Greg: Sex, lies and videotape

“Oops” (2000) from margherite on Vimeo.

"I wanted to put them in a situation where they were really in over their heads or out of their depth or just where they felt uncomfortable and didn’t know how to deal with what was happening."—Laurel Nakadate

For Greg's class on Nov. 14, we will read and discuss:
= Laurel Nakadate interviewed by Scott Indrisek for The Believer, October, 2006. Nakadate's exhibit "Say You Love Me" is on view at Harvard's Carpenter Center from Nov. 17 to Dec. 22. She speaks at Harvard at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 17.

Some questions to consider: What is Nakadate's work about? Are her methods dangerous? Are her methods exploitive? Are her methods fair? What does her art say about men? What does it say about women? What does it say about the relationships between men and women? What does her work say about age, about young and old? What does her work say about sex? What does her work say about loneliness and isolation? What does her work say about privacy and secrets? Is her work feminist? Is she a stalker? Why is her art "uncomfortable"? Is this a good thing? What is Nakadate talking about when she says she was "going out into the world and discovering little tragedies"? What is the morality of her art? Do you agree with her when she says, "I think my work is optimistic—as much as it is pathetic and funny and sad and ridiculous, at the end of the day it’s about the hope that something will go right, and the constant wishing for a world where things might start to make sense"?

Greg: Back to the Future

For discussion in class on Nov. 7, Greg's group will read:
= catalogue to "Building Expectation: Past and Present Visions of the Architectural Future" by Nathaniel Walker, for the exhibit at Brown University's Bell Gallery in Providence through Nov. 6, 2011.
= excerpt from "Jane Jacobs, Urban Activist is Dead at 89" by Douglas Martin, New York Times, April 25, 2006.


Some questions to consider: How do the ways we imagine the future open up or limit possibilities for what actually happens? Do the imagined futures described in the catalogue emphasize people, buildings, roads, nature, animals, business, food production, etc.? What do these focuses say about the designers' values?

Greg: Abstraction in Photography

For class on Oct. 31, Greg's group will read and discuss Lyle Rexer's "The Edge of Vision: The Rise of Abstraction in Photography."

Some questions to consider: How does abstract art continue to speak to us? When we pare down art to its basic formal parts what do we get? What does abstract photography's frequent focus on time and light tell us? How do we continue to make photos--and other art--in the age of Flickr?

You may also want to consider:
= Alec Soth's 2009 talk at MassArt: "Facebook: 15 billion uploaded photos. At its busiest, 550,000 images each second being uploaded. So I’ve been struggling with that. How do I function as a photographer in that environment?”

Pictured: Penelope Umbrico "4,335,921 Suns from Flickr (Partial) 10/20/08 (detail of 2,000)," 2008.

Greg: Art of Cruelty vs. Art of Joy

For class on Oct. 24, Greg's group will read and discuss:
= Maggie Nelson's "The Art of Cruelty: A Reckoning"
= Barbara Ehrenreich's "Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy"

Does art require conflict to be satisfying? How to we convey cruelty or joy in art? Is it harder to convey one than the other? What do we hope to share with viewers? How might shock help get this across? How might these readings reframe our sense of the new MFA contemporary wing? How might these readings relate to the ICA's exhibit "Dance/Draw"?

Photo by Greg Cook.

Greg: Art/Work

For classes of Oct. 17, Greg's class will be discussing:

= This American Life: "Giant Pool of Money" broadcast
= "The Workers" exhibit at MassMoCA
= Boston Phoenix: "Activist transform Boston bus shelters into foreclosed homes"
= Seattle Stranger: "A Black Box and a Bloody Mess..."
= New York Times: "Art That Sells Itself"

Essay assignment: Pick one of the artists in MassMoCA's "The Workers" exhibit and compare their art to the activists' bus shelters and Caleb Larsen's "A Tool to Deceive and Slaughter" and "$10,000 Sculpture (in progress)" (pictured above). How do they address the art economy and/or the economy at large? Are some better or worse? Why? What do you learn from this sort of art? Is it satisfying as art or polemics? Etc.

See also:
= Occupy Wall Street
= Occupy Boston

Greg: Swoon and Art in the Streets

For discussion on Oct. 3, Greg's group will read and discuss:
= Swoon interviewed by Lydia Yee in the catalog for the L.A. Museum of Contemporary Art's 2011 "Art in the Streets" exhibit. If you get a chance, check out her exhibit at Boston's ICA (pictured in process above).
= Bansky interviewed by Shepard Fairey.
= Christopher Knight, "MOCA's 'Art in the Streets' gets the big picture wrong."
= Benjamin Kabak "The Graffiti Debate: Glorifying art or vandalism?"

Some questions to consider: What does it mean to do art in the streets? Why do art in the streets? Does it have a different tone than art in galleries and museums? How does it critique gallery and museum culture? Do you agree with this critique? How is "street art" like and unlike other public art? What happens when "street art" is brought into galleries and museums? Who are the audiences for art? How do we reach them? Why do we want to reach them? What are we trying to share?

