Revolutions: Contemporary Art in New York WNY: 304

Instructor: Shamim Momin ‘95

Utilizing the multiple meanings of "revolutions" as its conceptual structure (the term allows for a number of interpretive definitions--historical cycles, cultural paradigm shifts, agents of change, notions of resistance and subversion), this course will explore the manifold ways one can view and understand contemporary art, taking advantage of the concentration of artists and art institutions that New York offers. The history of the city over the last half-century as the definitively American (and debatably international) fulcrum of the art world provides inimitable possibilities for field experience. How is contemporary art formed and shaped in this context? What has changed about creative production within a "post-everything" worldview where so many boundaries have been dissolved, and conversely, what has been retained? How has the specific history of New York been central to cultural shifts in the art world? Ultimately, we will focus on the symbiotic relationship between the artist/artwork itself and all the other aspects of the art world-critics, curators, and dealers, art schools, and, of course, collectors and the market. Most classes will be held in museum exhibitions, gallery shows and, primarily, artists studios. Active participation in class discussion will be expected. Some historical and contemporary reading will be required. And students will be asked to visit and respond to specific exhibitions/events outside of class time. Class discussions will take place in the form of on-line conversations, a weekly, topical blog. In addition, students will produce a final term paper for the course (other project proposals can be considered, if the structure maintains a focused, rigorous argument).