Art in Protest/Art as Protest

Catalog description

This class examines the inextricable link between the creation (or destruction) of art and imagery and the act of protest. It explores this link in a variety of contexts and over a broad sweep of time, although the focus is on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The class considers the definition of "protest art" -- art in protest, art that protests, art made after protests -- while looking at a number of specific topics and examples including: how art has been used to protest war and violence; art, race, and racism; art and feminism; the use of art to further LGBTQ rights and causes; the ways art has been used to critique the (mis)treatment of the environment; the art museum as subject and site of protest; and art's role in addressing colonialism and apartheid. A number of artworks located on the UAlbany campus and in the Capital District are discussed.