CCHA National Conference (Baltimore)

This November I attended the four-day Community College Humanities Association’s 2017 National Conference at the beautiful Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland. Over 100 concurrent humanities presentations were given from collaborating colleges around the country, and three high-profile keynote speakers were featured: D. Watkins, Janine de Giovanni, and P. Bertrand Phillips.

For this event, I designed the entire saddle-stitched conference program using the one-of-a-kind “Cool Edgar Allen Poe” cover art by Venus, working closely with directors Greg Campbell and Fran O’Connor. Hundreds were printed and handed out along with the just-released Fall issue of the CCHA’s Review (which I also designed, with cover-designer Dan Koperski and editor Sydney Elliott). Much to my amusement, several of the speakers expressed a desire to frame their copies. Now, if that’s not on a designer’s bucket-list, I don’t know what is.

Aside from attending a wide variety of humanities-focused presentations throughout each day, I participated in a staff panel and one of Sydney Elliott’s special talks on the CCHR submission process, going over some of intricate ins-and-outs of the design process, and the direction of CCHA as a whole. Thinking back, it’s difficult to adequately describe just how intellectually encouraging and electric the conference was.

On a more personal note, since the entire CCHA team works from around the country, it was a wonderful time catching up in-person, hanging out, and grabbing food and drinks around the harbor. These days are much too rare.

At the end of all this, after sightseeing—touring the waterfront, and visiting Poe’s memorial—I then ventured on to Washington DC (“the other Washington”) for the first time, for more business and exploration. The White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, National Cathedral, and Smithsonian museums were some of the many stops. On the final day, I managed to walk the entire National Mall and contemplatively take in the surrounding monuments before my flight. Back home; back to more projects. 

So, now the next CCHA phase is the upcoming Spring Review. Keep your eyes open!