Networked Art: Systems of Media Art Exchange and Distribution

3 Credits.

The history of media art is in many ways a history of artists trying to find new modes of distribution and exchange for that art. From early video collectives mailing tapes to contemporary artists launching NFT collections, media artists have consistently challenged traditional gallery distribution models by creating alternative networks for circulation, funding, and audience engagement. This course examines how technological shifts and economic pressures have shaped strategies for media art distribution from the 1960s to the present.We will trace the evolution from mail art networks and public access television to social media platforms and blockchain marketplaces, analyzing how each era's dominant technologies enabled new forms of artistic exchange. Students will investigate case studies including Radical Software magazine's tape-sharing network, the rise of net.art communities, platform-based art practices, and contemporary cryptocurrency/NFT art markets. Throughout, we will consider how distribution methods influence artistic content, community formation, and definitions of artistic value.The course positions media art not just as aesthetic practice, but as a testing ground for alternative economic and social models. Students will analyze how artists have leveraged everything from postal systems to peer-to-peer networks to build sustainable creative practices outside conventional art market structures.