Undergraduate Course: Feminist Avant-gardes of the 1970s (HIAR10200)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course explores feminist avant-gardes of the 1970s in an international range of contexts. The course is structured as a series of two-hour sessions consisting of introductory lectures followed by seminars. The sessions will focus each week on different artists working in a variety of media and across different national and feminist contexts. |
| Course description |
'Feminist avant-gardes of the 1970s' encompasses a range of women artists who overturned male-centred notions of the avant-garde and established radical new visions of how art can be political. This course examines women artists (including for example ORLAN, Renate Bertlmann, and Betye Saar) of different nationalities, working in a variety of media ranging from painting and photography to film and performance. (Artists covered may change from year to year.) Focussing on detailed readings of individual works and oeuvres in relation to contemporary political and cultural events and contexts and theoretical statements by artists and critics, we will explore and analyse the diverse aesthetic practices of these artists and examine their philosophical and political critiques of gender, race, and class. The course will include film showings and guest speakers, and seminars will be student- and discussion led.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 History of Art courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. As numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course. |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate skills of visual analysis and interpretation by looking in detail at key works by a representative range of feminist artists of the 1970s;
- Analyse the way in which avant-garde artists engaged with and critiqued political and philosophical assumptions of the period;
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a variety of feminist avant-garde aesthetic practices and their political and philosophical implications;
- Critically examine the ways in which artworks engage with and comment on social contexts and events;
- Apply developed skills of analysis, communication, and organisation.
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Reading List
John H. Bracey Jr., Sonia Sanchez, and James Smethurst, SOS-Calling All Black People: A Black Arts Movement Reader, Amhurst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2014.
Cornelia Butler, Lisa Gabrielle Mark (eds.) WACK!: Art and the Feminist Revolution, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2007.
Hilary Robinson (ed.), Feminism Art Theory: An Anthology 1968-2014, 2nd edition, Chichester: Wiley Blackwell, 2015.
Gabriele Schor, Feminist Avant-Garde: Art of the 1970s. The VERBUND Collection, Vienna. London and Munich: Prestel, 2022.
Michele Wallace and Gina Dent (eds), Black Popular Culture: A Project by Michele Wallace, Seattle: Bay Press, 1993.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Visual and critical analysis; Clear thinking and the development of an argument; Independent research; Presentation and communication skills; Organisation and planning. |
| Keywords | Feminism,avant-garde,women artists,1970s,politics,representation,critique,gender,class,race |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Patricia Allmer
Tel: (0131 6)51 3113
Email: Patricia.Allmer@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Ellie McCartney
Tel: (0131 6)51 5879
Email: emccartn@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
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