Faultlines: Race, Art, and the American Landscape

What does it mean to change “landscape” from a noun to a verb? This seminar explores how American environments have been constructed, contested, and reimagined. From the frontier of the American West to outer space (the “final frontier”), we will treat both extraordinary and everyday landscapes as living archives. We will examine plantations, national parks, trash heaps, and sites like the San Francisco Bay, the Sonoran Desert, and Providence for their layered histories. Drawing from environmental history, cultural studies, and critical race and ethnic studies, we will ask: how does art help us read contested landscapes? We will engage with photography, film, creative nonfiction, performance, and painting, with workshops at the Nature Lab, RISD Museum, and sessions with local artists. No prerequisites or art background needed––we will observe, experiment, and make things together. WRIT course, limited to first-years and sophomores.