FA 401 undergraduate seminar
FA 405 [M] Contemporary Art: Theory and Practice
Art and Culture Since 1968
Fine Arts Center, Room 5062
Tuesday, Thursday
2:50 – 4:05 PM
Instructor: Dr. Marianne Kinkel
Phone: (509) 335-1363
Office: FAC Room 5072E
Office Hours: Friday 2:00–4:00 pm
(or by appointment)
E-mail: mkinkel@wsu.edu
Course Description and Objectives:
This course explores the vibrant, diverse and contentious terrain of contemporary art and culture. It surveys late 20th century art movements and 21st century artistic practices and theories. The course is structured in a loosely chronological format, from the end of the 1960s to the present. Thematic explorations punctuate this chronology in order for us to investigate continuities and ruptures in modernist/contemporary art practices and theories. We will consider a range of emerging art practices that engage notions of identity and collectivity, the increasing presence of visual images in our everyday lives, and the impact of globalization.
Although there are no prerequisites for this course, it requires some familiarity with the history of modern art; FA 304 and FA 202 are strongly recommended.
Learning Outcomes:
▪ Students will be introduced to a variety of artists and art movements.
▪ Students will gain an understanding of current concerns and theoretical issues that inform contemporary art.
▪ Students will develop their ability in researching contemporary art, artists, and theories.
▪ Students will sharpen their skills in writing about art.
▪ Students will enhance their ability in locating and evaluating credible sources.
This is a Writing in the Major course (M Course). M Courses are courses with a minimum of two written assignments throughout the semester that offer the option of revision on at least two assignments.
Grades will be determined as follows:
Three Written Assignments are worth 60% of your final grade. (See the Assignment Sheets for instructions.)
Class Participation and Attendance are worth 40% of your final grade. This course will be conducted in a lecture/seminar format; therefore, your participation in class discussions is crucial! You will prepare short written responses to assigned readings. These responses are intended to prepare you for weekly quizzes, facilitate discussion, and to enhance your writing skills. These responses will be turned in at the end of each meeting but a pass/fail grade will be assigned. An Information Literacy in Art History homework assignment is intended to hone your skills in locating and evaluating scholarship on contemporary art.
Attendance Policy: Attendance is mandatory and will be checked; unexcused absences will result in the lowering of your class participation grade. Excused absences are: medical, observance of religious holy days, and documented university-sponsored events (with prior notification.)
Grading Scale:
A = 93-100 C+ = 77-79
A- = 90-92 C = 73-76
B+ = 87-89 C- = 70-72
B = 83-86 D+ = 67-69
B- = 80-82 D = 60-66
F = 0-59
Disability Accommodations: Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability and need accommodations to participate fully in this class, please either visit or call the Access Center (Washington Building 217; 509-335-3417) to schedule an appointment with an Access Advisor. All accommodations MUST be approved through the Access Center.
Academic Honesty: Academic integrity is the cornerstone of the university. Any student who attempts to gain an unfair advantage over other students by cheating will fail the assignment and be reported to the Office of Student Standards and Accountability. Cheating is defined in the Standards for Student Conduct WAC 504-26-010 (3). For more information, see
This syllabus and all course-related materials, presentations, lectures, etc. are the intellectual property of the instructor and may be protected by copyright. Selling class notes through commercial note taking services, without advance permission, could be viewed as copyright infringement and/or an academic integrity violation, WAC 504-26-010 (3)(a,b,c,i).
Safety Statement: Classroom and campus safety are of paramount importance at Washington State University, and are the shared responsibility of the entire campus population. WSU urges students to follow the "Alert, Assess, Act" protocol for all types of emergencies and the "Run, Hide, Fight" response for an active shooter incident. Remain ALERT (through direct observation or emergency notification), ASSESS your specific situation, and ACT in the most appropriate way to assure your own safety (and the safety of others if you are able).