Greg: MFA's new contemporary art wing

For discussion on Sept. 26, Greg's group is required to visit the Museum of Fine Arts' new Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art--including viewing the Ellsworth Kelly "Wood Sculpture" show and Christian Marclay's "The Clock." Write about and prepare to discuss: One artist whom you’re glad is represented in the wing, one artist to cut from the show, and one artist who should be included but isn't. The big issue to consider: How do we define which artists matter and which don't as we create art history?

Also consider reviews of the new wing, like:
= Sebastian Smee in the Boston Globe: "The MFA Opens Itself Up to Momentous Change with New Contemporary Art Space."
= David Bonetti at Berkshire Fine Arts.
= "A Wing Where Contemporary Art Can Converse" by Ken Johnson in The New York Times.
= Ten things to see in the MFA's Linde Family Wing, according to Steven S. Kapica at Fenway News.
= Greg Cook in the Boston Phoenix.

Brilliant photo above copyright by The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research.

Guidelines for 301 workspaces Please Read,

Below is an image of the agreement that we will be using for the workspaces in the 301 Cabot Street building.

We will be distributing these forms at our meeting Wednesday at 2 pm.


Montserrat College of Art

301 Cabot Street Workspace
Guidelines and Agreement
Fall 2011

By signing this form you agree to follow these guidelines for the use of a workspace in the 301 Cabot Street Building.

Walls
Walls are painted white. You can paint your workspace. No adhesive coverings can be used on the walls. No holes can be cut in the walls. You may attach things with screws or nails but they must be removable. Nothing can be stored on, or attached to the top of the walls. When you leave your studio it must be in the same state as you found it. Clear floor, empty walls, white color,
Floors
Floors can be covered. No adhesives can be used to attach floor coverings.
Curtains
No curtains can be hung across the openings in workspaces.
Radios/music/cell phones
The 301 building is a shared workspace. Be respectful of others when using your workspace.
Keys
Keys are obtainable from, Sharon McManus in the main office in the Hardie Building. There is a key fee of $25, which is returnable when you have cleared out your workspace.
Hours
The hours of the building are 8 am. to 1 am. 7 days/week. The building is locked at 7 pm. daily and on weekends. You must sign in after the daylight hours and on weekends, no exceptions.

Health and Safety

Do not store anything in the hallways or passageways.

Personal items should not be stored in common areas.

Solvent based paints or palettes should be covered at all times

All solvents and paints should be stored in labeled containers in the yellow safety cabinet




I agree to these terms and guidelines for the use of a workspace in 301 Cabot Street.

______________________________________________Date______________
Student



______________________________________________Date______________
Supervisor/ Faculty

Greg: "For the Record”

For discussion on Sept. 12, Greg's group will read:

= Catalogue essays for the exhibit "For the Record: Searching for Objectivity in Global Conflict" at Montserrat.
= Passage from Anthony Swofford's 2003 book "Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles."

and view:

= James Nachtwey's 2007 TED talk about his war photography (above)
= The "For the Record" exhibit at Montserrat.

Some questions to consider: What is the purpose of art about war? Does the public understand these conflicts well enough to draw reasonable conclusions about them? What is the relationship between truth and objectivity? How do the arts contribute to our understanding of either? Can narratives concerning world economic, political, and military distress speak objectively? How do the works in the exhibit depict war? What do we learn about our current wars from this art? Do these artworks include violence? Do they include casualties? Can art start a war? Can art end a war? Can art effect social change?

Senior Fine Arts Seminar Syllabus

Senior Fine Arts Seminar
FAS 400
Ethan Berry Seminar Coordinator
Caroline Bagenal, Greg Cook, Discussion Instructors


Fall 2011


Course Description:
A significant program of studio and critical work for students concentrating in fine arts, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and photography, this course is intended to help develop the students' maturity and independence as artists. The course includes several aspects:
(1) The students will prepare a substantial body of work under the guidance of the seminar coordinator and their chosen faculty advisor, a representative part of which will be presented to the public in a small group show and at the graduation exhibition.
(2) The student will participate in two seminar meetings each week. The studio meeting will focus on the student's independent work and will be supplemented by group critiques and critiques by visiting artists. The discussion meeting will be devoted to the discussion of weekly readings encompassing a range of critical perspectives on modern and contemporary art. Group meetings will focus on art-world issues and practices.
(3) A designated faculty committee will meet with the student twice each semester to critique the student's work and review his or her progress.
(4) The student and faculty advisor will meet weekly in order to discuss
the independent studio work in which the student is engaged.
(5) The student is required to take advantage of at least ONE individual critique
with a visiting artist.

Senior Seminar I, 6 credits; Senior Seminar II, 6 credits, to be awarded by the instructors.

Course Objectives:
The ability honestly and accurately to evaluate one's work and its place in the culture is nearly as essential as passion and hard work in the studio. Context contributes to content, and therefore an artist must be aware of the contemporary critical dialogue — in order to interpret it as well as to challenge it. Through exposure to various points of view the student will have the opportunity to establish a personal critical perspective. The development of intellectual and evaluative skills is not an end in itself; rather, the objective is to use those skills in the service of the student's continuing growth as a visual artist.


