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St Andrews Postgraduate Symposium of Art and Culture 2026; Revisiting the Canon

14 October 2026

The School of Art History at the University of St Andrews is delighted to announce the 2026 Postgraduate Symposium of Art and Culture.

This year’s symposium convenes around the theme of ‘Revisiting the Canon’. The canon refers to works that are conventionally accepted and perpetually revered. It directly and indirectly shapes how people encounter, experience, and understand art. Pausing to reflect on the constructed canon, this symposium poses two fundamental questions: what do we study as ‘art’ and ‘culture’, and how do we study them? The symposium uses these questions to push for investigation and examination of the current landscape of knowledge and explore possibilities for the future. 

Faith Ringgold, Plate (folio 18) from Seven Passages to a Flight, 1995

We are delighted to share that the School of Art History has been ranked No. 1 in the UK by The Guardian University Guide 2026, and The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026!

Social Media:

Symposium Instagram: @arthistpgsymposium 

School of Art History Instagram: @arthistorysta

School of Art History Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569045126097

School of Art History Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/arthistorysta.bsky.social