Course Description:

In this course, we will engage with contemporary works of art and art writing with particular attention to the interrelationships between race, identity, aesthetics, and politics; conceptions of community and the public; the intended and unintended political uses of art; and the relationships between artists, art institutions, and public audiences.

We’ll read and discuss various critical texts, as well as writing by and about artists, reviews, and other art-related written materials. We will consider critical approaches to describing, interpreting, and contextualizing art, with attention given to critical race theory and its applications in art and cultural criticism. We’ll discuss recent examples of artist-led activism and social movements, and apply race-conscious practices to our own reading and writing.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• Identify and describe several different kinds of art writing and what purposes and audiences each might serve;

• Identify and describe different kinds of institutions, organizations, and individuals that comprise the “art world” — museums, galleries, community-based centers and organizations, artists, critics, curators, etc.;

• Understand the different ways arts organizations are funded and supported and how that affects their operations;

• Compare rhetorical strategies in a range of writing about contemporary exhibitions, including official documentation and interpretation, critical reviews, and social media discussions;

• Examine and analyze current debates in the contemporary art world through a critical race perspective;

• Practice interdisciplinary thinking between art and art history; community activism and community development; arts policy and funding;

• Become familiar with a range of publication venues — traditional, formal, informal — where contemporary art is reviewed, discussed, promoted;

• Engage critically with issues in contemporary art through a race-conscious lens.

Materials:

All reading materials will be provided online. We will use Canvas and Google Drive as main points of entry to course materials.

You will need a dedicated notebook to keep your responses to the weekly readings and viewings, as well as to record your reactions to art work, lectures, and performances. My recommendation is that you keep a print notebook, but you may also keep your reading journal online (as google doc).

Course Policies:

TIME EXPECTATIONS — Full-credit courses at Brown require at least 180 hours of time. Over the 14 weeks of the semester, we’re in class approximately 40 hours. The time you spend on reading and writing will vary from week to week, but it is expected you’ll spend about 60 hours reading, and 60 hours writing (developing, drafting, revising essays and completing informal writing assignments). Community-engaged components, including attending events, artist talks, finding and viewing shows and performances, and any projects working with community organizations will be variable, but will likely be around 25-30 hours.

GRADING & ASSESSMENT — This course is S/NC. Your grade will be based on:

• Regular attendance, preparedness, and thoughtful participation in class discussion and in workshop (30%);

• Informal reading responses (20%);

• Community-engaged work (20%);

• Written work – drafts, revisions, and final portfolio (30%).

ATTENDANCE — As a seminar, this class works best when we are all present, prepared, and engaged with the material. Plus, co-creating knowledge is more meaningful (and more fun!) than not participating. If you know you’ll need to miss a class for whatever reason, let me know as soon as you can. I use Canvas announcements for clarifications, follow-up and general class communications, so please make sure you set your Canvas notifications to receive frequent updates.

CONFERENCES — You should plan to meet with me in 1-1 conferences at least twice during the semester. You can come by my office hours or make an appointment to speak with me by zoom, phone, or in person. These conferences are opportunities for you to consider your own progress in the course, and we can discuss readings, your writing, or any related projects. You should consider your goals for the conversation and prepare any questions or issues you’d like to address.

COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS — We will be reading and discussing complicated and challenging topics, including but not limited to issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, faith, mental health, power and authority, violence, and death. It is vital that we speak to each other with care, that we avoid statements that are dismissive of others or that deny the humanity of individuals or groups. It will be our collective responsibility to maintain the integrity and respectfulness of our discussions.

DEADLINES — Deadlines are useful for understanding how you work. The deadlines I’ve established for first drafts are to give your classmates enough time to read your work carefully and respond thoughtfully. Because for these workshop drafts, the accountability is more to your peers and less to me, they are important in that they have a direct impact on the workflow and planning of your peers, so please keep in mind that if you’re persistently late in submitting your drafts to your peers, you are imposing on their schedules as well, and they may not be able to give your work the planned time and attention.

The deadline for the final portfolio is based on how long I will need to review your work and prepare for our final conferences. There is some flexibility there, but I ask that you let me know you will need an extension or extra time at least 48 hours before the deadline.

In all cases, if you request an extension, you should determine for yourself how long you will need and let me know when you expect to be able to turn in your work. In the case of workshop drafts, you will need to let your peers know as well.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY — From the Brown University Academic Code: “A student’s name on any exercise (e.g., a theme, report, notebook, performance, computer program, course paper, quiz, or examination) is regarded as assurance that the exercise is the result of the student’s own thoughts and study, stated in his or her own words, and produced without assistance, except as quotation marks, references, and footnotes acknowledge the use of printed sources or other outside help.” (Academic Code, p. 5)

ACCESSIBILITY & INCLUSION — My goal is to create a welcoming, inclusive, and respectful environment for all students. If you require accommodations or modifications of anything in this class, let me know.

If you need accommodations around online learning or in classroom accommodations, please be sure to reach out to Student Accessibility Services (SAS) for their assistance (seas@brown.edu, 401-863-9588). Undergraduates in need of short-term academic advice or support can contact an academic dean in the College by emailing college@brown.edu.

Multilingual students may be interested in the resources offered by English Language Learning support at Brown. You can reach the ELL specialists at ellwriting@brown.edu. If you are having personal, family, or health-related concerns, you can contact Student Support Services. Additional community support resources are listed here.

Assignments & Activities (Overview)

These descriptions are to provide a general overview of the assignments. We will discuss assignments in greater detail in class.

ANNOTATIONS (OR “GEMS”) — In preparation for class discussion of assigned texts, you will be expected to take notes as you read, and specifically, to bring 8-10 quotations or passages (“gems”) from the text that stood out to you as compelling, provocative, or otherwise worthy of further discussion. Not only will this activity help prepare you for class discussion, but over time, as you review these notes, you will begin to observe patterns and themes in your own interests. It is likely that these recurring themes will be useful as you develop your final project and final portfolio.

INFORMAL RESPONSES — Several times during the semester, you will be asked to respond briefly (approx 300-500 words) to an issue or question related to class discussion and post it to our class website or upload to Canvas. More detail will be provided in class.

PERSONAL GOAL-SETTING, SELF-REFLECTIONS, & SELF-ASSESSMENTS — You will be asked to include personal reflections on your own reading, writing, and revising through the course of the semester. Specifically, when you hand in your revised essay drafts (after workshops), you will be asked to comment on your original goals for the essay, how you incorporated feedback you received, and how you made decisions about revising. You will also be asked to comment on what you believe to be the strengths and weaknesses of your essays. As part of your final portfolio, you will be asked to provide a personal reflection / self-assessment of your work in the course.

DRAFTS, REVISIONS, & PEER WORKSHOPS —In addition to the informal writing assignments, there are three formal essay assignments. You will have the chance to draft and revise these essays at least twice, with feedback from your peers and from me. We will discuss the particulars of workshops in class.

COMMUNITY PROJECT & FINAL PRESENTATION — Depending on the availability of community partners, you will have opportunities to participate in various community-based events and activities. You will develop your final project around these activities and you will present these in the final week of class. More detail and guidance will be provided around before mid-semester.