Art and Social Change
Teaching Art and Social Change The working Thesis for this class is that for Art, or indeed anything/anyone, to effect change in a society the work/ideas must be palatable to the majority, real and tangible in terms of outcomes and sustainable over time. We never get far when we try to change using hate, anger, force or such "clubs."
This course is open to anyone intrigued with the questions raised by public Art (and possibilities of Art) in our society. This capstone should be of particular value and interest to students who have a desire to teach, create, work collaboratively and inspire. Students will develop Art Literacy lessons to teach/be taught in underprivileged public schools. A web site of these lessons will be created and published as a teacher resource. This course will require some flexibility on the part of the students when/if it comes to the scheduling of the Art Literacy lesson-teaching component.
Some of the essential qu
estions driving the curriculum of this Capstone are: How can Art be a force for social change? What is change and how does it occur? What models of thinking do we use to reflect and structure models of change? What limits, if any, should there be to how we, how Art affects change? What are the differences between change and voice? What are the differences between protest and change? How do Change and Art intertwine and affect our lives? What models of change should we choose and when? And, in the spirit of Paul Loeb and John Steinbeck, When if ever are we NOT responsible for one another? Here's the first assignment and "final" exam: Answer these questions-and the "so what?"
