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TRaC Visual Arts Syllabus - Spring 2008
Instructor: Anna Mecugni
Check the Visual Arts TRaC Blog for Directions to Outings!
Classes meet Fridays, unless noted, 4:30 – 6:30 at the Guggenheim Museum, located at 1071 5th Avenue (between 88th/ 89th Street). Enter through the staff entrance on 89th, sign in at the desk and head down to the Slacker Center in the elevator.
T, March 13, 4-6pm
*Outing to Sotheby's: Where Art Is for Sale
Guest Speaker: Joe Martin Hill
Preview of the contemporary Asian art auction with Sotheby's consultant Joe Martin Hill. Joe will tell us about the works on display as well as behind-the-scene facts about the hottest contemporary art market.
Written Response: Write a response to the Sotheby’s visit. In your piece you can discuss one or more works that caught your attention, reflect on the phenomenon of contemporary Asian art or on the art market in general. The piece should be about 500 words. You will email it to me by Sunday, March 23rd.
March 14 – March 27 – Anna goes to Italy!
no class. :(
F, March 28, 4:30-6:30pm – Anna returns!
Meeting at the Guggenheim: Art History 101
Read the written responses aloud and discuss them during the first hour. I will then give a slide lecture on basic art concepts and terminology, including modern versus contemporary art, figurative versus abstract art, Duchamp and the beginning of conceptual art (why is that art??).
S, March 29, 2-4pm
*Outing to MoMA: The Art of Looking
Walk through the permanent collection galleries and discuss works by modern and contemporary artists, including Van Gogh, Picasso, Pollock, Warhol and others. Visit the contemporary art exhibition Color Chart.
Written Response: Pick one work you either loved or hated and write a 500-word text explaining why you felt that way. If you prefer, you can compare two works.
F, April 4, 4:30-6:30pm
Meeting at the Guggenheim: Art Writing 101
Guest Speaker: David Frankel
Read the object-based texts aloud. Discuss issues of interpretation and effectiveness of visual description. David will join us at 5:30pm. He’s the managing editor of MoMA and a contributing editor of Artforum. Distribute samples of exhibition reviews.
Written Response: Read the reviews distributed in class, focusing on similarities and differences.
F, April 11, 4:30-6:30pm
Meeting at the Guggenheim: Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe
Visit the Cai Guo-Qiang exhibit and discuss it for the last half of class. Distribute reviews of this exhibition. Written Response: A review of the reviews. Your piece should be about 500 words.
F, April 18, 4:30-6:30pm
Meeting at the Guggenheim: The Art of Writing Art Reviews, Part 1
Read the reviews aloud and discuss them. Distribute and go over guidelines for writing a review.
Written Response: Write your own review of the Cai Guo-Qiang exhibit. Keep it to 500 words.
Sat, April 26, 8-9:30pm (tentative outing. look to Blog for update on this show).
*Outing to the New York City Center: bahok (2008)
Bahok is a collaborative dance between the National Ballet of China and the London-based Akram Khan Dance Company. The dancers come from diverse cultures, traditions and dance backgrounds—Chinese, Korean, Indian, South-African and Spanish. Bahok explores the ways in which the body carries national identity (in Bengali bahok means 'carrier').
F, May 2, 4:30-6:30pm
*Outing to the Whitney/Meeting at the Guggenheim: The Whitney Biennial
Guest Speaker: Lauren Ross
Meet at the Whitney, where Lauren will guide us through the Biennial. Lauren is a teaching fellow at the Whitney, an independent curator and a regular contributor to Art in America. Once back at the Guggenheim, discuss the exhibition.
Written Response: Write a response to the Biennial in 500 words. You can pick a work, an artist or a theme.
Sat, May 3, 1-3pm
*Outing to Robert Lazzarini’s studio and PS1 in Long Island City
Guest Speaker: Robert Lazzarini
Robert will tell us about the complex procedures he adopts for creating his distorted sculptures of familiar objects. Robert is at work on a group of sculptures that will be featured in a solo show at one of the most prominent contemporary art galleries in New York, Deitch Projects. The show is scheduled to open in the fall. At PS1 we will look at works by Olafur Eliasson, also dealing with the everyday, sensory experience and the dialogue between nature and culture.
F, May 9, 4:30-6:30pm
Meeting at the Guggenheim: The Art of Writing Art Reviews, Part 2
Read the Cai Guo-Qiang exhibition reviews and discuss ways to improve them. Read and discuss the Whitney Biennial responses as well. Discuss Lazzarini’s and Eliasson’s work.
Written Response: Rewrite either your Cai Guo-Qiang exhibition review or your Whitney Biennial response.
(same day, after class) *Outing: MOVIE, TBD
T, May 13, 4-6pm
*Outing to the Drawing Center, Artists Space and Deitch Projects in Soho
Guest Speaker: Brett Littman
Brett is Executive Director of the Drawing Center. He will talk about running a non-profit space and fund-raising writing. He will also tell us about his curatorial work, including the Yüksel Arslan show. Another show we will visit at the Drawing Center is the Frederick Kiesler exhibit. We will then head to Artists Space and Deitch Projects.
F, May 16, 4:30-6:30pm
Meeting at the Guggenheim:
Read revised reviews and responses. Fill out class evaluations. Distribute individual evaluations of students’ writing.
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