Strategies for Success: Plan to have assigned readings and written responses done before each class so that you are prepared for lectures, quizzes and class discussion; for assistance see the Reading Strategies Workshop at . Recent studies have shown that students who take notes on paper rather than on computers have greater understanding and retention of course material. For tips on how to take lecture notes go to . Please, no cell phone use during class.
Required Texts:
1. Peter Kalb, Art Since 1980: Charting the Contemporary (Pearson, 2014)
2. E-books and essays available through SearchIt or on the web
3. Electronic Reserves
Course Schedule
Please note that the instructor reserves the right to make changes to the following schedule.
Aug 23 Introduction to Course (handouts)
Aug 25 Overview: Post-WW II Art and Culture
Read: Kalb, “Introduction,” and Lawrence Alloway, “Network: The Art World Described as a System,” Artforum (Sept. 1972) at wp-content/uploads/group-documents/100/1375193198-Alloway-NetworkArtandaComplexPresent.pdf
Opening reception, Fine Arts Faculty Focus: Chris Watts, WSU Museum of Art 6-8pm, (“Walk- through” talk by the artist at 7pm)
Aug 30 Class Discussion on Research and Writing Skills: Utopia/Dystopia 2016/2017 theme and visit Jenny Hyde’s exhibition, Gallery 2
Read: Essays listed on Writing Assignment One sheet
Sept 1 Class Discussion on Research and Writing Skills: Writing Assignment Two
Read: Essays listed on Writing Assignment Two sheet
Visiting Artist lecture: Jenny Hyde, 5pm, FA auditorium
Sept 6 Fine Arts Faculty Focus: Chris Watts, WSU Museum of Art, meeting with the artist
Homework assignment due
Sept 8 Overview: Art and Culture of the Sixties
Read: Kalb, Chapter 1, pages 18-30; Mick Wilson ,”What is Conceptual Art?,” at , and visit Light Years: Conceptual Art and the Photograph, 1964 - 1977 at See the works and read the brief essays
Sept 13 Overview: Performance and Early Video Art
Read: excerpt, Kristine Stiles, “Performance, Installation and Video I/Eye/Oculus,” Themes in Contemporary Art, ed. Gill Perry and Paul Wood, eds. (Yale Univ. Press, 2004), pages 183-187 (electronic reserves) and Kate Horsfield, “Busting the Tube: A Brief History of Video Art,” at
Sept 15 Institutional Critique
Read; Kalb, Chapter 1, pages 30-33; Lucy Lippard, “The Art Workers’ Coalition: Not a History,” Studio International (Nov. 1970); and explore materials in Art Workers’ Coalition’s Open Hearing at
Information Literacy Homework assignment due
Sept 20 African American Art and the Black Arts Movement
Read: Kalb, Chapter 1 pages 33-37; tour and read essays at the Block Museum’s Wall of Respect website and read excerpt (pages 4-22) from American People, Black Light: Faith Ringgold’s Painting of the 1960s at
Sept 22 Feminist Art
Read: Kalb, Chapter 1 pages 38-45, 52-57, and 60-64; see clips of Martha Rosler’s Domination and the Everyday, Semiotics of the Kitchen, and Vital Statistics Of a Citizen, Simply Obtained at
Sept 27 Retake: Feminist Art Practices
Read: Amelia Jones, “1970/2007: The Return of Feminist Art,”
Homework Assignment on How to Cite Sources due
Sept 29 Appropriation and the Pictures Generation
Read: Kalb, Chapter 2 pages 46 -52, and 57-59; Douglas Eklund, “The Pictures Generation,” see overview and play slide show at
Oscar Tuazon, 5 pm, FA Auditorium, reception in Gallery II
Oct 4 Neo-Expressionism
Read: Kalb, Chapter 3, and Thomas Lawson, “Last Exit: Painting,” Artforum (Oct. 1981) at
Eroyn Franklin lecture? TBA
Oct 6 Alternative Spaces, Communities and Cultural Activism
Read: Kalb, Chapter 4
Opening reception, Northwest Alternative Comics, 5 -7 pm, WSU Museum of Art
Second Paper Assignment Due
Oct 11 Northwest Alternative Comics, WSU Museum of Art and Class Discussion on Research and Writing Skills
Read: Essays listed on Writing Assignment Three sheet
