ART261

Creative & Performing Arts (CP), Global Perspectives (GP)

Artists have a long history as agents of social change, using "traditional" art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture, and a bit more recently photography, performance, and video to critique various aspects of society and to propose alternatives for the future. The consideration of social engagement as an artistic medium in and of itself has become an important current in contemporary art since at least the 1990s. This course begins with a consideration of some of the ways artists in the past approached social and political concerns. We then focus on the more recent proliferation of artists with social practices both within and outside of the gallery/museum realm of contemporary art. Students address various important historical, theoretical and practical texts; conduct discussions and presentations; and collaborate to design and enact original works of socially engaged art. No prerequisites. Course Fee Applies.