Time Schedule:
Dawn R Glinsmann
ART H 309
Seattle Campus
Topics vary.
Class description
Spring 2007, Contemporary Northwest Coast Native Art. This course was conceived as a way of taking full advantage of “In the Spirit of the Ancestors,” which will be on exhibit at the Burke Museum from March 3 through September 3. Students will do extensive reading and research on contemporary Northwest Coast artists, their work, their audiences, and their message. Lectures and exams will focus on the history of the collection at the Burke and the artist represented in the exhibit. Northwest Coast artists not represented in the Burke’s collection will be covered as well.
Students will each have the opportunity to act as a docent for the class in the museum exhibit itself, with each student becoming an expert on at least two items in the show.
For more information on the exhibit, follow the link from http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/exhibits/upcoming.php.
Student learning goals
Students will gain an understanding of the role contemporary art and artists play in establishing and affirming identity among Northwest Coast people today.
Students will learn about the roles of the Burke Museum, its history and its curators of Native American art as integral to the resurgence of contemporary Northwest Coast art over the past 30 years.
Students will master the traditional art styles of the Northwest Coast: Northern, Central and Southern. They will also master the variety of media used yesterday and today.
Students will master the ceremonial and cultural context of the items in the exhibit, whether they were created for traditional use or strictly as fine art.
Students will become "docents" as they give talks in the exhibit itself.
General method of instruction
Lecture, discussion, student "docent talks" in the Burke exhibit.
Recommended preparation
Recommended: Art History or Anthropology course with Northwest Coast content.
Class assignments and grading
Readings, writing exercises.
Written analysis of art objects, objective quizzes, oral presentations.
