What Makes It Art?

Open to Art Program BFA1 only. This course may be
open to students at other year levels, and in
other Schools, by Permission of Instructor. What
should a work of art be or do right now? In what
ways has the nature or notion of art changed, and
why? Who or what makes those determinations? This
course will consider a series of "case studies"
from the Renaissance to the present that have
challenged, undermined, or expanded the definition
and understanding of art and its relationship to
the surrounding culture. In doing this we will
look at the ways ideas change over time, and we
will also investigate the influence of technology
on art, from oil paint to reproducible media. The
course is historically-minded, asking how artists
might think about their practice as a
"conversation" with a wide range of art from the
past-whether that practice focuses on narrative,
realist depiction, expression, media and
mediation, reproduction, or appropriation. Each
week's meeting will focus on a specific topic with
lecture, readings and discussion organized around
that topic. Course requirements will include
active engagement in discussions, participation in
a group conversation or project and one or two
class presentations to be determined in dialogue
with the instructor. The course will include
practical instruction on research methodologies.