Undergraduate Degree

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DD3015

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:

  1. Art History
  2. Art Criticism
  3. Museum Practices
  4. Contemporary Curating
  5. 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​​