Art For Different Futures

Catalog description

The COVID-19 pandemic and the movements for social justice (Black Lives Matter, Me Too) are rapidly and dynamically altering long-held conceptions about the role of art in society. The culture industries (along with many other sectors) have been forced to re-examine the viability and utility of their current models, and the assumptions these models are predicated upon. Art institutions are in the process of reconciling their complicated and often contradictory relationship with white, sexist, ableist, and classist ideology, in which they have tacitly perpetuated dominant structures and perspectives while rhetorically advocating for reform and radical change. In this course, we will explore this contemporary cultural moment and unravel the seismic changes that have brought uncertainty to the art world. We will speculate potential futures free of racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and classism, and the role that art could play within those possible futures. And we will explore alternative conceptions of art with the potential to instigate those futures through a focus on social engagement, community, and radical inclusion. Offered as ARTH 310 , ARTH 410 , ARTS 300 , and ARTS 400 .