References to Readings Today: Becker, Howard. “Art Worlds", and

1. What is Art? Who are artists? Theories about the relationship between Art & Society(Socio-historic dimensions) References to Readings Today: Becker, Howard. “Art Worlds", and Bourdieu, Pierre. "Who Creates the 'Creator'?” & "The Circle of Belief” Inglis, David. “Thinking ‘Art’ Sociologically” Mitchell, W.J.T. “Offending Images..” Recommended: Becker “The power of inertia” Bill Viola “Crossings” (detail)

2. Art & Society example • Videoclip: Excerpt from Cai Guo-Qiang interview: Art:21(Art in the 21st Century) PBS • Olympic Ceremony Controversy (enhancement of Guo-Qiangs’s Footprints of History” firework performance • http://blog.art21.org/2008/08/22/cai-guo-qiang-responds-to-olympics-fireworks-controversy/

3. Course Organization • Handout 1: Syllabus and Preliminary Reading List • Handout 2: • Resources (on web) • http://webdav.sfu.ca/web/cmns/courses/marontate/2009/488 • note • importance of attendance & participation for grades • Proper use of citations

4. Finding out about artistic events & issues • Library Resources: • Music : http://www.lib.sfu.ca/researchhelp/subjectguides/fpa/music.htm • Dance http://www.lib.sfu.ca/researchhelp/subjectguides/fpa/dance.htm • Visual Arts http://www.lib.sfu.ca/researchhelp/subjectguides/fpa/visarts.htm

5. Other Sources Cultural Sections of papers like The Georgia Straight broader: Sunday New York Times -- Arts and Leisure Section (in library) Other magazines and journals devoted to the arts Web sites showcasing other art forms, ex. http://www.agitart.org/ Web sites that present digital art, ex. Virtual museum exhibitions

6. Theories of Art and Society (Different Intellectual Traditions & Roots) • Humanistic disciplines (history, literary studies) • Formerly centered on great events, individuals, canons • Some interdisciplinary (ex. Cultural studies) • Iconographic & formalist frameworks • Visual and Performing Arts • perspective of art-makers & critics • Anthropology • functions of the arts & symbolic representations, “others” • ex. Religious, ritual • Psychology • cognition & perception • Philosophy • Aesthetics, knowledge etc. • Sociology & Communications –many approaches (focus of the course)

7. Some “Common-sense” approaches to Art/Society Relations Art as historical record (events, practices, values)-- notion of Zeitgeist (spirit of the time) or mentalities

8. Measure of civilization (with predictable stages of “development”) Ex. representation of perspective in neo-classical painting. Jacques Louis David c. 1889. The lictors bringing to Brutus the bodies of his sons

9. Predictor or instigator of change (theories of the avant-garde) Pink Bloque (2001-2005) Dancing in Dissent protesting racism & sexism at street danceshttp://www.pinkbloque.org/

10. Disciplinary Differences: Internal vs. External Approaches • “internal” (humanities) -- arts outside social processes • Artist=solitary creator, exceptional genius (humanistic approach) • Arts, aesthetics as “universal” • “external” (social sciences) --art world(s) socially constructed • importance of social context, processes & structures for understanding the production/creation, mediation & reception/consumption of the arts, recognition processes, their uses, functions, meanings

11. Some Internal Debates: “What is Art? Who Are Artists?” • emphasis on • Gifts, talent, innate characteristics (for Artists) • expression of eternal “truths”, aesthetics (for artists & possibly connoisseurs) • music Clip “Pain in my heart”, Otis Redding, R & B, Stax Volt • Ex. Notion that Greek Aesthetic Values (like Ideals of Beauty& Bodily Proportions) express universalsWhat are “problems” with this?

12. Internal Approaches --What is Art and Who are Artists? (cont’d) • Styles, tastes and systems of ranking art forms • avant-garde vs. traditionalists etc. • Genres, art forms • Types of art • Canons –essential components of dominant art system, influential artworks that participants must know & understand • place of social & historical processes in defining art & what/who gets included in canons

13. Ex. Marcel Duchamp--Readymade Sculptures vs. conventional techniques (challenging definitions of what is art) Fountain, original (left) and recreations of lost 1917 “Original” Who decides what is art?– the artist, experts, publics??

