This intensive seminar takes place during Spring Break (March 21 - 27, 2022)
 What happens when artists do it their own way? While it is true that artists control their own creative process, many other variables determine their participation in the art world. Nowadays, the distribution and public presentation of their work is primarily controlled by a variety of external agents such as galleries, museums, or publications. This intensive seminar will focus on the possibilities that are generated when artists take matters into their own hands and create their own platforms for sharing their work with others. We will explore the history of artists’ self-organized initiatives and the important role of the artist as a creator of space and discourse: artists opening exhibition spaces that shift the way people look at and talk about art; artists creating salons that bring in people and perspectives from other fields; artists who publish magazines or blogs that document the interests of a particular community; artists who start radio shows or podcasts that explore different worlds beyond their immediate surroundings; artists who open schools that propose new ways of teaching and learning; artists who open restaurants, bars, or clubs that become important gathering places for generative collaborations and exchange; and artists who use social media accounts that may also function as a medium for displaying artistic interests and proposing new communication formats.

This seminar will include a variety of field trips in the Bay Area as well as guest artists, curators, writers, publishers, librarians, and art historians.