Exhibitions organize art objects in time and space. It assumes a subject, object and world. In doing so, the simple act of the “exhibition” is an extraordinarily weighted one. This class will present a survey of exhibition history through the lens of media history and the struggle for social justice, beginning in the 19th century.

We will consider the roots of white supremacy, colonialism, and nationalism within the encyclopedic museum, and how this carries through to the present day, while also reflecting on how an evolving media environment informs the experiential possibilities of exhibitions, in and outside of formal institutions. For instance, we will look at examples such as the Great Exhibition of 1851 alongside the panorama or curator Kynaston McShine’s groundbreaking 1970 group exhibition “Information” at MoMA within the framework of systems theory and institutional critique.

We will begin and end in the extraordinary time of the present, with the hope of completely re-envisioning the “exhibition form” given the current context of a pandemic, the threat of fascism, the Black Lives Matter movement, the economic recession, and our contemporary media landscape. Exhibitions are not neutral. How can they be a vehicle for true change?

Note: The assignments will ground students in the practical writing required for professional curatorial practice, such as an exhibition proposal, a press release, and a wall label. Students can expect training and critical reflection on this genre of writing.

The classes will combine lecture and conversation, and we will be actively integrating other online shared platforms (like Are.na, Google Drawings, etc) in order to create a truly dynamic classroom experience within Zoom.Online course sections will be delivered mostly asynchronously, with some synchronous components that will be outlined in the course syllabus if applicable.

Visit Workday to view this information.