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Programs » Annual Conference

CAA Annual Conference: Important Information

The CAA 114th Annual Conference will take place at the Hilton Chicago, Chicago, IL, February 18–21, 2026 with in-person and hybrid sessions, our Book and Trade Fair, and special events. In response to the feedback from conference attendees and participants, CAA continues to improve the Annual Conference experience. For the proposal forms and timeline, see this page. Looking forward to seeing you in 2026.

Updated March 11, 2025.  

2026 CONFERENCE FORMAT  

  • Most sessions and events, including Convocation, Annual Artist Interviews, Distinguished Scholar Session, and Committee Meetings will be held in person at the Hilton Chicago, while a portion of the program will be hybrid.   
  • Beginning in October, conference registrants will be able to sign into the schedule to view session and presentation abstracts in the online schedule. Schedule is subject to minor changes.   
  • As CAA has done since 2021, we will make conference recordings accessible to registrants for a number of weeks after the conference.
  • Recording permission and extended access period details will be part of the 2026 Participation Agreement which accepted participants will read inside their Speaker's Corner beginning in July.  

Types of events held at the conference  

  • Sessions, Workshops, Meetings, Receptions, the Book and Trade Fair, and our special events: Convocation, Distinguished Scholar Session, Annual Artist Interviews. The conference also includes select offsite events hosted by CAA’s constituents and sponsors.

Conference Participation Rules  

  • CAA is a forum for new work and scholarship. Your session, or presentation content, may not have been published previously or presented at another scholarly conference. Workshops must serve the needs of CAA’s constituencies.  
  • Individual membership is required. Upon acceptance you must join as a member/bring your account current.    
  • All session participants must also register for the conference and will receive the participant rate.  
  • Session participants may take part in the conference in up to three ways each year. They may serve as: a Session Chair or Workshop Leader; a Paper/Project Presenter; or a Session Discussant. A member may not, however, serve in any single role more than once per conference.    
  • If you have multiple accepted submissions in a single role, you must withdraw all but one entry in that role. 

participation is a benefit of CAA membership 

  • You may submit a proposal before joining, but all accepted session participants must have a CAA Individual Membership current through the conference dates.  
  • To submit before joining or as a lapsed member, update or create your account here. Complete all steps before payment.   
  •  CAA is a membership organization. Joining connects you to the largest group of professionals in visual arts fields during this important moment. Members are CAA and the conference! 

Sessions and presentations  

  • Since 2017, CAA Annual Conference Sessions have been 90 minutes long. Session chairs must plan their session time carefully and communicate their plan and expectations to their participants.  
  • Session chairs have the latitude to organize the session time as they wish. CAA suggests reserving time for your introduction and for discussion. Potentially, in a session with four presenters with time reserved for the presentations could be around 15–18 minutes. 
  • Chairs: keep in mind the commitment your participants are making to prepare and travel when dividing the session’s time. 
  • Presenters: Most chairs will collect your paper (independent of CAA) and will follow up with you multiple times before the Conference.  
  • Applicants to the CAA-Getty International Program and Getty Alumni Session should submit an Individual Presentation and answer the relevant questions in the form. Read the CAA-Getty International Program eligibility rules on this page. 
  • Some chairs invite very short, lightning round papers, but this requires clear communication, experienced chairs, and tight time management. The participation rules will still apply.  
  • CAA collects only your submission information and abstracts (and recordings if recording permission is granted.) CAA does not collect finished papers. 

participation agreement  

  • Session chairs, presenters and workshop leaders must read and sign the conference participation agreement, which can be found in their Speaker’s Corner. This is separate from granting permission for CAA to record your presentation. The agreement is available in your Speaker’s Corner beginning in July. Check for emails from caa@confex.com.  
  • Session discussants are not required to sign the participation agreement as they do not give a presentation and their remarks are part of the session Q&A and therefore not recorded. Discussants who wish to share a presentation or be recorded should have their session chair notify CAA as soon as possible via info@collegeart.org.  

Conference Recordings    

  • Granting permission to have your presentation recorded is not required. After acceptance, Session participants may elect in their Speakers Corner not to have their presentation recorded and still participate. In that scenario only those who attend live (in-person or Zoom) will hear the contribution.    
  • CAA encourages everyone to allow recording of their session. Allowing your presentation to be recorded increases opportunities for conference registrants around the world to engage with your content and connect with you. The recording will also be archived by CAA per the participation agreement.     
  • Recordings will be captioned and posted for access by registrants in the Conference Schedule as part of the CAA 114th Annual Conference after processing. Recordings are managed in accordance with the Participation Agreement which is updated each cycle and available to all accepted participants in their Speakers’ Corner beginning in July. CAA cannot distribute recording files. Recordings will then be archived in CAA’s records with possible use in the promotion of the Association and the Annual Conference.  

promotion and marketing   

  • Promotion of a commercial product or service is not allowed as part of your session or presentation. All participants should promote and market their session to their personal and professional networks.   

Health and Safety 

  • CAA and our Annual Conference partners are committed to following the most current safety protocols as they apply to in-person convening up to and during the time of the conference. We are tracking the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and local guidance. CAA will share updated health and safety guidelines closer to the conference as needed.