Indigenous Aesthetics

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 métier 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. Course will be co-convened with students
from the Institute for American Indian Arts (IAIA)
in Santa Fe. Each institution will have its own
designated instructor and students will meet
together via Zoom. At CalArts, the instructor will
provide a blend of in-person and online
instruction.