Conference

Collisions: SECAC 2012 Hits Tobacco Road

Meredith College will present the 68th annual meeting of SECAC in the heart of historic Durham, North Carolina, Wednesday, October 17 through Saturday, October 20, 2012. Downtown Durham has enjoyed an amazing resurgence, particularly for those interested in art, culture, and food. Come see what The New York Times (6-26-11) described: "In the last few years, downtown [Durham] has been transformed — a ghost town no longer — and an exciting, unexpected food hub has emerged." 25+ locally owned restaurants are within a 1/2-mile radius of downtown, and new breweries and music venues further enliven the scene. Come see why Durham was named by the New York Times as one of the "41 Places to Go in 2011." As the local Durhamites say, "Get your cool on in downtown Durham."

2012 Registration Rates: Registration for the 2012 Conference will remain the same as it was for 2011. Individual registration is $180, with a discount for early registration ($150); on-site registration ($210). Student registration is $60, with a discounted early registration ($50) and on-site registration ($70). Registration for retired members is $90, with a discount for early registration ($75) and on-site registration available ($105). Registration will open August 1, 2012.

Conference Hotel: Our Conference hotel, the Durham Marriott Civic Center (201 Foster Street) is located in the heart of historic downtown, just a block away from the bustling Saturday Farmer’s Market at Central Park and a short walk away from the award-winning DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center), the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (our AAA minor league team), and the American Tobacco Campus, a registered historic site that has been repurposed with mixed use development including restaurants, entertainment, and live broadcast delivery by WUNC radio. For reservations, dial the Durham property directly: 1-919-768-6000 or use the toll free Marriott reservation line: 1-800-909-8375. Use the name SECAC to receive the discounted rate. For online reservations at the group rate, go here: Durham Marriott.

Transportation: Downtown Durham, located close to both I-85 and I-40, is an easy drive for many SECAC members. The conference hotel is 13 miles from Raleigh Durham International Airport, which serves close to 10 million passengers annually. Airlines: Air Canada, American Eagle, Continental, United, JetBlue, Delta/Northwest, US Airways, Vision, Southwest and American Airlines. Car rental companies are on-site. From the airport, transportation to the hotel may be scheduled through: Super Shuttle: (800) BLUE VAN (800-258-3826) Fee: $20 (one way); S&H Transportation 919-680-0700 or 919-604-4522; fee: $35 (one way); reservations required. Estimated taxi fare is $35.00 one-way.

The new (2009) Durham Transportation Center serves Greyhound bus lines. The Durham Amtrak Station, located in downtown Durham, serves two passenger trains, the Carolinian and Piedmont. The station, which is located across from the Transportation Center, is in the Walker Warehouse building of the former Liggett and Myers tobacco complex. Both are approximately .3 mile from the conference hotel.

SECAC 2012 Conference Media Policy
Contact: Beth Mulvaney, professor of art history and Department Head at Meredith College, is the conference chair for SECAC 2012. She may be reached at SECAC2012@meredith.edu. Rachel Frew, SECAC administrator, may be reached at secac@secollegeart.org. Updates will be posted on this page. SECAC is also on Facebook.

FUTURE CONFERENCES

For a list of future SECAC conference locations and dates, please see Future Annual Conferences.

PAST CONFERENCES

For a list of past SECAC conference locations, dates, and chairs, please see Annual Conference History.