Sight and Incite: Art and Activism

Note: This 8-credit program will meet from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

The 20th century saw great changes in artistic expression that paralleled emerging social consciousness. Contemporary social movements continue to be an integral part of much artistic production. This two-quarter program will analyze 20th-century art in relation to the history of social movements and the goals of art activists. We will explore a variety of social justice movements and use theories drawn from both social sciences and art history to understand how art can document social change and function as a tool of social protest and liberation. Students will have the opportunity to do some hands-on art including drawing, linocut printmaking, mask-making and performance art. Students will also work with community-based organizations to create socially-conscious art or to assist with art-related projects.

Winter quarter themes will include American labor and socialist movements, Mexican post-revolutionary art, African-American contribution to WPA art, and the Chicano movement. Spring studies will include African-American and Native American civil rights movements, 2nd and 3rd wave feminism, the peace movement, gay rights and environmental activism.