Center for Independent Study

New Haven

 Scholars and students of history, literature, sociology, mathematics and classics

Writers of fiction, poetry and drama

Artists, art critics, photographers, editors and translators

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• An affiliation for independent scholars and artists
• An alternative milieu to traditional educational institutions
• A forum for intellectual and creative effort
• A community of colleagues for those whose work is done in solitude
• A link with a nationwide network of similar organizations growing in response to the interests and needs of the independent scholar

Dear colleagues:
I write to call your attention to the descriptions and requirements for the Modern Language Association's 2009 book-prize competitions.
Eighteen publication prizes will be awarded in 2009, including the MLA Prize for a First Book, an award for a manuscript in Italian literary studies, the MLA Prize in United States Latina and Latino and Chicana and Chicano Literary and Cultural Studies, the MLA Prize for Independent Scholars, and the MLA Prize for a Distinguished Scholarly Edition.
Information about all 2009 prizes and instructions for submitting your book are available at http://www.mla.org/resources/awards/awards_submissions/awards_competitions.
Authors who are not currently members may become eligible to compete for prizes that require membership by joining the MLA for 2009.
Cordially,
Rosemary G. Feal

CRIME AND ART HISTORY’S MYSTERIES: RESEARCH, FICTION, AND HISTORY FROM THE BORDERLANDS OF ACADEMIA

On Sunday, March 29, Noah Charney gave a talk on international art crimes and the three spheres in which he works: fiction, popular non-fiction, and academic scholarship. Throughout the talk he emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of art crimes investigation and how it overlaps with both art historical inquiry and fictional representations of art crimes and criminals. Noah’s talk also functioned as an autobiography of his professional life as the founder and director of ARCA (Association of Research into Crimes against Art), a teacher, novelist, and essayist. Noah recounted how he first became interested in art crimes as a student of art history who was interested in unlocking puzzles of visual iconography. Concurrent with his studies, was his observation that there was little fictional work on art crimes. This interest and observation led him to explore the art crimes and criminals in popular culture. He explained that art crime is the third highest-grossing trade internationally and that criminals most generally learn about art crimes from the representation of art thieves in movies and television. Though criminals are often motivated by the perception that art will bring them social status, most art criminals steal art on behalf of worldwide organized crime that often funds drug rings and terrorism. As Noah so succinctly put it: “Art is a cog in the overall machine of organized crimes.” Noah presented a variety of case studies on art crimes to point up their convergence with international crime and traced the rise of art crimes to after World War II when they entered into the public consciousness through the media, especially in newspapers and television. For instance, between 1961-1976 there was a rash of thefts on the Riviera by the Corsican Mafia who may have learned about the value of art through television. Noah ended his talk with the famous visual puzzle of Caravaggio’s The Calling of St. Matthew in the church of St. Luigi in Francesi in Rome. His close reading of this painting illustrated his passion for visual enigmas and that painting itself constituted a crime scene in itself to be investigated and solved. This had Noah coming full circle back to the central theme of interdisciplinarity that informs his interest in art crime.

Reading Group

For the past few years, Center members have met in a monthly reading group, devoting each year to a single work or a group of related works: one year, for example, a number of Greek plays; another year, Beowulf. This year, starting on October 14 at 1:30, the group explores the writing of three women novelists spanning three centuries: George Eliot (Daniel Deronda), Virginia Woolf (The Waves), and Shirley Hazzard (/The Great Fire ).
Interested in joining? Contact Ruth Schmitt, 203-865-1491, or ruth.hein@snet.net

Interested in joining a History study group?

A new History Reading/Discussion Group will begin in the Fall of 2009. The readings will focus on the question: "How do societies evolve and cope (or fail to cope) with challenges?"
We welcome your participation.
For information, contact CIS member Richard Yanowitz (ryanowitz@clearwords.net)