by visual artists, who had been excluded as plaintiffs in the first suit, is still pending.

Many print and online publications have discussed the decision, its effects, and possible next steps. A selection of recent news and opinion pieces published by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Slate, and Inside Higher Ed, among others, can be found below. Several articles note that the judge’s decision gives Congress the opportunity to reconsider orphan-works legislation, which CAA has supported in the past. In addition, Roger Darnton, a librarian and professor at Harvard University, and others encourage the creation of a universal digital library, available to all.

Articles and Editorials

Jonathan Band, “A Guide for the Perplexed Part IV: The Rejection of the Google Books Settlement,” Library Copyright Alliance, March 31, 2011, http://www.librarycopyrightalliance.org/bm~doc/guideiv-final-1.pdf.

Robert Darnton, “A Library without Walls,” NYR Blog (blog), New York Review of Books, October 4, 2010, http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2010/oct/04/library-without-walls/.

Robert Darnton, “Six Reasons Google Books Failed,” NYR Blog (blog), New York Review of Books, March 28, 2011, http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2011/mar/28/six-reasons-google-books-failed/.

Editorial, “Google’s Book Deal,” New York Times, March 30, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/opinion/31thu2.html.

Amir Efrati and Jeffrey A. Tractenberg, “Judge Rejects Google Books Settlement,” Wall Street Journal, March 23, 2011, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704461304576216923562033348.html.

Miguel Helft, “Judge Rejects Google’s Deal to Digitize Books,” New York Times, March 23, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/technology/23google.html.

Miguel Helft, “Ruling Spurs Effort to Form Digital Public Library,” New York Times, April 3, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/technology/04library.html.

Jennifer Howard, “Judge Rejects Settlement in Google Books Case, Saying It Goes Too Far,” Chronicle of Higher Education, March 22, 2011, http://chronicle.com/article/Judge-Rejects-Settlement-in/126864.

Steve Kolowich, “Google Who?”, Inside Higher Ed, March 28, 2011, http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/03/28/usag.

Steve Kolowich, “Please Refine Your Search Terms,” Inside Higher Ed, March 23, 2011, http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/03/23/judge_rejects_google_books_settlement.

Claire Cain Miller, “Book Ruling Cuts Options for Google,” New York Times, March 23, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/business/media/24google.html.

Jeffrey A. Tractenberg, “Google Book Deal Faces Big Hurdle,” Wall Street Journal, March 24, 2011, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703362904576218951641845230.html.

Siva Vaidhyanathan, “Google Block,” Slate, March 23, 2011, http://www.slate.com/id/2289155.

Filed under: Books, Copyright, Government and Politics, Intellectual Property, Legal Issues — Tags: Digital Issues —

Google Book Settlement Filing Deadline Extended

posted by Christopher Howard — March 18, 2011

The official Google Book Settlement website recently posted an update that extends the deadline to file for an upfront payment in the Google Book Search Copyright Class Action Settlement. Authors whose works were scanned by Google on or before May 5, 2009, may be entitled to claim a cash payment once the amended settlement is approved. The former deadline was March 31, 2011. The new deadline is one year after the approval of the settlement—a date yet to be determined.

The lawsuit, titled Authors Guild, Inc., et al. v. Google Inc. (Case No. 05 CV 8136, S.D.N.Y.), was brought by authors and lawyers who claim that by scanning books still under copyright for the Google Books Library Project, Google violated the creators’ rights. The federal court originally approved a settlement to the lawsuit in November 2008, and then preliminarily approved an amended settlement in November 2009.

A second class-action suit for copyright infringement was brought against Google in April 2010 by visual artists excluded as plaintiffs in the first suit, including the American Society of Media Photographers, several other photography associations, the Graphic Artists Guild, and independent photographers and illustrators. The outcome of this case (No. 10 CV 2977, S.D.N.Y.) will be determined after the settlement of the first case.

What does the extended deadline mean for authors and publishers? According to the Google Book Settlement website, if “you did not previously opt out of the Original Settlement and do not opt out of the Amended Settlement, you are ‘in’ the Amended Settlement,” and you can claim your copyrighted material. The website contains all documents related to the settlement and forms and instructions for registering your work. The Authors Guild also publishes updates about the settlement.

CAA will publish an additional notice once the new deadline is established.

