Course Description

In this course we will explore the creativity of select visual artists, architects, and filmmakers from 1960 to the present across multiple media and through a range of critical and methodological perspectives. These innovators and their works open avenues for formal analysis and theoretical consideration.

Discussion focuses on major works of avant-garde art and its criticism, from Abstract Expressionism through the postmodern practices of performance art, conceptual art, feminist art, site-specific installation art, video art, digital art, and behavior art. A global perspective is understood through close examination of movements in Europe and America. Analysis explores formal issues, the critical debates surrounding the works’ production, and their importance for current artistic and architectural creation.

The sociopolitical dimensions of artistic production are centrally addressed. Careful consideration of these dimensions raises questions surrounding the contexts of the works’ visual communication, as well as its reception and potentials, and frames discussion of the artists and their social and economic networks, as well as their connectivity to the public through group initiatives (artist collectives), galleries, museums, and collecting.

Basic Enrollment Requirements: 

Academic Year (Fall/Spring): Unofficial Transcript – High School Diploma or current high school transcript (for high school students only in applicable classes), Bachelor’s Degree, or progress towards a Bachelor’s Degree + 3.0 GPA.

Summer: None

Refund Policy: The refund policy for Courses at Tufts offerings is dependent on the offering type: whether the offering is a course, workshop or short course, or in-demand offering. Please refer to the section details to confirm the type of offering as well as any exceptions to the standard refund policy. The refund policies for each offering type are viewable here: https://universitycollege.tufts.edu/policies/refunds#Courses-at-Tufts-(Academic-Year--Summer-Session)

Remission Eligible: Yes; first day of term; all university policies apply.