My very first conference

So before I went to grad school I had no idea conferences were such a big deal. They are sort of a cross between a nerd convention and research show-and-tell. The museum where I study has hosted several this year, so I've gotten to attend a few talks and see how things work.

Then this weekend I got to be on stage myself presenting my very first conference paper! (That sounds like a playset Fischer Price should sell, along with my very first thesis defense.) The Susman Conference at Rutgers is for graduate student research only, so it was a good place to start. It was encouraging to know the other presenters were people like me, who had also thrown together PowerPoints and final drafts the night before.

My paper was about a wax memorial picture from 1800 dedicated to George Washington. I wrote 3 papers on it last semester, so I had more than enough material for 20 minutes worth of talking/reading. Deciding what not to mention was a good exercise - let's be serious, no one but my professor would be clamoring to know about the invention of paraffin. Reading to an audience was also good - I realized I said "identity" and "patriotic" way too many times.

Even though my topic was a little obscure, people seemed to like it! That was the best part; having Rutgers faculty tell me that they found it interesting. My last minute PowerPoint was a hit too, again proving my faith in abundant illustrations.

Another cool part of the conference was hearing what other people were researching. Some were right up my alley: tourism and urban planning in 1950's New York City, dance as a way of understanding American social history. Others were completely new to me: medieval sermons, the role of androgyny in colonial India.

There was even another material culture paper of sorts: a gloriously fun look at the evolution of Mattel's Classically themed collector Barbies. Apparently early "Grecian Goddess" Barbie was schlock, but now Athena Barbie comes with armor and killer boots. I got really excited when the speaker brought American Girl Dolls into the discussion. Then I laughed at the people who got too academic and tried to relate Athena Barbie to Iraq. Puh-lease.