Filed under: Books, Copyright, Government and Politics, Intellectual Property, Legal Issues — Tags: Digital Issues —

The Modern Art Iraq Archive Offers New Hope for Lost Works of Modern Art from Iraq

posted by Christopher Howard — March 04, 2011

The newly created Modern Art Iraq Archive (MAIA) is part of a long-term effort to document and preserve the modern artistic works from the Iraqi Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad, most of which were lost and damaged in the fires and looting during the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq by the United States in 2003. As the site shows, little is known about many works, including their current whereabouts and their original location in the museum. The lack of documents about modern Iraqi art prompted the growth of the project to include supporting text. The site makes the works of art available as an open-access database in order to raise public awareness of the many lost works and to encourage interested individuals help document the museum’s original and/or lost holdings.

The MAIA site is the culmination of seven years of work by its project director, Nada Shabout, professor of art history and director of the Contemporary Arab and Muslim Cultural Studies Institute at the University of North Texas in Denton. Since 2003, Shabout has been collecting information on the lost works through intensive research, interviews with artists, museum personnel, and art-gallery owners. Shabout received two fellowships from the American Academic Research Institute in Iraq, in 2006 and 2007, to conduct the first phase of data collection. In 2009, she teamed with colleagues at the Alexandria Archive Institute, a California-based nonprofit organization dedicated to opening global cultural heritage for research, education, and creative works. The team won a Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to create a comprehensive archive of works once housed in museum’s galleries. These significant national treasures are displayed in an format that invites worldwide use, including the Iraqi national and expatriate communities. Users are encouraged to help identify and further document individual pieces.

MAIA aims to map the development of modern art in Iraq during the twentieth century and be a research tool to scholars, students, authorities, and the general public. It also strives to raise awareness of the rich modern heritage of Iraq. Furthermore, the creation of an authoritative, public inventory of the collection will not only act as a reminder of its cultural value and thus hopefully hasten its return, but it will also help combat smuggling and black-market dealings of the works.

Filed under: Advocacy — Tags: Conservation, Public Spaces, and World Heritage, Digital Issues, Museums and Galleries —

Speak Your Mind about CAA’s Future

posted by Christopher Howard — February 09, 2011

With its Centennial in mind, CAA invites members to discuss the future of the organization in three conference forums. The Board of Directors is hosting two Strategic Plan Focus Group Discussions on Thursday and Friday mornings on topics in communication and career enhancement. A third opportunity, the Annual Members’ Business Meeting, takes place on late Friday afternoon.

Strategic Plan Focus Group Discussion Part I: Communication

This first Strategic Plan Focus Group Discussion, led by Sue Gollifer, CAA vice president for Annual Conference, will explore new forms of communication using innovative and improved technology. The session will take place on Thursday, February 10, 7:30 AM–9:00 AM in the Madison Suite, 2nd Floor, Hilton New York.

After presentations by invited participants, who will talk about new forms of CAA communication. The informal panel will be straightforward, quick moving, and guided in the spirit of conversation and sharing. Next, the floor will open to discussion, enabling CAA members to give their input and to raise concerns of their own. The ideas from this session will then feed the Annual Members’ Business Meeting (see below).

CAA’s Nia Page and Christopher Howard will talk about the organization’s traditional and digital communications, and Randall Griffin of Southern Methodist University and Paul Jaskot of DePaul University will discuss e-publishing. Two speakers on social media, Bonnie Mitchell of Bowling Green State University and Cora Lynn Deibler of the University of Connecticut, will close the introductory presentations. Andrea Kirsh, CAA vice president for external affairs, and Judith Thorpe of the University of Connecticut will also be present.

Strategic Plan Focus Group Discussion Part II: Career Enhancement

Jean Miller of the University of North Texas and a CAA board member will lead a conversation about how CAA can improve its advocacy efforts, career-development activities, and workforce issues in order to assist professional growth. The focus group takes place on Friday morning, February 11, 7:30–9:00 AM in Beekman Parlor, 2nd Floor, Hilton New York.

Participants include these leaders from leading nonprofits and arts organizations: Steve Bliss, a former board member of the Society for Photographic Education; Sally Block, executive director of the Association of Art Museum Curators; Michael Fahlund, CAA deputy director; Jim Hopfensperger, 2011 president of the National Council of Art Administrators; and Richard Grefé, AIGA executive director. Randall Griffin of CAA’s board will also be present.