Course Format — Studio Component:
Each section of the FAS will meet with a Studio Instructor once a week.
These meetings will be devoted to a discussion of the work being created in the senior studios and critiques of student works led by the students. The instructor will meet with individuals in their studios, and the remainder of the class time will be used by the students to work in their studios or participate in student-led group critiques.
Senior reviews occur twice during the semester and are essential to the format of FAS. All seniors must be prepared to participate in their reviews on the scheduled date.
Students will be asked to write an artist's statement prior to each of the senior reviews. The purpose of the statement is to help the students organize and clarify the issues that are relevant to them at the time of the reviews.

Course Format — Discussion Component:

Each section of the FAS will meet with the Discussion instructor once a week.

Weekly reading assignments will be drawn from a variety of journals and articles. The readings will be photocopied and handed out in class.

All students are required to participate in class discussions. In addition, weekly written responses to the readings will be required.

Two major assignments will also be required. The first assignment will be medium-length paper, and the second assignment is an individual presentation. Specific paper and presentation instructions will be handed out during the semester. The assignments will count toward the grade for the discussion component of the seminar as follows: papers and presentation 60% (30% each); responses to weekly readings and participation in class discussions 40%. Important note: Papers must be turned in on the due date for your section. Late papers will be graded down, and any paper not received within one week of the due date will automatically receive a failing grade. It is the responsibility of the student to discuss with the instructor any extenuating circumstances affecting their ability to meet deadlines.

Course Format — Visiting Artists and Group Meetings:

There will be three Visiting Artist lectures each semester that students will be required to attend. These may be scheduled during the lunch hour (11:30-12:30) or the visiting Artist may present during senior seminar class time. After the lectures the visiting artist may meet with senior seminar students for a general discussion or for critiques of student work.


Additional Meetings Assignments:

Senior Seminar students should make every effort to go on the one-day New York City trip that is held each semester. We may also arrange some visits to Boston-area museums and galleries. Students who are absolutely unable to participate in field trips because of scheduling difficulties should go to the exhibitions on their own. Students should check with Student Services office to check on the schedule of school sponsored “First Friday” trips to Boston Galleries.

Criteria For Credit

FAS 400 is a 6-credit course.

Credit for the FAS will be awarded by the seminar coordinator in consultation with the discussion instructors, acting on an equal basis. Students must pass both the studio AND discussion components in order to pass the course as a whole, and the final grade will be based on the student's combined performance.

Among the factors that will be considered are:

1. Independent Studio — The minimum requirement for the studio component will be the development each semester of a significant body of work as determined by the studio instructor in consultation with the review panel. All work shown to the review panel must be from the FAS studio or identified as supporting material. Absence from a review may result in an incomplete or no credit. Students are required to work a minimum of 15 hours each week outside of scheduled class meetings developing FAS studio course work.

2. Discussion Component — Students are required to complete all reading and writing assignments on time. The weekly discussions are a significant part of the FAS and it is not possible to participate in them without knowledge of the reading assignments. The students will be evaluated on the basis of their written work and their participation in class discussions based on the readings. Students must complete all the papers and presentations in order to receive credit for the course.

3. Senior Thesis Shows — Students who are completing their second semester of the FAS are required to exhibit work in a thesis exhibition. The work exhibited in the thesis exhibition serves both to demonstrate the student’s artistic achievements and to demonstrate two successful semesters in FAS.

4. Attendance — Students are required to be on time for all classes. Frequent absences or tardiness may result in a lower grade or no credit.

David Wojnarowicz’s “A Fire in My Belly”

Students in Greg's discussion group should watch David Wojnarowicz’s video “A Fire in My Belly” (above) and read the following public statements and reports about the controversy it sparked at the Smithsonian. Then for our class on Feb. 7, write about the Smithsonian's decisions to remove Wojnarowicz's video but keep AA Bronson's photo in the "Hide/Seek" exhibit. Was the Smithsonian right, wrong, or somewhere in between? Back up your position by citing information in the readings.

June 2, 2010: Smithsonian: The National Portrait Gallery Presents “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture”

Nov. 30, 2010: Catholic League: Smithsonan Hosts Anti-Christian Exhibit

Nov. 30, 2010: New York Magazine: U.S. Representative John Boehner Is Now a Curator

Nov. 30, 21010: Smithsonian: Statement on “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture”

Dec. 6, 2010: L.A. Times: Smithsonian Institution fails to stand up to anti-gay bullies

Dec. 7, 2010: Smithsonian: Q&A Regarding the "Hide/Seek" Exhibition

Dec. 10, 2010: Washington Post: 'Fire' man: Wojnarowicz, censored by Smithsonian, sounded an alarm in dire times

Dec. 16, 2010: Modern Art Notes: Q&A with AA Bronson on ‘Hide/Seek,’ ‘Felix’

Dec. 16, 2010: Catholic League: The "American Taliban" Catholic League

Pictured: David Wojnarowicz’s “A Fire in My Belly” from ppow_gallery on Vimeo.