This course explores the burgeoning field of social practice art. Today artists working in the field of social practice focus on aesthetics, ethics, collaboration, media strategies, & social activism as central issues that inform their artworks & projects that are designed for public & social spaces. In the United States, visual art that engaged the public directly began in the late 1950s & coincided with the local “decentralization” efforts that, in the arts, resulted in community-based art practices that envisioned the public as diverse, socially-engaged, & contributed to an expansive aesthetic consciousness. Understanding this history contextualizes social practice art & allows us to interrogate the ways artists blur the lines between object making, performance, activism, grass roots organizing & pedagogy.
This course combines discussion of contemporary artists and artworks, texts and artists’ writings, individual and group critiques of students’ work, and an in-depth study of contemporary art, exhibitions and relevant cultural production. Throughout the semester, each student completes studio projects, written responses, presents and participates in group critiques and builds and maintains a personalized portfolio.
This course considers the history and possibilities of imagining and representing the Other and the Unknown. It is centered on the close study of films, texts and media, including Yermek Shinarbaev's Revenge, on the Korean diaspora in central Asia; Susana Aikin's The Salt Mines; Kpop; and texts drawn from critical theory, fiction, and the news. Through experimentations with various media, ranging from writing and storytelling to films and diagrams, students are asked to find ways to bring the unknown to the realm of the familiar, while questioning the merits of this practice.
This class includes autobiographical works by writers, filmmakers and artists as well as psychological and philosophical concepts evolving around the problem of (aesthetic) personal formation between freedom and determinism. Students research this question by studying the assigned material and by interviewing a person of their choice. Interview results are presented to the class.
One common trait of experimental modernist and contemporary art is the pressure it exerts on conventional ideas about what art is and what it can do. This research seminar will address some of the many forms this redefinition has taken, combining art historical methods with approaches drawn from critical aesthetics and curatorial theory. Whenever possible, we will meet directly with artists, conduct site visits, and utilize NYU's extensive archives.
This course considers the history and possibilities of imagining and representing the Other and the Unknown. It is centered on the close study of films, texts and media, including Yermek Shinarbaev’s Revenge, on the Korean diaspora in central Asia, Susana Aikin’s The Salt Mines, Kpop, texts drawn from critical theory, fiction, and the news. Through experimentations with various media ranging from writing, storytelling, films and diagrams, students are asked to find ways to bring the unknown to the realm of the familiar, while questioning the merits of this practice.
How to collect art for both private and public collections. Factors of aesthetics, taste, and economics are discussed as well as the historic development of collections since the Renaissance. Special attention is given to corporate collections and collecting for investment. Guest lectures.
A wide range of contemporary visual and critical methodologies used in art criticism are explored, along with an extensive evaluation of writing techniques from a variety of sources including major international newspapers, journals, books, and on-line and print art publications.
Through a series of lectures, seminars, guest speakers, and workshops, students will be introduced to issues and recent research in art education. Students will have the opportunity to learn about available teaching and learning resources, share and critique artwork, and discuss their practices as artists, teachers, intellectuals, and activists within the contexts of contemporary art education. This course will also serve as a forum for fostering academic community through networking, sharing resources and planning special projects.
Studio work focused on enabling artists functioning as therapists to use their creative capacities in the service of individuals with adjustment problems and emotional disabilities.
The evolution of alternative spaces in New York City from the 1950s through the early 1990s. Critically investigates varying definitions to the term "alternative," and considers the impact of new art forms/new ideas upon the nonprofit and for profit sectors of the art world at that time. Students learn about the work of emerging, underrepresented, established artists whose art reflects cultural and stylistic diversity. Students gain insight into how administrators serve both their artists and constituencies and respond to the changing needs of their communities.
This course explores different ways artists have interacted with money, in choosing a subject, dealing with the marketplace, and formulating life choices. The course combines theory and studio practice with lecture and discussion and includes art critiques with an active critical engagement. For each of the seven topic units, students may do art projects as well as present or write responses. Open to studio artists in any discipline, those interested in critical theory or art history, and those engaged in arts administration.
This course examines the current developments in contemporary art over the past decade – the art of ‘now’ – from the viewpoint of an artist’s practice & working ideas, looking at current global art production in aesthetic, economic, & social contexts. The major movements in painting, photography, sculpture, installation & performance are examined. Readings will be drawn from first hand interviews & point-of-view accounts, reviews, & critique; a major emphasis on interviews & online studio visits will accompany the texts. Guest artist lectures & off-site museum & gallery viewings will complement the weekly visual presentations & theory conversations.
Liberal Arts Core/CORE Equivalent - satisfies the requirement for Expressive Cultures for Steinhardt students.
This class surveys theories of contemporary art from the 1970s to the present. Class meetings provide an overview of the parallel appearance of new art forms and the critical theories associated with them. Areas to be explored include contemporary media culture, the politics of the image and identity, social constructions, memory and history as these relate to art theory and criticism.
Art as therapy for adolescent populations. Topics will cover a range of disorders such as the emotionally disturbed, the disabled, the intellectually and/or neurologically impaired, and the socioeconomically deprived. There will be a demonstration of techniques used in long or short-term treatment. Students will learn the role of the art therapist as a member of the therapeutic team in bringing about behavioral change or improved ability to deal with immediate life situations, methods, of evaluation, and treatment will be addressed.
An investigation of art therapy in numerous settings for adults with either acute or mild disturbances. Demonstration of art therapy techniques (utilizing studio activities) used in long-or short-term treatment. Discussion and art experience appropriate to use with talented adult group.
Art as therapy with the emotionally disturbed, children with physical disabilies, the intellectually and/or neurologically impaired, and socioeconomically deprived children. Considers the problems and methods of art therapy for children with either aculte or mild disturbances. Demonstrations of art therapy techniques (utlizing studio activities) used in long-or short-term treatment. The role of art therapist in relation to other members of the therapeutic team in bringing about character change or improved ability to deal with immediate life situations. Methods of evaluation and treatment are discussed. Illustrated lectures, reading, and discussion.
Theoretical foundation and close study of assessment techniques in family art therapy. Art intervention techniques will also be introduced. Several theoretical approaches to family therapy will be studied - psychodynamics and systems theory. Lecture, slide and videotape presentation included.
Deals primarily with the theory and application of art therapy techniques for various types of groups in mental health facilities. Lecture, discussion, and studio work emphasize practical utilization of group techniques.
'Art: Practice and Ideas' examines key developments in the visual arts from modernity to the present. Focusing on the ways in which representations both create and reflect the values of a society, the course introduces students to the full range of expressive possibilities within the visual arts, covering painting and sculpture, as well as photography, film, video, conceptual art, and computer media. Topics to be covered include classical, modern, and postmodern relationships to politics, vision, the mind, the body, psychology, gender, difference, and technological innovation. Students will see and understand how artists have integrated perceptions of their historical moment, as well as physical and social space, into creative practices that have, in turn, had a significant impact on the culture of the time.
Liberal Arts Core/MAP Equivalent - satisfies the requirement for Expressive Cultures for Steinhardt students.