Annual Members’ Business Meeting

CAA invites all members to attend the Annual Members’ Business Meeting, taking place on Friday, February 11, 2011, 5:30–7:00 PM in the Rendezvous Trianon Ballroom, Third Floor, Hilton New York. Barbara Nesin, CAA board president will lead the meeting and welcome discussion on new organizational business and projects in progress.

In addition, the meeting’s agenda will include summaries of ideas presented in the two Strategic Plan Focus Groups, a financial report from Teresa Lopez, CAA’s chief financial officer, and an update on the 2012 Annual Conference in Los Angeles from Ruth Weisberg. At the end of the meeting, Nesin will announce the results of the current board election. To celebrate CAA’s Centennial, a reception will follow the business meeting.

Filed under: Annual Conference, Board of Directors, Career Services, Governance — Tags: Digital Issues —

Wi-Fi at the Annual Conference

posted by Christopher Howard — February 02, 2011

Connecting to the internet at the CAA Annual Conference is essential, whether you are searching for a job, contacting friends in New York, or communicating with your school or institution back home. From the conference hotels to the ever-reliable Starbucks, CAA has researched the various ways to get Wi-Fi quickly, easily, and at low or no cost. The information below may be subject to change but should be reliable.

Hilton New York

The Hilton New York offers three types of wireless internet service to its guests and thus has three prices: $14.99 per twenty-four hours for a 1 MB download speed; $16.99 for 2 MB; and $18.99 for 4 MB. The Hilton also allows nonguests to log onto its network in the lobby areas on a pay-per-use basis, at $5.99 an hour. No connection speed is specified. Users must pay by credit card upon opening a browser on their laptop. For full details in advance, please contact the Hilton, not CAA. While onsite, ask a hotel representative from the concierge or check-in desk for more information.

Sheraton New York

The Sheraton New York is generously offering free internet access—both in rooms and in the lobby—to all guests who are attending the conference. When you check in, tell the hotel representative that you are here for CAA and need an access code. The Sheraton also provides free wireless connection to anyone inside the hotel—you need not be a guest (so be nice). To gain access, simply request the log-in information from the check-in desk, as you cannot automatically connect just by opening a browser. For full details in advance, please contact the Sheraton, not CAA. While onsite, ask a hotel representative from the concierge or check-in desk for more information.

The Sheraton has graciously extended its special room-reservation rates for CAA conference attendees to February 6, 2011. To reserve a room by phone, call 800-325-3535 and mention “College Art Association Annual Conference.” Please be sure to request a confirmation number, email, or fax.

Park Central Hotel

The Park Central Hotel, the conference hotel for students, charges $15 a day for a wireless connection that can be used by guests throughout the building. For full details in advance, please contact the Park Central, not CAA. While onsite, ask a hotel representative at the concierge or check-in desk for more information.

SEP Lounge

Thanks to a generous contribution from the Courtauld Institute of Art, the SEP Lounge provides free wireless internet during its opening hours: Wednesday–Friday, 9:00 AM–8:00 PM; and Saturday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM. The lounge is located on Concourse B, Concourse Level, Hilton New York.

Hosted by CAA’s Student and Emerging Professionals Committee, the SEP Lounge is a space that allows its constituents to convene and converse freely, away from the conference hustle and bustle. On several days, the committee will present special interactive programming, where you can practice your interviewing skills, talk candidly about completing your thesis or dissertation, or get advice on what to do after earning your degree.

Candidate Center

As part of the conference’s Career Services, the Candidate Center—located in Concourse A, Concourse Level, Hilton New York—houses a bank of computers that CAA members may use only for the Online Career Center. No other internet use is allowed. Hours are Wednesday, February 9–Friday, February 11, 9:00 AM–7:00 PM. You must have a CAA membership card to enter the Candidate Center.

Starbucks

Bottoms up, coffee drinkers! A smallish Starbucks—located directly across the street from the Hilton, at the northeast corner of Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) and West Fifty-third Street—offers free wireless internet to its guests. No special password is needed—just connect when you open a browser. This location may be closed on Saturday and Sunday, according to the company. Another Starbucks a few blocks north, on Sixth Avenue between West Fifty-sixth and Fifty-seventh, has free access according to the company, but this is unconfirmed (meaning I did not enter the store and ask).

Other Area Hot Spots

OpenWiFiSpots, which calls itself a comprehensive directory of free wireless hot spots, lists eighty-two free sources near the Hilton in midtown Manhattan, including hotels, cafés, and restaurants. This website, however, includes the Hilton, which we know is not free.

Revised on February 4, 2011.