Who Belongs to Art Worlds?

1. Who Belongs to Art Worlds? Life Drawing Class, Bocour Paintmaking Studio NYC, c. 1942 c.

2. Plan for Class Today • Lecture : • Conclude General Introduction of Theories about Art & Society • Artists as a Social “Category” • Discussion of Short Assignment • Workshop with Sylvia Roberts (Communications Reference Librarian)

3. Required Readings (Weeks 3-4) • Zolberg, Vera. “The Art Object as Social Process”. Constructing a Sociology of the Arts. Cambridge University Press, 1990, pp. 79-102. • Becker, H. "Integrated Professionals, Mavericks, Folk Artists and Naive Artists" Art Worlds. Berkley: U. Calif. Press. 1992, pp. 226-272. • Peterson, R. and A. Anand. “The Production of Culture Perspective” Annual Review of Sociology 2004. 30:311–34 (especially pp. 311-318).

4. Recommended • Van Laar, T. and L. Diepeveen, "The Function of Artists in Society: Starving Celebrities and Other Myths", Active Sights. Art as social interaction., London, Mayfield, 1997, pp.51-69. • Menger, Pierre-Michel, “Artists as Workers: Theoretical and Methodological Challenges” Poetics, Vol. 28 (4) pp. 241-254. • Kasfir, Sidney. “African Art and Authenticity”, in Oguibe, Olu and Okwui Enwezor (editors), Reading the Contemporary. African Art from Theory to the Marketplace. Cambridge: M.I.T. Press, 1999, pp. 88-113 • Levine, Judith. "Art as social service: Theatre for the Forgotten", in Zolberg and Cherbo, Outsider Art, Cambridge U. Press 1997, pp.131-145.

5. Internal (Humanist--aesthetics, history of the arts, critics, etc.) art=mystery, spontaneous creation of isolated genius importance of “aura” of individual artist for value of art work timeless, enduring quality of beauty, perfection External (Social Sciences & cultural studies) social production of art importance of social processes and networks for creation of belief in the arts values change in different social & historic contexts Last Day: Internal vs. External Approaches

6. Debates regarding what art “represents” & position of artist in society • “reality” (nature), mimesis • world view in a specific place & time • product of solitary genius (Renaissance) • “system” of production & reception • social process (symbolic & material) • expression of the artist’s identity/vision • measure of differences in society Magritte, R. The Human Condition, 1935

7. Theories of Evolution of SocietiesEx.: Archaic & Classical Greek Sculpture, Naturalism in Theatre Kouros, 6 c. BC Laocoon, 3rd c. BC

8. The Arts as a “Tracer” of Technological & Social Change • EXAMPLES: rediscovery of Bronze sculpture, Gutenburg press, audio recording, digital imaging http://www.youtube.com/

9. Political Dimensions of the Arts • ex. artistic movements and propaganda (ex. Stalinist Soviet Art)

10. Another example: Abstract Expressionism as symbol of democratic freedom

11. Example: Chris Ofili’s dung-covered Madonna & the Sensations show at the Brooklyn museum in fall 1999 • Catholic Mayor of New York offended, tried to shut it down & withdraw funding to museum • intentions? title of show (Sensations) • owned by patron Saatchi • rise in value of work, etc. • Culture Wars: notion of competing values (moral, aesthetic etc…)

12. Ofili’s Holy Mary

13. Offending Images-- and assumptions about what art communicates (Mitchell) • Two assumptions • Image linked transparently to what it represents (what is done to image is what it represents) • Image possesses capacity for feeling what is done to it (pseudopersons) • Less obvious factors in controversies • Offending images unstable and depends on complex social contexts & interactions that change • