Contemporary Art - Looking Closely

For students who have a basic understanding of contemporary art and artists, this course offers the opportunity to look more closely at how we have come to explain the nature of the contemporary today. You will begin by defining and exploring the foundations of contemporary artistic practice. Through lectures and online discussion, the course will consider the nature of the medium in contemporary art, the relationships between historical practices and current art-making, as well as performance art, sculpture, contemporary pop, and globalization. You will also actively participate in reading and analyzing texts with your classmates, including articles by leading critical thinkers in contemporary art such as Hal Foster and Douglas Crimp. In addition to exploring these concepts you will dig more deeply into some of contemporary art’s leading lights as well as some artists that are emerging onto the scene.