"The Americas" form a continent that has experienced thousands of years of cultural migrations, interactions, and conflicts; as such it provides a geographically defined focus for this introduction to Art Across Cultures .   We will examine art from its diverse regions (North and South America and the Caribbean), from ancient through contemporary times, and consider how and for what purposes people make and engage art.   Classes are organized thematically and will consider topics such as art and power, constructions of nature and culture, and cross-cultural encounters.   Such a structure will allow us to address continuities and disjunctions between the arts of Pre-Columbian, Latin American, and North American peoples, and consider many of the cultural and historical reasons for these differences.   Through engaging lectures, readings, and discussions, I expect you will develop skills and vocabularies for visual analysis and think critically about the ways that cultures communicate visually.

Course Materials

Syllabus (html); printable PDF version

Visual Analysis Paper

Art and Power

Exam Study Guide

Nature and Culture

Cultural Encounters (note: Shirin Neshat's work is not available in this link; use the OIV link below to access stills of her videos)

key terms list

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Contemporary Artists Respond to Curtis