Welcome to an Introduction to Contemporary Art! In this course, students will learn the foundations of contemporary art, which is considered to be art from the 1960s to the present day. The art of this period is fraught with identity politics, struggle with traditional art institutions and ideas, and discoveries of new media, all of which will be discussed in this class. Students will learn about twelve different art movements through lectures, discussions, and a handful of outside assignments. Each week will feature 1-2 case studies that will look in-depth at a single piece and as students to engage with the movement in a direct way. 

PARENTS: This is a FLEX Class, meaning there are no weekly meetings and every assignment and lecture is completed at the student's discretion. Each week contains 1-2 lectures totaling 45-60 minutes, a weekly group critical thinking discussion question in the classroom, and an at-home project that relates to the week's topic. Grading is optional and available upon request.

The course schedule is as follows: 

Week 1: From Abstraction to Pop Art: In the first class, students will learn about the transition from Abstract art of the 1950s to Pop Art of the 1960s. This lecture will focus on the rise of consumerism in the post-War period as a major influence in the art of the 1960s and focus on artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtestein, and Keith Haring, who utilized the style of advertisements and commercial art as an influence for their work. There will be an emphasis on the rise of the "celebrity artist" and how fame impacts tehe artist production. Students will learn about how politics influenced art and how they can see traits of the art they interact with every day, such as advertisements and comic books, in the art of this time! For homework, students will be asked to create their own pop art collage or share a piece of pop art we did not cover in class with their classmates. 

Week 2: Materials and Materialism: In this course, students will learn about three different art movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s--Minimalism, Arte Povera, and Earth Art. Each of these movements emphasizes the materiality of the art being produced and we will discuss how materials impact the viewer experience in the late 20th century. Artists covered include notable names such as Sol LeWitt and Michael Haizer and his Spiral Jetty. Students will be asked to create their own land art in their backyard for homework or find a piece of minimalist art that we did not see and share it with the class.

Week 3: Photography and Its Messaging: In Week 3, Students will have a crash course in photography, discussing its evolution as a critical medium in the 1970s. We will discuss how photography was used differently before and after World War II and emphasize photographers such as Cindy Sherman, Robert Mapplethorpe, and other avant-garde photographers that transformed art from a "hobby" to a form of art. For homework, students are asked to take a photograph that captures their life experience and share it with the class or find a photograph from a number of pre-determined artists that they wish to share with the group and discuss the meaning of the photograph. 

Week 4: Performance Art and Video Art: In this class, we will talk about the movement of art toward the digital age. First, we will discuss how art moved off of the canvas and onto the stage with performance art. We will discuss the implications of this transition for the art market and what performance artists were trying to accomplish. We will focus heavily on performance artist Marina Ambramovic and her relationship between the artist and audience in her performance, as well as Felix Gonzales Torres. Students will be asked to create their own performance art for homework or find a performance piece and share it with the class. 

Week 5: Feminism and Identity Politics in Art : This week is all about women and artists of color in the contemporary era! We will discuss how artists of different backgrounds tell their stories through their art, including Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Carrie Mae Weems, Kara Walker, Jean Michele Basquiat, and Romare Bearden. In this class, we will discuss why traditional art history tends to ignore these important voices and why their contemporary works are so influential. For homework, students are asked to create an artwork that embodies their family or life experience or share an artwork they find online that does the same.

Week 6: Art from 2000 to the Present Day: In this final class, we will discuss trends in art today. We will discuss everything from the mass-produced art of Jeff Koons and his inflatable dog sculptures, the identity politics of Kehinde Wiley and his portraits of black artists in traditional paintings and his portraits of the Obamas, and the resurgence of graffiti as an artform with Banksy. After this course, students will understand trends in the art market in the present day and why they see the art they see out in the world!