ITAA Salon Sessions

Submit your proposal through the Salon Session Proposal Form below by February 1

Call for Proposals for 2025: ITAA Salon Sessions

Brief History

At the 2013 ITAA conference, the Philosophical Missions Committee piloted a new, interdisciplinary approach to member‐led conference sessions organized around a particular topic, which we are calling “Salon Sessions” (previously known as Seminar Sessions). The pilot was well‐received, and then Seminars were organized at the 2014 (Sexuality and Fashion), 2015 (Fiber and Place), 2016 (Best Practices for Online Teaching in Textiles and Apparel Education), and 2017 (Social Justice and Luxury of Fashion) meetings.

Purpose

The intent of the Salons  is to allow association members to self‐organize a session which may cross disciplinary and methodological (e.g., textile science, social/cultural, historical, design, consumer behavior) boundaries in the field, and is organized around a specific topic. Organizers are encouraged to customize the submission format, review process, and dissemination of results in a manner appropriate to the focus and objectives of the session. This is the call to try out innovative formats that are not already available in ITAA. It's a space to push traditional boundaries of dissemination.

ITAA members will have the opportunity to propose Salons, which will take place as part of the conference program. Salons are stand‐alone sessions, organized by one or more proposing organizers, which follow a structure prescribed by the organizer(s).

Salon Session: Proposal

Each Salon proposal should be no longer than 2 pages, single‐spaced. It should describe, in as much detail as possible: 

• Topic or focus of the Salon
• Reason or rational for proposing this topic as a Salon (vs. a panel, special topic, or other existing format within the conference structure) 
• Expected number of active participants in the Salon (not including audience members) 
• Format and contents of the submissions to the Salon (papers, abstracts, creative work, video, or other type of outlet)
• Method of review of submissions to the Salon (double blind peer-reviewed, salon organizer reviewed)
• Participant involvement prior to the conference (e.g. conference calls, review of each others’ work prior to the conference, etc.) 
• Format of the Salon during the ITAA conference, including any explicit contributions of active participants as well as audience involvement 
• Logistical support required of the ITAA conference organizers for the Salon (e.g.: room setup, A/V equipment, etc.)
• Proposed output of the Salon outside of the conference session, including relationships with journals or other organizations such as museums or galleries (include a letter of support from any outside partners confirming their involvement)   

Salon Session: Call for Submissions

In addition to the "Salon Session: Proposal" described above, organizers should submit a 1 to 2 page "Call for Submissions" for the proposed Salon. This call should outline much of the information described above but should be aimed at informing potential participants about the focus, structure, and timeline of participation. It should specify that all accepted participants must register for and attend the ITAA conference, and that submissions to the Salon Session may not also be under consideration for the main ITAA conference. Be sure to include the due dates for the call.

Timeline and Structure

The Philosophical Missions Committee will complete a blind review of all Salon Session Proposals and Call for Submissions and select no more than two for inclusion in the conference. The committee aims for diversity in approach for these two Seminars, in order to broadly explore the potential for the format. Proposals will be evaluated based on their innovation, feasibility, perceived interest and relevance to the ITAA community, and the level of preparedness articulated in the proposal. Salons will be limited to a standard concurrent session time slot (up to 75 minutes) and will be held in one of the available breakout rooms. Salon development must follow this schedule:

1. February 1: Submit two documents “Salon Session: Proposals” and “Salon Session: Call for Submissions” to the Philosophical Missions Committee via the below Salon Session Proposal form below.
2. February 10: Philosophical Missions Committee completes a blind review of the submissions and makes decisions for accepted entries. The chairperson emails final decisions to the organizers.
   
3. March 1:  Accepted salon session organizers put out the "Call for Submissions" distributed through an ITAA email / April Newlsetter with a submission deadline of May 1.
   
4. May 15: Salon Session organizers must complete selection process and inform accepted participants. Organizers also email final list of Salon Session participants to Philosophical Missions Committee chairperson, VP of Conferences, and the Executive Director.