14. Other Challenges to the Canon: Mona Lisa & Duchamp (l.)Leonardo DaVinci’s so-called Mona Lisa c. 1503; (r.) Marcel Duchamp’s L.H.O.O.Q, 1920 for a Paris Dada show.

15. Cont.: Mona Lisa & Non-western cultural traditions (l.)Leonardo DaVinci’s so-called Mona Lisa c. 1503; (r.)Book cover from Cultural Studies for Beginners by Sardar & Van Loon.

16. Ex. “Differencing the Canon” • Guerilla Girls poster

17. References to Artistic Canons as way of establishing credibility & authority within art worlds Jean August Dominique Ingres, Grande Odalisque (1814), oil on canvas.

18. Manet Olympia 1863. Another Example

19. Yasumasa Morimura Twins

20. “Externalist” Views • art should be contextualized (situate in social & historic contexts) • search for patterns (regularity) rather than exceptions • What do successful artists have in common? • What do fans share? • How do institutions function? • wider range of art forms studied (high culture, pop culture etc..) • Stronger focus on institutions & processes of • Production-creation • (training, collaboration networks etc.) • Mediation • (gatekeepers, facilitators etc.) • Reception, consumption • (tastes, audiences, publics, markets)

21. Importance of social processes for recognition of the arts & artists: Visitors to the Louvre Museum in front of Mona Lisa

22. Variety of “externalist” approaches • Different degrees of importance of “social construction of reality” • Varied assumptions about society & how to study it • Examples: two different approaches Becker & Bourdieu

23. Pierre Bourdieu— 1930-2002 • Marxist, critical theorist • Emphasis on • Social and political structures & material conditions as limits to freedom of agency • Power relations within the field of artistic production • Creation of belief in the power of symbolic goods (art, artistic reputations etc.) and their conversion into economic and socialcapital • history of the field of cultural production • hierarchical model • Relationships marked by class conflict

24. Howard Becker • Symbolic interactionist • http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/faculty/hbecker/ • Early work on labeling theory and social actors(a different way of thinking of agency) • Emphasis on • Sense-making (interpretive) • Human interaction & identity-formation • Consensus & conventions • Art-making as a Collective Activity • Notion of different types of “art worlds” • Strong sociological background but also a performing artist (jazz musician)

25. “Many people know that I used to play the piano for a living, in taverns, for dances, weddings, bar mitzvas, Safeway employees Christmas parties, and so on. Here is a picture of the Bobby Laine Trio, circa 1950 (Bobby Laine, tenor; Dominic Jaconetti, drums; Howie Becker, piano), performing at the 504 Club, which was located at 504 W. 63rd St. in Chicago” from Howie Becker’s homepage

26. Art & Political Representations

27. Debates regarding what art is considered to “represent” • Example related to History of Visual Arts • rendering of “reality” (nature), mimesis • as world view in a specific place & time • as product of solitary genius (Renaissance) • made by “system” of production & reception • as social process (symbolic & material)

28. Critiques of Externalist/Internalist Stances • extreme reductionism vs extreme formalism (Scylla & Charybdis metaphor) • reductionism • art reduced to social process (ignores specific characteristics) • formalism • focus on limited range of aesthetic qualities --ignores importance of social processes & context

29. Second Part of Class : Visit of the Vancouver Art Gallery: 750 Hornby Street – Meet in the lobby at 12:55 (for admission at 1)

30. Special Exhibition: “Wack: Art and the Feminist Revolution” Magdalena Abakanowicz Red Abakan, 1969 sisal and mixed media Courtesy of the National Museum, Wroclaw, Poland Photo courtesy of Magdalena Abakanowicz

31. Note to Users of these Outlines- • not all material covered in class appears on these outlines-- important examples, demonstrations and discussions aren’t written down here. • Classes are efficient ways communicating information and provide you will an opportunity for regular learning. These outlines are provided as a study aid not a replacement for classes.