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?