Art and Crisis

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course interrogates the response of artists and arts institutions in times of man-made crisis or natural catastrophe, as well as how the human experience in times of crisis has been shaped by art. We will consider how art has the power to actively shape viewer engagement, rejecting the oft-cited notion of “the healing power of art.” We will further examine how art can provoke, demand things of us, and articulate responses to turbulent or difficult experiences. In Fall 2020, this course will focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and toggle between historical case studies and the present-day in a consideration of: religious responses and Buddhist material culture, the adaptive strategies of artists and arts institutions, and the art of protest. In their research projects, students are encouraged to foreground the global reach of the pandemic and its impact on diverse communities.