Oct 13 Commodities and Consumerism
Read: Kalb, Chapter 5, and essays at
Visiting Artist Lecture: Kristen Kennedy 5pm, FA Auditorium
Oct 18 Memory and History
Read: Kalb, Chapter 6 pages 140-151;
and James E Young, “The Counter-Monument: Memory Against Itself in Germany Today,” Critical Inquiry (Winter 1992):267-296 available through JStor,
Evening Event: Clyde Petersen, Torrey Pines (location and time to be announced)
Interdisciplinary Symposium on Place (TBA)
Oct 20 Memory and History
Read: Kalb, Chapter 6 pages 152 to 167; Eva Respini, “Slippery Delays and Optical Mysteries: The Work of Walid Raad,” and see works at
Oct 25 Culture, Body, Self: Autobiography and Authorial Voice
Read: Kalb, Chapter 7 pages 168-181, and Miguel Angel Medina, “Tracey Emin: Life Made, Art, Art Made Life,” Arts (Feb. 2014): 54-70 at 2076-0752/3/1/54/pdf
Revised Second Assignment Due
Oct 27 Culture, Body, Self
Read: Kalb, Chapter 7 pages 182- 192; “Mona Hatoum interviewed by Janine Antoni, Bomb 63 (Spring 1998) and explore works at
Nov 1 Contemporary Art in Russia and China
Read: Kalb, Chapter 8, and see Wenda Gu’s United Nations project and writings at
Nov 3 Art and Globalization
Read: Kalb, Chapter 9 pages 215-234, 245-249, and Bill Roberts, “Production in View: Allan Sekula’s Fish Story and the Thawing of Postmodernism,” Tate Papers #18 (2012)
Visiting Artist Lecture: Anne-Marie Oliver 5pm FA Auditorium
Nov 8 Art, Globalization and Youth Culture
Read: chapter 9 pages 235 and 245 and Catherine Grant and Lori Waxman, “Introduction: The Girl in Contemporary Art,” Girls! Girls! Girls! in Contemporary Art (Intellect, 2011) available as an e-book via SearchIt
Nov 10 Speculative Fictions: Afro-Futurism
Read: Chase Quinn’s review, “The Days of Future Past: Afrofuturism and Black Memory,” at
See The Shadows Took Shape exhibition website at the Studio Museum of Harlem ; view excerpt of The End of Eating Everything at and see interview with the artist at
Nov 15 “Post-Identity”
Read: Jessica L. Horton and Cherise Smith, “The Particulars of Postidentity,” American Art (Spring 2014) pages 2-8, and “Collective Consciousness” roundtable discussion Art Forum (Summer 2016) at
Nov 17 Relational Aesthetics, Collaborations, and Communities
Read: Maria Lind, “Collaborative Turn,” Taking the Matter into Common Hands: On Contemporary Art and Collaborative Practices. (Black Dog Publishing, 2007) at Carolina A. Miranda, “How the Art of Social Practice Is Changing the World, One Row House at a Time,” see projects at
Third Writing Assignment Due
Nov 22 & Nov 24 Thanksgiving Holiday, no class
Nov 29 Materiality and the Medium
Read: Kalb, Chapter 10 pages 250-260; Joseph Nechvatal, “ Surveying Modern and Contemporary Art’s Embrace of Ceramics,” Hyperallergic at and Allyson Unzicker, “Corporeal Impulse: Contemporary Artists Working in Clay, “ Brooklyn Rail at
Dec 1 New Metaphors, New Narratives
Read: Kalb, Chapter 10 pages 260-279
Dec 6 Art of Contemporary Experience: The Unilever Series
Read: Kalb, Chapter 11 pages 280-287; Wouter Davidts, “The Vast and the Void:
On Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall and ‘The Unilever Series’,” Footprint (2007) available at
Dec 8 Art of Contemporary Experience: Surveillance
Read: Kalb, Chapter 11 pages 289-311 and Nicholas O’Brien, “Exposing the Surveillance State: Trevor Paglen,”at
Dec 15 Revised Third Writing Assignment due in my mailbox by 5:00pm
WSU Resources:
Access Center
Counseling Services
ESL On-line help desk
WSU Libraries
Citations guide with links
Bob Matuozzi, fine arts librarian matuozzi@wsu.edu
Journals, organizations, and other resources beyond the bibliographies in your course textbook and readings:
Afterall
Art 21
Art & Research
Art Forum
Art in America
Artist Trust
Art Journal
Art Monthly available through SearchIt
Artspeak
Artsy
