ART 345C - Ideas in Contemporary Art: Handsignals

There are influential voices that believe contemporary art has been ‘de-skilled.’ This would mean that artisanal qualities no longer contribute to the value of artworks. This class will examine that assertion and offer an alternative point of view: handcraft in the arts never went away, it’s just that as the context changed, its meaning has changed accordingly. In this class, we will investigate three of these historical changes of context: industrial production, laissez-faire capitalism, and electronic mass media. We will trace how the practice of making art by hand has evolved through these changes, and why that practice remains as vital and relevant as ever.
Units: 4
Course Type: Seminar