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Course 2018-2019 a.y.

30470 - CRITICAL APPROACHES TO THE ARTS II - MODULE I (CONTEMPORARY ART)

CLEACC
Department of Social and Political Sciences

Course taught in English

Go to class group/s: 31

CLEACC (6 credits - I sem. - OBS  |  L-ART/03)
Course Director:
PAOLA NICOLIN

Classes: 31 (I sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: PAOLA NICOLIN


Class-group lessons delivered  on campus

Mission & Content Summary
MISSION

The course aims to introduce students to the complex historical intersection between art and educational practices in contemporary art. This relationship is thus considered as peculiar framework through which understanding languages ​​and forms of visual art, its contexts to the questions and knowledge they generate. How and why did – and still do –  artists look pedagogical tools and contexts (presentation / lecture / classroom / blackboard / slideshow etc., etc.) and borrowing forms and contents in their artistic practice? How far the interest of contemporary artists in educational and participatory projects did contribute to redefining the status of artwork and the role of the artist in society? How did and still does the institution respond to these changes? This course takes thus into consideration an historical framework moving from the Second Post-War to the present times considering the relation between artists, works and institutions in a thematic perspective. Topics addressed would consider question of materiality and immateriality of the artistic labour, authority and delegation, the clash between social aspects and institutional breakdown, always merging the historical discourse with the development of artistic practices.

CONTENT SUMMARY

The course is divided into three sections, each related to specific topics addressed 'amd' corroborated by a series of historical case studies.

  1. The first section is devoted to the theme of the artist's atelier, and more precisely to the artwork "in the studio" as a starting point for the production, circulation and reception of the idea.
  2. The second section focuses on Schools and Academies as contexts of relatoinships and interdisciplinariety where the condition of learning is affectinc the notion of art itself.  
  3. And then the thirds art continues with a selection of singular study cases that testify the transition from school (collective institution) to individual players (artists that run themselved schools as a form of art), with a peculiar concern on artists incorporating pedagogy as a “medium”. This third section is thus finally devoted to an open discussion on institutional systems  and museum studies approacing the historical transformation of an art institution from place for exhibiting towards center for learning. 

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Appreciate and articulate the ability of artworks of any form to interrogate the way we teach and we learn.
  • Grasp the potential of artworks to convey the distinction between art, research and entertainment.
  • Understand the complex historicity of artwork –  and their changing meanings over time – as well as the role of the artist as active agent of social transformations.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Approach artifacts beyond their aesthetic appeal, and examine them in relation to their cultural, social and political milieu.
  • Formulate critical arguments about the interconnection – and distinction –  between convey art, research and entertainment.
  • Problematize the changing forms of arts, its notion and the role of art institution as learning center.

Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face lectures
  • Company visits
  • Group assignments
DETAILS

This course  combines traditional frontal teaching (lectures) with seminar-based activities and off-campus visits to relevant collections, art galleries, institutions and /or exhibtions.

  • Guest lectureres are invited to join the class presenting their reserach and methods in talks, dialogues or film screenings. 
  • The course is thus shaped paying attention to the individual experience, evaluation and re-elaboration of the contents proposed in the classroom.  
  • Image - based exercises and presentations ( both individual and in group) are assigned throught the course. Students are expected to participate in class discussions. 

Assessment methods
  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
  •     x
  • Group assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
  •     x
    ATTENDING STUDENTS

    Students are required to take final exam (100% of the grade). The exam is written, and students are asked to answer a mix of open-ended questions and image-based questions. The exam paper is based on course readings, as well as on seminar materials and discussions held in class. The exam aims to assess student’s engagement with the understanding of textual and visual evidence and their ability to interpret such evidence critically, showing and understanding new forms of arts and their effect in the politics of spectatorship as well as in the development of art institutions.   

    NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

    Students are required to take final exam (100% of the grade). The exam is written, and students are asked to answer a mix of open-ended questions and image-based questions. The exam paper is based on reading list that students receive when they enter the course. The exam aims to assess student’s familiarity with the main issues addressed by the assigned readings; their ability to summarize and critically interpret the narratives and arguments advanced by those readings.


    Teaching materials
    ATTENDING STUDENTS

    Attending students are required to read a given selection of chapters taken from books and readings which includes:

    • C. BISHOP, Artificial Hells. Participatory art and the politics of spectatorships, Verso, London, New York, 2012 (any editions).
    • B. O’ DOHERTY, Inside the white cube (any edition).
    • J. MILLER, M. KELLY, Educational Complex, Afterall Books, One work, MIT press, 2015.
    NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

    Non attendind students are required to read the following books:

    • C. BISHOP, Artificial Hells. Participatory art and the politics of spectatorships, Verso, London, New York, 2012 (any editions).
    • F. ALLEN (edited by), Education, MIT press, Whitechapel, Documents of contemporary Arts, 2011.
    • B. O’ DOHERTY, Inside the white cube (any edition).
    • J. MILLER, M. KELLY, Educational Complex, Afterall Books, One work, MIT press, 2015.
    • D. DEZEUZE, T. HIRSCHHORN, Deleuze Monument, Afterall Books, One work, MIT press, 2014.
    Last change 10/07/2018 11:42