Chances are, if you are reading this, you are a). a graduate student at Notre Dame, and b). interested in art and politics. Good, because these are the only conditions for participation in this exciting new workshop that is being organized thanks to a generous Mellon grant administered through the Institute for Liberal Arts at Notre Dame.
You may not be exactly sure what we mean by either "art" or "politics," let alone the relation between them. And to be frank, I am not sure I do either. But the purpose of this argument is to facilitate an interdisciplinary discussion among graduate students who care about the question in any sense, so that we might better understand the interesting but nebulous intersection between "art" and "politics".
The "workshop"--which is actually a misnomer, since we plan to meet several times over the space of the fall and spring semester at times yet to be determined--is, first and foremost, an opportunity for students to bring their research interests to bear on the question of politics in art. Additionally, it will be an opportunity to pursue these interests in connection with various cultural performances and exhibitions on campus and in the community. But, above all, it is whatever we collectively make it to be. And so I would like to invite any of you ND graduate students who may be interested to join us for an introductory meeting next Wed., the 22nd, for an informal gathering to discuss your aims and interests in the workshop. I'm thinking sometime in the evening, around 7ish, will work, and we will have food on hand for those who turn up. Specific location and food choice have yet to be determined, but if you could give me a heads up to let me know if you plan to come, along with any dietary preferences, that would be much appreciated. You can either post, or email me at jmille25@nd.edu
I look forward to meeting all of you, and I think this will be an extremely rewarding opportunity for folks of various academic stripes to do something interdisciplinary, interactive, and--above all--interesting.
-- Jay Miller
First meeting for the Art & Politics workshop will be tomorrow, Wednesday 9/22 at 7pm in Malloy Hall. We will have pizza and drinks on hand, so please send me a quick note if you plan to attend so that I know how much we will need. I look forward to meeting all of you at the workshop kickoff...
ReplyDeleteI'll be there, of course.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who came to Wednesday night's meeting, it was very nice meeting all of you and hearing about your interests. We have a very diverse and dynamic group which will be a great foundation for pursuing a shared inquiry into the art-politics relation. A sampling of topics and activities on the table so far for discussion: avant-garde horror film, public art, poetry readings, audience interaction, Chinese counter-nationalist film, the politics of the artworld, art critiques, studio visits the politics of musical form, anti-mainstream music, and more.
ReplyDeleteIf you plan to make it to the Lucy Lippard lecture on Yinka Shonibare's work this coming Thursday, 9/30, in Kalamazoo. It looks like we will be driving separately, so please let me know if you have a car and can drive, or if you need a ride, and I'll try to match the first group with the second. I'll be driving up between 2 and 3. I can reimburse you for gas.
ReplyDeleteSee below for artist bio...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/arts/design/21sont.html?pagewanted=all
ReplyDeleteI don't know how to post comments on the other entry, but thought some of you might be interested in this article on Yinka Shonibare from the NYT.
For those of you who could not make the Shonibare exhibit at WMU and hear Lucy Lippard's lecture,there are other, equally exciting cultural events are on the horizon.
ReplyDeleteNext up is the Sean Curran dance company, presenting "Left Exit," on Thursday, October 28th. In addition to free tickets for the group, we also have the opportunity to meet with the artist, Sean Curran, the afternoon of the performance. I was thinking a conversational interview would be the best way to get everyone into the discussion and to get the most out of it. Those of you who are interested are welcome to prepare a few questions for the artist, particularly as they might relate to your own research and interests, and we can document the interview in case we want to publish it in the Observer or similar publication.
But first things first. Since fall break begins soon, we should perhaps try to schedule a meeting this week. We should try to nail down some of the tentative ideas and projects we discussed in our first meeting (flim screenings, research presentation, studio visits, etc.; b), and we should also try to open up a general discussion of art's relation to politics and discuss some possible future workshop events; and. Also, for those who are interested, I have some video of Sean Curran's choreographic work that we could take a quick look at before the interview and performance. I suggest an evening meeting time, around 7, sometime later in the week, like Thursday or Friday. So please let me know if and when you can make it, and depending on the time and the number, we can perhaps arrange for food again.
I look forward to meeting with everyone again next week. Feel free to invite other grads as well.
Best,
Jay
PS - The Clark book, Art and Propaganda is out of print, so I've ordered a copy of Murray Edelman's From Art to Politics for each of you, and hopefully they will have arrived by the time we meet next week.
Woman in Colorado Attacks Art with Crowbar Depicting Fornicating Jesus:
ReplyDeletehttp://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/woman-arrested-in-colorado-after-destroying-artwork/?emc=eta1
Jay, I want to add a post, how do I do it?
ReplyDelete