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« Eco-art: Art in Response to the Ecological Crisis | Main | Projects in World Arts and Cultures: WHO'S HUNGRY? »
Labor, Globalization and Art
Instructor: Beverly Naidus, Associate Professor University of Washington Tacoma (Winter 2008) Course Summary Through reading, writing, discussion, studio art practice and the analysis of contemporary media and art, we will examine issues of work, labor, and the effects of globalization on our contemporary life. Students will make art about their own work experiences and learn about art history and contemporary art that depicts labor. In particular we will look at some the exciting new art projects created by the global justice movement. Course Objectives
Course Requirements
Classroom Behavior Food and drink are acceptable as long as you do not disrupt the class or bother your neighbors. No food or drink is allowed on the computer side of the art studio. Please turn off all electronic devices including cell phones and pagers when you come to class. Please be respectful and attentive when others are speaking in class. Arriving late or leaving early should never happen except on rare occasions; if you must arrive late or leave early, please do so in as unobtrusive a way as possible Grades and Self-evaluation Students will turn in their journals, documenting their work during the first 5 weeks of class on April 25. A self-evaluation statement is required as part of that review. The self-evaluation should reflect on participation in class discussions, the art process in relation to collaborative and individual work, and the insights culled from writing, reading and research. 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: Midterm journal: 10%, Final Journal: 10%, Labor Story Project (20%), Global Pathway Project (20%) Collaborative Global Justice, Site-Specific project (20%), Oral Presentation:10%, Participation: 10% Grades will be given according to the grade point system. Please refer to this website for information about the grading scale: http://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/front/Grading_Sys.html Grades are distinguished by the following characteristics: 3.5–4 = OUTSTANDING work, significant extra time spent in developing work, risks taken, unity of concept and handling of materials to create an imaginative visual statement that challenges conventional thinking and image making 2.5–3.4 = ABOVE AVERAGE work, solid concepts and skillful handling of materials, exploration of conceptual ideas evident with thought provoking results 1.5–2.4 = AVERAGE work, competent execution of ideas but not pushing conventions, craftsmanship acceptable with no outstanding qualities, overall investment fulfills requirement but no risk-taking apparent, no evidence of extra time invested to strengthen technical and conceptual issues .5–1.4 = BELOW AVERAGE, little involvement in exploration of ideas or misunderstanding of assignment with little attention to craftsmanship 0 = FAILING, no attempt to articulate ideas and total lack of regard for craftsmanship The following factors will be considered when determining a final participation grade: amount of effort expended throughout the course, amount of progress made in creative development, development of focused and productive work attitude, lateness, absences, and attendance. Development of a critical language is essential to your constructive participation in group crits and discussions. Evidence of this skill in the discussion of your work and other's work is expected and will be considered in your final grade. Supplies Small sketch pad or journal (7”x 9” minimum), old magazines, newspapers, wheat paper paste, cardboard, digital camera (they can be borrowed from media services) or traditional film camera. You will be required to use a computer for creating some of the projects in class. Aside from the Mac computer and scanner in our classroom, there are open labs with Macs, scanners and printers in WG 108, SCI 105 and the Multimedia Lab is MAT 251. Adobe Photoshop is the software used for photo/text projects and can be downloaded for a 60 day free trial period from the Adobe website. It can be also be purchased at the student rate from the U bookstore. Dropping this class If you choose to drop the course, you are responsible for reporting the change to the registrar's office. If you stop coming to class and do not contact the registrar, you will end up receiving a failing grade even if you attended only once. Disability Support Services If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a temporary or permanent disability, contact Lisa Tice, Manager of Disability Support Services (DSS) in the Mattress Factory Building, Suite 206. An appointment can be made through the front desk of Student Affairs, by phoning Lisa directly or via e-mail. Appropriate accommodations are arranged after you have conferred with the DDS Manager and presented the required documentation of your disability to DSS. Jan 7 – Review syllabus and course goals. Instructor introduction. Student introductions: Introduce yourself in relation to history, thinking of your identity as something in motion. Describe the moment in history that we are living in.
Jan 9 – Slide show – labor posters and photo projects. Strategies for making narrative images. Visual grammar. Roles of the artist.
Jan 14 – Photoshop workshop. Discussion of reading. View examples of labor art
Jan 16 - Media Literacy workshop. Discussion about globalization. Work session.
Jan 21 – 1st Feedback session on labor story projects. Look at some web art about labor/globalization issues.
Jan 23 – Introduce the Global Journey of an Object/Commodity project. Looking at a material object or commodity through the lens of globalization. Student work in teams of two and pick an object or commodity to research. Example: A plastic fork with stamped logo. Based on the logo, the students can do a web search for the source of the fork – where it is made, what resources were used to create the plastic and where they were taken from environmentally and regionally, who made it and what were their working conditions (including environmental health stresses), what are the material and social costs of transporting and advertising the object, etc. There will probably be more than one dead end in this research. Be imaginative. Ask people who might know more about the object’s history. You may have to create some fiction to fill in the blanks, but the fiction should be based on some research about another similar object. Create an art piece based on this research – the most provocative aspects of your research can be included, but not every detail needs to be. Examples of previous projects will be shared in class. All art forms (from performance to photo-text to installation) are available to explore and use.
Jan 28 – Work session
Jan 30 –Look at global justice movement art. Discussion of reading. Theater of Oppression games.
Feb 4 – Watch Labor film in class. Make notes. Send in self-evaluation via email. Questions to answer on Blackboard. Feb 6 – Midterm – individual meetings with Beverly – Films in class (make notes).
Feb 11 – Oral presentations – Mask/puppet Making Feb 13 – Oral presentations – Mask/puppet Making Feb 18 – Oral presentations – Mask/puppet Making Feb 20 – Global journey feedback session #1. Collab project work sessions Feb 25 – Collab work sessions (instructor away) Feb 27 – Collab work sessions Mar 3 – Sergio De La Torre & Vicky Funari of Maquilopolis give talk on campus Mar 5 – 2nd feedback session for Global Journey projects. Mar 10– Install Public, site-specific, interactive projects Mar 12 – Final critique. Drop off journals Bibliography
Film List (most of these are available to screen @ the UWT library)
Relevant Websites
Artists to consider for oral presentations (some with Creative-Capital website info)
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