Indigenous Aesthetics
Download as PDF
General
Course Long Title
Indigenous Aesthetics
Subject Code
CSOC
Course Number
203
School(s)
Program(s)
CS BFA
Academic Level
UG - Undergraduate
Description
Indigenous Aesthetics: The Art of Resistance. This
course will explore multiple forms of Indigenous
expression from throughout Turtle Island (present
day United States and Canada) with a particular
focus on works that have fueled and/or embody
resistance to the colonial legacy, including film,
literature, music, visual art, and dance. After an
examination of historical aesthetic traditions
among various Indigenous communities and nations prior to contact (basketry, quillwork, beadwork, songs, traditional painting, etc.) the course will turn to the post-contact era, when Indigenous artists began utilizing Western mediums in works of Indigenous expression. Beginning with the Kiowa 5, we will trace the unique trajectory of "American Indian art" within the Western art establishment, where Indigenous artists have resisted convention and the narrow parameters of the art market to carve an aesthetically distinct path in various mediums from the early twentieth century to the present. For the culminating project, students will select a contemporary Indigenous artist within their mtier and conduct a substantive study of their work. This may take the form of a research paper or a work of art in dialogue with the works of a student's chosen artist. This course will be a blend of in-person and online instruction.
course will explore multiple forms of Indigenous
expression from throughout Turtle Island (present
day United States and Canada) with a particular
focus on works that have fueled and/or embody
resistance to the colonial legacy, including film,
literature, music, visual art, and dance. After an
examination of historical aesthetic traditions
among various Indigenous communities and nations prior to contact (basketry, quillwork, beadwork, songs, traditional painting, etc.) the course will turn to the post-contact era, when Indigenous artists began utilizing Western mediums in works of Indigenous expression. Beginning with the Kiowa 5, we will trace the unique trajectory of "American Indian art" within the Western art establishment, where Indigenous artists have resisted convention and the narrow parameters of the art market to carve an aesthetically distinct path in various mediums from the early twentieth century to the present. For the culminating project, students will select a contemporary Indigenous artist within their mtier and conduct a substantive study of their work. This may take the form of a research paper or a work of art in dialogue with the works of a student's chosen artist. This course will be a blend of in-person and online instruction.