The Southern Aesthetics Workshop will be held at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, September 19-20, 2025.  

(Please note that this is a change from the original dates of September 26-27, 2025.)

The Program Co-chairs are Michael Dickson (University of South Carolina) and Aaron Meskin (University of Georgia). 

2025 Conference Committee
Keren Gorodeisky (Auburn University)
Alexandra Hayes (Auburn University)
Brandon Polite (Knox College)
Elizabeth Scarbrough (Florida International University)
Angela Sun (Washington and Lee University) 

All queries can be sent to SouthernAestheticsWorkshop@gmail.com. 

PROGRAM PDF (as of 9/4/2025)

SPECIAL SPEAKERS

Kathleen Higgins: Invited Speaker - "Humor and Grief"

Kathleen Higgins is a former President of the American Society for Aesthetics (2017-2018) and a two-time recipient of the ASA's Outstanding Monograph Prize for Aesthetics in Grief and Mourning: Philosophical Reflections on Coping with Loss (Oxford University Press, 2024) and The Music Between Us: Is Music a Universal Language? (University of Chicago Press, 2013). Her main areas of research are continental philosophy, philosophy of the emotions, and aesthetics, particularly musical aesthetics. Her publications and contributions to aesthetics and the philosophy of art are extensive, and a brief overview can be found here. 

David Barbe: Artist Keynote

David Barbe is an engineer, producer, musician, and writer. The long-time producer of Drive-By Truckers has worked on hundreds of other projects, including Deerhunter’s Halcyon Digest, Patterson Hood’s Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance, and Son Volt’s Wide Swing Tremolo, to name a few. As a musician, he is known for his work as a singer, guitarist, and bassist in Sugar (with Hüsker Dü’s Bob Mould), Mercyland, and Buzz Hungry. Since 1997, Barbe has been owner and engineer at Chase Park Transduction in Athens, GA, where he moved in 1981 to attend the University of Georgia and has lived ever since. (Bio from The Creative Independent.)

TRAVEL INFO FOR SAW 2025: Notes from the Organizers about Lodging and Ground Transportation

The meeting will take place on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.

The following hotels are nearby, and are available at a range of prices:

Homewood Suites Downtown
Abacus
Courtyard by Marriott Downtown
Springhill Suites Downtown
Hyatt Place Downtown
Indigo University Area
Holiday Inn Express Athens

Local Air Bnb's are also available!

If you are planning to fly into the Atlanta airport, there is a shuttle service:

https://groometransportation.com/athens/

Renting a car in Atlanta is also an option. 

Policies on Discrimination, Harassment, and Respectful Behavior

The ASA Policies (effective July 12, 2019) will be in effect for this meeting.  The ASA Divisional Ombudsperson, Ley Cray, will be present throughout the meeting for informal conversations about the ASA's Policies on Harassment, Discrimination, and Respectful Behavior.

Guidelines for Presenters at ASA Meetings
Guidelines for Accommodations at ASA Meetings
Guidelines for Session Chairs 

All persons on the program other than the invited keynote—including presenters,
commentators, and chairs—must have active ASA membership before the conference program
is announced.

Registration will be $50; $20 for students. In order to receive the correct rate, you must log in as an ASA member before you purchase registration.

The workshop will be open to anyone
registered.

Presenters with no other access to travel funds may be considered for Irene H.
Chayes Travel grants from the American Society for Aesthetics. To apply, please note in your
submission email that you wish to be considered and include an estimate of your travel costs.

Congratulations to this year's recipients of Chayes Travel grants: Clara Campuzano Gomez, Romain Carpentier, and Jonathan Weinberg!

SAW 2025 Evaluation