Editorial for Volume 10 (2012)

Each volume year of Contemporary Aesthetics has brought new challenges and achievements, and 2011 has been no exception. On the side of publication, we have presented eleven papers of high quality covering a rich range of subjects and written by an international group of scholars from Sweden, Japan, Romania, the U.K., New Zealand, Hungary, and Canada, as well as the U.S. We have also published our third special volume, this one devoted to Art and Aesthetics in Southeast Asia. Owing to unexpected delays, this volume has taken five years to complete. Happily we were able to finish work on it and issue a volume that makes a useful contribution to scholarship on this region. We have also begun editorial work on a fourth special volume on the subject of artification under the guest editorship of Ossi Naukkarinen and Yuriko Saito. This will be an extensive volume with over a dozen contributors and we expect to publish it in early in 2012.

On the technical side, Contemporary Aesthetics has added a universal search function to its website. It is now a simple matter to enter a search term and bring up a list of all the references in the complete run of volumes. Also, in addition to being included in The Philosopher’s Index, EBSCO, Wilson’s OmniFile Full Text Mega database, OmniFile Full Text Select database, and the Art database, we are now further indexed in ARTbibliographies Modern and EpistemeLinks. And I am happy to report that our readership continues to increase. It is now 114,329, ten percent greater than last year.

Organizationally, we have taken steps to incorporate and obtain non-profit status. This is important for us so that we can solicit outside financial support and secure our future stability. Contemporary Aesthetics is now published by Contemporary Aesthetics Inc., which is incorporated in the State of Maine, USA and is licensed as an Exempt Charitable Organization. This is announced on our web site under "Publisher," and we are continuing to pursue tax-exempt status with the US Internal Revenue Service. Contemporary Aesthetics continues to enjoy the sponsorship and financial support of the Rhode Island School of Design, as well as the generous contributions of individuals who support our mission. To all we are deeply grateful.

Many scholars have participated in the review process essential to a peer-reviewed journal, and I am pleased to offe public acknowledgement of their valuable contributions. Reviewers this past year included Andrew Ballantyne, Arnold Berleant, Emily Brady, Curtis Carter, John Carvalho, Mădălina Diaconu, Ivan Gaskell, David Goldblatt, Kathleen Higgins, Kirsten Jacobson, Carolyn Korsmeyer, Estella Lauter, Tom Leddy, David Macauley, Katya Mandoki, Kevin Melchionne, Glenn Parsons, Kalle Puolakka, Monique Roelofs, Yuriko Saito, Crispin Sartwell, Larry Shiner, Kevin Sweeney, Grant Tavinor, and Julie van Camp. I have frequently turned to our Editorial Committee for counsel—to Larry Shiner, Ivan Gaskell, and most particularly, to Associate Editor Yuriko Saito, with whom I have worked in close collaboration and whose constant assistance has been essential to our success. We are also fortunate to enjoy the interest, support, and guidance of our distinguished International Editorial Advisory Board. Deepest thanks to all as we continue to chart the course of contemporary aesthetics.

Arnold Berleant, Editor

January 2012