art and community: course syllabus

ART 3807/ Expanded Contexts: Art and Community

Monday and Wednesday 8-10 period; 3:00-5:10 PM, NRM 10.

Course Description

Exploration of aesthetic, sociocultural, political, and ecological issues in creating art that engages community and affects positive change. Study of exemplary art works and creation of proposals for new ones. Emphasis on creative thinking, community involvement, collaborative enterprise, research, and the creation of art works honoring aesthetic, ecological and cultural values.

In addition to slide lectures, guest speakers and artists, media presentations, individual research, group discussions, site visits, and readings, course assignments will require students to initiate and participate in community-based art works, projects or events. These works will involve creative planning sessions and collaboration with other students as well as with community members.

Prerequisites

WARP or instructor consent. Will satisfy the interdisciplinary requirement in the BFA curriculum.

Course Objectives

The primary goal of this course is to investigate and develop understandings of ways in which art can facilitate building community and positive change. Through active participation in course activities and assignments, students will be able to:

identify artists who are active in this arena and describe the aesthetic, sociocultural and ecological significance of their work.
describe ways in which artists/art works function in the local community infrastructure as well as in broader social, cultural and political spheres.
describe some of the issues related to public art and community-based art programs.
research, design, present and execute a proposal for a community-based project that communicates effectively and aesthetically.
collaborate with others in creating works of art that engage community and affects positive change.

Course Requirements

To achieve the course objectives, students will:

actively participate in planned class projects involving local community events, issues and people.
initiate, plan, present and execute a proposal for an original work, project or event designed to engage community and affect positive change.
research an artist(s) involved in making art for the public interest and present the artist to other members of the class.
read selected articles on course-related topics and discuss them in class.
interact with peers, public school students, elders, community members and groups, government agencies and the physical environment.
use the Internet and World Wide Web to gather information and communicate with others regarding community-based art work.
document their involvement in all of the above activities through drawings, photographs, video, sketches, journal entries, etc., and submit this documentation at the completion of the course for evaluation.

Course Textbook and Readings

Selected readings from The Lure of the Local (1997) by Lucy Lippard, Art in the Public Interest (1993) by Arlene Raven (Ed.), But is it Art? The Spirit of Art as Activism (1995) by Nina Felshin (Ed.), and Mapping the Terrain, New Genre Public Art by Suzanne Lacy (Ed.) (1995) are on reserve in the Fine Arts Library. Other books and journals referred to in this course include: The Reenchantment of Art (1991) by Suzi Gablick; Contemporary Art and Multicultural Education (1996) by Susan Cahan and Zoya Kocur; Fragile Ecologies (1992) by Barbara Matilsky; and High Performance Magazine. In addition, students will be expected to access various online resources on topics related to the course.

Evaluation

Final grades will be based on the timely and successful completion of the course requirements: Individual Project (30%); Class projects (30%); Attendance and Class Participation (20%); Documentation (20%). Criteria for evaluating each project will be discussed in class.

Tools and Materials

All of the materials needed to complete individual projects in this class will need to be purchased or found by the student. Thus, material needs and costs will vary. Other material considerations include:

The materials for the class project will be furished from lab fees and local contributions. Individual students may need to purchase some materials for this project, but costs should be minimal.
All students are expected to document their research, plans and work through the use of photography (a simple automatic camera will do) and journals (a 11x14 in. black-bound artist sketchbook would work nicely) and/or other recording devices (e.g., video).
Some of our work will be done on Macintosh computers. Students should purchase one or more HD disks (or a zip disk) to store their individual work on. In addition, students are expected to get GATORLINK accounts or to have some other email service available.

Instructor

Dr. Craig Roland, Associate Professor, Department of Art. Office: NRM 12E. Office Hours: M & W 1:55-2:45. Telephone: 392-9165.

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