The museum as we know it is a product of Western colonial culture. Today, many institutions are reevaluating practices that are less than equitable, as well as facing calls to return, share, and rethink sometimes iconic objects in their collections.
But how did the museum come about? What are modern museums modeled on, and how has the institution changed and/or stayed the same over the past century? And how have artists interacted with both the physical institution and the idea of collecting and archiving?
The objectives of this course are both intellectual and artistic. First: through talks, readings and field trips, this class will familiarize you with the history of museums and the collecting/ presenting of art and artifacts, eventually moving towards discussions of a number of artist’s projects within the museum setting. In the second part of the semester, the class will conceive of and carry out a creative, imaginative ‘museum’ project of its own: a hands-on experience with an important aspect of contemporary art making, as well as with a continually-evolving thread of research and writing in the art world today.
Field trips to the Rosicrucian Museum in San Jose and the Legion of Honor in San Francisco will be complemented by student site visits and reports on one of the Bay Area’s many eccentric institutions (list provided). Possible sites for our class museum’s exhibition include the campus library or galleries.
- Instructor: Maria Porges