Bomb magazine
Brooklyn Rail
Creative Time
Critical Art Ensemble
Critical Inquiry available through SearchIt
Dark Matter: In the Ruins of Imperial Culture
Documenta archive
E-flux Journal
Flash Art
Frieze Magazine
Grey Room available through SearchIt
Hyperallergic
Leonardo Journal online
Media Art Net
October available through SearchIt
Society of Contemporary Art Historians
Tate, etc.
Tate Channel
Tate Papers
Tate Shots
Third Text Critical Perspectives on Contemporary Art and Culture
Transformations Journal
Video Data Bank
Walker Art Center Magazine
X-TRA Contemporary Art Quarterly
Fall 2016 FA 405 Assignment Due Dates and Class Participation Grade
Writing Assignment Due Dates:
Assignment One – one week after event
Assignment Two October 6, 2016 revised essay October 25, 2016
Assignment Three November 17, 2016 revised essay December 15, 2016
Homework Due dates:
Questions for meeting with Chris Watts September 6, 2016
Information Literary Unit due September 15, 2016
How to Cite Sources due September 27, 2016
Class Participation Grade:
1. Attendance and class participation. Attendance is mandatory and will be checked; unexcused absences will result in the lowering of your class participation grade. Excused absences are: medical, observance of religious holy days, and documented university-sponsored events (with prior notification.) Although this class is lecture-based, we will also have class discussions on a specific art work or issue. Your active participation (reflecting an open, curious, and engaged attitude toward course material) is crucial to our class discussions!
2. Short written responses to assigned readings. These responses are intended to facilitate discussion, to demonstrate understanding of course material, and to enhance your writing skills. Questions to consider after closely reading each essay are: What is the main argument? What evidence is provided to support it? Has the author considered different viewpoints on the topic? Is the argument convincing? These one-page responses will be turned in at the end of each class meeting, and a pass/fail grade will be assigned. For tips and techniques to enhance reading skills see “reading strategies” at and class handouts.
3. Homework and Weekly Quizzes. On occasion, you will be asked to complete homework assignments such as the information literacy unit described below or writing a short report on visiting a museum or artist’s website. Weekly quizzes will be given to assess your understanding of course material presented the previous week.
4. Information Literacy in Art History Unit. A goal of art history courses is to increase your ability to recognize when additional information is needed on a given topic and to develop your skills in locating, evaluating, and using information. This homework assignment is intended for you to practice your information literacy skills for researching contemporary art. Read the WSU libraries' Information Literacy Research Skill Building at Locate at least three scholarly sources using the WSU libraries' Fine Arts Research Guide web page ( ) and online research databases such as JSTOR or Project Muse. Weigh the quality of information (ask yourself, is this a scholarly text? Was it peer-reviewed?) and assess the relevance of sources in answering this question (do they specifically focus on your topic?). Write a paragraph describing your research process and then create an annotated bibliography, consisting of two or three sentences for each source. Consult This assignment (worth 10 points) is due September 15, 2016.
5. Unit on how to cite sources. Homework assignment and in-class demonstration on the Turabian and Chicago Manual of Style. Look over Chicago Quick Citation Guide , and Turabian Quick Guide and “Plagiarism: What is it?” at
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