Course Schedule

Aug 27 Intro: Part I. What is American Art?:

Issues to keep in mind during this course:

  • The geographic and cultural diversity of what is (North) American.
  • The role of the "other": a vascillating tradition and history of American art as multi-race, multi-class, multi-gender, multi-media
  • American art as a vehicle to define the uniqueness of "new worlds" and young nation-states.
  • The perpetual struggle between art as an integral part of life (as in Asian and African cultures) and as a separate endeavor, as viewed by European cultures.
  • American audiences and the democratization of art; expansion of art boundaries beyond traditional Western disciplines and dimensions.
  • The role of institutions of public education and government, of museums and universities, of private and corporate collectors, and of art world businesses such as galleries and publications in determining the success of artists and in defining art.
  • Art as media, media as art; online and offline.
  • Art and American as revolution and evolution
  • American art as American history; relatively short history of United States, Mexico, Canada as nations; rapid growth of United States leading to major influence in global politics, economics, culture Part II: using online services for this course; other course related information
  • student access number, e-mail, World Wide Web, Oviatt Library
  • office hours, course outline, class discussion, research resources, gallery exhibitions, etc.
    Sep 10 The First Americans Note: * indicates work illustrated in text

    New Spain 16th-18th centuries

    Architecture

    Sculpture

    Painting

    Online: Art of Precolumbian and Colonial Mexico; Native American Art, specifically Southern California

    Sep 17 New England and eastern colonial United States: 17th and 18th centuries

    Architecture:

    Sculpture

    Painting, Popular Arts

    Online: Williamsburg;Colonial art of Mexico; Quilt Art; National Portrait Gallery

    Sep 24 Envisioning a new nation/state: The Federal Period 1785-1830

    Architecture

    Sculpture

    Painting, Prints and Popular Arts

    Online: The Capitol; National Museum of American Art

    Oct. 1 Field Trip. Gene Autry Museum of Western Art

    Oct. 8 Review; papers due on Autry exhibition

    Oct 15 Midterm

    Oct 22 Manifest Destiny and the Industrial Revolution: First Half of the 19th Century

    Architecture

    Sculpture

    Painting, Prints, Photography

    Online: Hudson River School; Currier and Ives; Manifest Destiny; Industrial Revolution; Railroads

    Oct. 29, Nov. 5 Democracy, Capitalism, and Culture as Power: Second Half of the 19th Century

    Architecture

    Sculpture

    Painting, Prints, Popular Arts, and Photography:

    Online: African American artists of the 19th century; Civil War; Museum of Women's Art, D.C.

    Nov 12 Who/What is "Modern" in North America: the First Quarter of the 20th century

    Architecture

    Sculpture

    Painting, Popular Arts, Photography

    Online: World War I posters; The armory Show; Architecture in Chicago; Stieglitz and Gallery 291

    Nov 19 Opening up the boundaries (a little): Second Quarter of the 20th century

    Architecture

    Sculpture

    Painting, Popular arts, Photography

    Online: The Depression; WPA and Art Murals; FSA and Photography; World War II posters

    Nov 26 Field Trip : Los Angeles County Museum of Art

    Dec 3 Review

    Dec 10 Final exam   10:15 - 12:15

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