Report from the 2001 Meeting from chair-elect Anna Lisa Tota (2001-2003)

Dear friends,

After Helsinki Alain and I have been working with the board to plan our activities for the next two years. Before informing you about all what we are planning, we think that taking office, it is our task to do two things: First, we would like to thank Tia for all the work she has done (and she is still doing within the board as former chair), for all the energies she has put into this project, and for having organized so perfectly the conferences in Amsterdam, Exeter, and Helsinki. Secondly, we wish to thank also all former members of the board who helped to develope the network. A special thank goes to Bob for organising with Tia the inter-meeting at the University of Exeter, and to Jan for her crucial role in organising the stream in Helsinki. We are particularly happy that Tia (as former chair), Jan and Bob (as "decano") will stay on the board. We thank you for all what you did and will do.

We would like to welcome also all the new members of the board, and all the new members of the research network. In Helsinki there were many new participants: we hope that you liked the conference, the papers, and why not ... the organisers, and that you will participate to the future initiatives of the research network. Our next ESA-Conference will take place in Spain (when in Helsinki, we have been told at the University of Murcia) in 2003. So let us inform you about the plans ahead. For the years 2002- 2003 we are planning many activities, also following the suggestions you gave us during our business meeting in Helsinki:

1. We will participate to the ISA-Conference at Brisbane, Australia, in July 2002 organized by the chair Arturo Rodriguez Morato, where many of us are organizing sessions. We hope you all received Alain's email regarding Brisbane. Please remember that the deadline for registering at reduced rate ("early bird fee") is the first of February. For any information please check Isa website: www.sociology2002.com/rego_fees.html

2. In Helsinki we proposed to consider the possibility to organize our next inter-meeting of the Sociology of the Arts Research Network in Paris (or maybe in Lyon). As the reaction of the members of the research network was very enthusiastic, Alain and I have further discussed this possibility with the board. It was very easily to come to a final decision, because we all like very much the idea to go to France and we are very grateful to Alain for proposing it. So the next inter-meeting will take place either in Paris or in Lyon in Spring 2003. The choice of the date was adopted after considering the necessary delays to find some funding, in order to coordinate that meeting with other ones organized by diverse organizations, and in order to attract as many colleagues as possible. Spring is normally is a nice period of the year in France and the ESA "big" Conference will take place in Summer that year, so we need necessarily to meet before. As soon as possible, Alain and I will let you know exactly the date.

3. We are planning, if possible, to participate (for example, organizing joint-sessions, and so on) also to other conferences which will take place in Europe in 2002, 2003. In Helsinki I have already explored this possibility with other ESA research networks and I hope it will be possible to organize something together. 4. In the year 2003 we will run several sessions again at the ESA- Conference in Spain.

But the activities of the research network do not include only the organization of conferences, and workshops, which of course are very important, as they provide us the opportunity to meet and develope further projects. Following the suggestions you gave us during the business meeting, in this first period Alain and I have discussed with the board several ideas:

1. Jan will develop a website for our Research Network. So for anything concerning the website, please contact directly Jan Marontate: jan.marontate@acadiau.ca

2. Susanne will create a list serve, so that it will be easily to exchange ideas and suggestions within the research network. For anything concerning the list serve, please contact directly Susanne Jansen: s.janssen@fhk.eur.nl

3. After Helsinki Alain, I and all the board have been working a lot on the project to create an award for the best book, article, and student paper (either published or unpublished). It is of course a very complex matter and it will require some time to be organized.

4. I am mentioning this as last point, but I think that it should be the very first. Within the board, Alain and I have deeply discussed the possibility to devote part of our future work as network to further analize the role of culture and art in reflecting the very complex international situation we are experiencing in all the world. And I am sure we will find the proper way to organize something in this direction.

Anna Lisa Tota, 11 December 2001.