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Artivism 1,2 (P) (0208, 0209)    - PILOT COURSE -


Pilot Site:
 This is a pilot course for Logan Memorial Educational Campus, Crawford and Lincoln High Schools. Other schools may not offer this course without prior approval from the Interdivisional Curriculum Committee.

Grade Range:
 10–12
 Prerequisites:
 Art 1,2 or Design and Mixed Media 1,2
 Course duration:
 Two semesters.
Subject area in which graduation credit will be given:
 Visual and Performing Arts / Ethnic Studies
 UC subject area satisfied:
 f - Visual and Performing Arts / Ethnic Studies
Course Description:
 This interdisciplinary course delves into the historical, theoretical, and practical aspects of using art as a catalyst for activism across various social justice movements. It examines the powerful role of creative expression in driving social and political change through a combination of lectures, hands-on projects, discussions, readings, personal reflection while fostering social engagement through artistic collaborative action. Students will explore the ways in which artists and activists have challenged systemic injustices, amplify marginalized voices, and inspire collective action. Additionally, students will gain the foundational knowledge and skills necessary to creatively express themselves as individuals and members of their communities through art.

This course traces the development of artivism in 20th and 21st century visual arts from a global perspective. Students will examine artistic movements and artworks intended to provoke discussion about social and political issues. In doing so, students will study the hegemonic standards that have framed the art historical canon and the artistic strategies taken to question and upend these standards. Students will explore the various artistic initiatives used to expose the challenges and struggles as well as to promote social change with respect to racism, politics, economics, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, gender identity, labor, and the environment. Students will make connections between both radical and institutionally-sanctioned artworks to their corresponding social and political movements.

For all units, students will read, discuss, and respond to the historical, political and social climate of each era as well as the corresponding art movements and artists in both primary and secondary source material through the key assignments. Students will develop critical analysis skills as they examine the potential of art as a tool for social transformation, interrogate power dynamics within the art and activism nexus, and develop their own artistic interventions or projects aimed at promoting social justice and equity. By the end of the course, students will gain a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between art and activism and be empowered to harness the transformative potential of creative expression in their own communities and beyond.

State Course Code(s):
 9000 - Visual Art
Basic Texts and Teaching Guides:
 Viveros-Faune C 2018, Social Forms: A Short History of Political Art, David Zwirner Books
Thompson, N 2015, Seeing Power, Art and Activism in the 21st Century, Melville House Publishing

 VPA-90