DD3015
Exhibition Histories: Museums to Biennales
[Contact Hours: 39 hours; Pre-requisites: DD1003 or DD1004; Academic Unit: 3.0]
Academic Unit: 3 AU
Pre-requisite: DD1003 Introduction to the Histories of Art I or DD1004 Introduction to the Histories of Art II
Course
Description
This is a course in the history of exhibitions, with
particular attention given to how curatorial and artistic practices have
influenced the exhibition-making in relation to the context of museums and
biennales. We will be examining narratives, contexts and conditions of display
across different cultures in the modern and contemporary periods. Issues
related to collecting, audiences and architecture will also be interest. This
is an upper level seminar course that will be complemented by fieldtrips to
local museums and galleries, practical workshops and guest lectures. Written
assignments will include exhibition reviews and independent research papers.
Learning Objectives:
Students
will approach the study of exhibitions from a historical perspective. Students
will learn about the history of museums and biennales, examine differences in
cultural institutions and collecting practices in Asia and the West, and
explore recent issues in museum studies and contemporary art curating.
Content
This
course looks at exhibitions in terms of:
- Art History
- Art Criticism
- Museum
Practices
- Contemporary
Curating
- Cultural
Studies
|
Course Outline
Week
|
Topic
|
Lecture Hours
|
1
|
History
of Exhibitions
|
3
|
2
|
Museums
and Biennales Overview
|
3
|
3
|
Collecting,
Curating and Display
|
3
|
4
|
Comparative
Histories: National vs International
|
3
|
5
|
The
Contemporary Museum
|
3
|
6
|
Institutional
Critique
|
3
|
7
|
Fieldtrip
|
3
|
8
|
Student
Presentations
|
3
|
9
|
Institutional
Critique
|
3
|
10
|
Performance,
Participation and Audiences
|
3
|
11
|
Cultural
Tourism and Indigenous Cultures
|
3
|
12
|
Final
presentations
|
3
|
13
|
Art
Market
|
3
|
|
Total
|
39
|
Learning Outcome
Students
will learn about different forms of exhibitions and displays, from museums to
biennales
Student Assessment
Students
will be assessed by:
Continuous
Assessment (100%)
- Participation (15%) - Students will be
reading about major case studies, critical writings, and engage in class
discussions;
- Written assignments (35%) - Students will be
writing reviews of museums and gallery exhibition reviews after fieldtrips;
- Class presentations (20%) - Students will be
expected to prepare verbal responses to topical issues in the fields of museum
and curating after going through written materials. They will also introduce
and explain their chosen topic and research question to the rest of the class.
- Final Research Project and Paper (30%) -
Students will complete a choice of final assignment comprising an exhibition
proposal and/or a research paper. The research will require the student to do
archival research and conceptual thinking.
Textbooks/References
1. Altshuler,
Bruce. Salon to Biennial. London; New
York: Phaidon, 2008- 2013.
2. Altshuler,
Bruce. Biennials and Beyond. London;
New York: Phaidon, 2008- 2013.
3. Bishop, Claire. Radical museology,
or, What’s contemporary in museums of contemporary art? London:
Koenig Books, 2013.
4. Greenberg,
Reesa. Thinking about Exhibitions. London;
New York: Routledge, 1996. (This is the edition we have in
both the ADM library and virtual library)
5. Marincola,
Paula. What Makes a Great Exhibition?
Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative, Philadelphia Center for
Arts and Heritage, 2006.
6. Alberra,
Alexander. Institutional Critique. Cambridge,
MA: MIT Press, 2009.
7. Serota, Nicholas. Experience or Interpretation, UK: Thames & Hudson, 1996