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Art in a Time of War
Instructor: Beverly Naidus University of Washington, Tacoma (Spring 2005) Course Summary With every war there have been artists who have used their art to express feelings and thoughts about war. At this particular moment there is a veritable explosion of socially engaged art addressing this topic. We will look at both historical and contemporary examples of such art, examine popular visual media and how it frames war and violence, and make art about personal stories and community stories. Our readings will raise questions about the purposes and futility of war to solve problems, and how art might prompt our society to visualize new ways of resolving conflict. Course Objectives
Course Requirements
Grades and Self-evaluation Students will turn in a midterm portfolio that includes their journal documenting their work during the first 5 weeks of class. That portfolio will be graded. A self-evaluation statement is required as part of that portfolio. The self-evaluation should reflect on the student’s participation in class discussions, his or her art process in relation to collaborative and individual work, and the insights culled from writing, reading and research. A list of questions to answer will be posted at Blackboard. Students are required to share their studio projects during group feedback sessions and to participate in the discussions about their work. All assignments are assessed according to the following criteria:
Grades will be weighted in the following way: Photo/text piece: 10%, Midterm Journal: 10%, Collaborative Work: 10%, Graphic Narrative:10%, Film Paper:10%, Oral Presentation: 10%, Poster Project: 10%, Participation: 10%, Final Journal: 10%, Final project: 10% Supplies Blank page (UN-LINED) journal for biweekly drawings/photos/stories/notes, pencils, erasers, sharpener, glue stick, old magazines and fashion catalogs, X-acto knife and cardboard cutting board, digital camera (they can be borrowed from media services) and miscellaneous scavenged materials Your journal is the place for writing down notes on class discussion, readings, and reflections about anything related to the course topic. You will also be using the journal for your sketches and as a place to store photos and clippings related to class projects. This journal is an essential part of the creative process and vital to the assessment of your work. Calendar Class #1 - Introduction to course and instructor. Discuss syllabus and goals of course. Slide show. Exercise: Pair with another classmate. Tell a story about an experience with war – either from your own perspective or that of a friend, family member or neighbor. You can talk about someone you know who went to war, your own experiences as a soldier or working in the military, someone who was involved with peace work, your own alienation from the topic and why, etc. The partner who is listening will make notes about the story. The notes will be used to create a text for a photo/text project. Work with partner to distill a few lines of text to be used in a photo/text piece. Reading of poems of Thich Nhat Hanh and William Stafford. Homework: Read Chris Hedges article. http://www.yesmagazine.org/ article.asp?ID=1165 Class #2 – Discussion of visual grammar. Introduction to Photoshop. Scan photos. Play with a variety of formats to create photo/text work. Homework: Finish first draft of photo text work. Read Claude Anshin Thomas. Make notes. Class #3 – Share photo text first draft. Discuss Thomas. Homework: Bring in magazine advertisements that are selling safety, patriotism, security, nationalism, and nostalgia besides the product. Read David Goodman’s Mother Jones article. Class #4 - Media Literacy workshop. View Heartfield video, Zygosis. Discuss culture jamming Homework: Begin work on culture jamming assignment. Read Howard Zinn’s Artists in a Time of War essay. Class #5 – Work on Culture Jamming. Discuss Zinn. Homework: Bring in first draft for feedback. Class #6 – Discuss first draft. Homework: Rework first draft. Class #7 – Look at Culture Jamming assignment. Rework after critique. Discussion of Photography and War. Visit http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/coffin_photos/dover/ Homework: Begin work on a graphic narrative – either an autobiographical piece or a third person study, looking at the process of looking at war. Class #8 - Bring in graphic narrative to work on in class. Homework: Work on graphic narrative. Read Edward Said’s forward to Palestine. Class #9 - Bring in graphic narrative to work on in class. Discuss Said. Choose artist to present on. Homework: Write self-evaluation and prepare portfolio. QUESTIONS FOR MIDTERM SELF-EVALUATION Please answer the following questions (no more than two pages single-spaced, and not less than one page single-spaced).
