AH 400/525 Contesting the Status Quo: Art and Social Action since 1960

If we accept Webster’s most encompassing definition of politics as “the total complex of relations between people in a society,” then in some sense all art is political.  That is to say, all art takes a stand—or is positioned by interpreters so that it does—in relation to the dominant values of its time.  Since the 1960s, however, one might say that artists have become particularly conscious of the political resonances of their art.  Amidst a general climate of social unrest and direct action, from the civil rights movements in the early sixties to the momentous events of 1968, the emphasis of many artists increasingly shifted from aesthetic to sociopolitical concerns.  Rather than present a broad survey of this trend, this class will examine several of the most significant, self-conscious politics of artistic production from the 1960s to the present.  Though a great deal of the class material will be presented in lecture format, discussion will be encouraged at all times.  Although no previous art history experience is required, some familiarity and interest in contemporary art, history, politics, and/or critical theory is recommended.