HISTORY OF ART AND SOCIAL PRACTICE This course will trace a history of social practice in art and investigate as a group the current critiques, debates and issues surrounding its current state in relation to its historical context. The course will examine social practice from 1920 to present and touch on the key movements and artists including Dada, Neo-Concretism, Situationism, Fluxus, Happenings, Social Sculpture, New Genre Public Art, art and activism, network art, Social Aesthetics, post-studio practices, and Relational Aesthetics. This course will place a strong emphasis on contemporary examples of social practice art and the themes of making things, making things better, making things worse, as connected to the Open Engagement conference. Students will have a direct dialogue to the international conference on Art and Social Practice that will take place at PSU from May 14-17. The students in this class will generate writing that will comprise the conference catalogue, and have direct contact with the artists coming to the conference. Through group activities, discussions, student led seminars and participatory projects the class will work together to address the some of following questions, can socially engaged art do more harm than good? Are there ethical responsibilities for social art? Does socially engaged art have to do civic or public good? Can there be transdisciplinary approaches to contemporary art making that would contribute to issues such as urban planning and sustainability? As both urban planning and contemporary art imagine new worlds, how can art projects be seen as potential models for living?

Text Readings Regarding Inclusion to the Canon. (Jill Baker) Lewton Thomas Jones

Thierry deDuve identifies Duchamps ideas as a shift from -HERE IS ART To THIS IS ART. Okawui Enwezor writes-” Which is the tension between modernist art and contemporary art-between the artificially fabricated and the technologically generated.” (Pg 226-The Production of Social Space as Art work).

Cameron Cortiere writes-“Public art is art outside of museums and galleries and must fit one of the following categories-1.In a place accessible or visible to the public, in the public. 2. concerned with or affecting the community or individuals:public interest. 3. Maintained for or used by the community or individuals:public interest. 4.Maintained for or used by the community or individuals:public place. 5. Paid for by the public:publicly funded. (Pg.15, Coming in from the Cold A Public Art History).

Harriet Senie (text) evaluating public art asks 3 crucial questions-1. Is it good work, according to it’s type; art urban design, or community project? 2. Does it improve or energize its site in some way-by providing an aesthetic experience or searching (or both) or by prompting conversation (Jill Baker) and perhaps social awareness. (Jill Baker) 3. Is there evidence or relevant or appropriate public engagement or use? (Jill Baker)

The Social Space and Collaboration as place, art making, sponsorship, dialogue, creativity and exposure. Uniting location based art making of all media, styles and approaches. (Nicole Lavelle)

Dan Graham writes- (Claire Bishop Art Forum pg 17)-“All artists are alike.They dream of doing something that’s more social, more collaborative and more real than art.” Yoko Ono wrote in her book Grapefruit-“Have less sense and you will make more sense.” “Feel the space rather than fill the space.” Oscar Wilde wrote-“All great art is useless.” Useless- if the spectator takes nothing from it. The aesthetic experience is what is useful I would contend. A walk in your own town can then be a artful experience conceptually. (Jill Baker)

Monday 5/31/2010

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Theme: Airport by Peter Vidani
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