Please begin your research on an artist whose works deals with the topics of war and peace - you may choose someone from the list below. You will be doing an oral presentation (7-10 minutes). Present a few examples (minimum of 5, maximum of 10) of the artist's work and discuss the meaning and/or questions that you have about it. After reading 3 articles by art writers of critics, summarize what you think that these writers feel are the intentions of the work. Offer us a rough bio about the artist - it would be good to know where and when the artist was born, where or if s/he went to school, what class background the artist has, whether s/he teaches somewhere and what you think or what s/he says provoked him or her to be an artist dealing with the topics s/he is dealing with. In your conclusion, suggest a question that the class might want to respond to regarding the work. Presentation format can be in power point or you can just project scanned images of the artist's work on the large screen. Holding up books with reproductions is not acceptable and very hard for a group as large as ours to enjoy or see.
YOU MUST USE SOURCES OTHER THAN THE WEB for this presentation – a bibliography is required and must be submitted! Questions to address in presentation: the artist’s education, why is s/he doing this body of work, what do you find meaningful about the work, how does s/he use visual grammar, what question do you have for us about the work. Artist chosen must be mentioned in midterm self-evaluation. Class #10 – Midterm evaluation and portfolio due. Documentary videos from Media Education Fdtn. Homework: Watch film and write 2-3 page paper. Summarize the plot of the film in one or two paragraphs. Then answer the following in the next page or two (no papers should be longer than 3 pages): Did the film make you think anew about the topic of war? Do you the film promotes peace? Are there contradictory messages in the film? Name some of the most powerful, disturbing, or transcendent moments of the film and explain why they affected you that way. Conclude with a statement about how seeing this film in the context of this course has influenced your creative vision or opinions about the topics in the course. Class #11 - Turn in film paper. Poster project begins. Slide show and poster display. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/~lcushing/CubaGen.html Homework: Poster project. Read Sontag’s Regarding the Pain of Others essay Class #12 – Discuss reading. Poster project. Homework: - Finish poster project. Read John Mohawk, Bill Weinberg, and Riane Eisler’s articles in YES magazine http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1170 Class #13 – Present 1st draft poster project. Discuss Mohawk. Brainstorm collab project. Homework: Begin final project (open media). Class #14 – BN in Atlanta. Guest artist facilitates class discussion. Homework: Final project and collaborative work, Read War is Peace essay by Arundhati Roy Class #15 - Presentations on artists. Brainstorm collab project. Discuss Roy. Homework: Final project and collaborative work. Reading from Postmodern War by Chris Hables Gray. Class #16 - Presentations on artists. Brainstorm collab project. Discuss Gray. Homework: Final project and collaborative work. Read Gwynne Dyer http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1230-05.htm Class #17 - Presentations on artists.Brainstorm collab project. Discuss Dyer. Homework: Final project and collaborative work. Reading: Guy Brett chapter in Through Our Own Eyes about The Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp Class #18 – Work Session. Discuss Brett. Homework: Final project and collaborative work. Read Carol Becker’s essay from Surpassing the Spectacle Class #19 – Work Session. Open discussion. Homework: Final project and collaborative work Class #20 – Install collaborative work and feedback session. Homework: Finish final project and prepare journal. Class #21 - Critique of final projects. Turn in journals and final drafts. BIBLIOGRAPHY
You will choose one of the following “anti-war” films (for more information about them, please visit the websites below) to write about in a 2-3 page paper: Grave of the Fireflies, Dr. Strangelove, Das Boot, All Quiet on the Western Front, Paths of Glory, Catch 22, Grand Illusion, King of Heart, Land and Freedom, Slaughterhouse Five, The Great Dictator, Salvador, Full Metal Jacket, Born on the Fourth of July, Red Badge of Courage, Breaker Morant, Gandhi, Johnny Got His Gun, Wag the Dog, M.A.S.H., Testament, The Day After, War Games, Night and Fog, The Killing Fields http://worldfilm.about.com/ cs/toppicks/tp/antiwar.htm |
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