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A History of Art and Social Practice: Making Things, Making Things Better, Making Things Worse

A History of Art and Social Practice: Making Things, Making Things Better, Making Things Worse
Spring Quarter, 2010

Instructor: Jen Delos Reyes

Wednesdays 900-1150
ART 410, section 003
TOP: Hst of Art in Social Prac. CRN 44405

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course will trace a history of social practice in art and investigate as a group the current critiques, debates and issues surrounding its current state in relation to its historical context. The course will examine social practice from 1920 to present and touch on the key movements and artists including Dada, Neo-Concretism, Situationism, Fluxus, Happenings, Social Sculpture, New Genre Public Art, art and activism, network art, Social Aesthetics, post-studio practices, and Relational Aesthetics. This course will place a strong emphasis on contemporary examples of social practice art and the themes of making things, making things better, making things worse, as connected to the Open Engagement conference. Students will have a direct dialogue to the international conference on Art and Social Practice that will take place at PSU from May 14-17. The students in this class will generate writing that will comprise the conference catalogue, and have direct contact with the artists coming to the conference. Through group activities, discussions, student led seminars and participatory projects the class will work together to address the some of following questions, can socially engaged art do more harm than good? Are there ethical responsibilities for social art? Does socially engaged art have to do civic or public good? Can there be transdisciplinary approaches to contemporary art making that would contribute to issues such as sustainability?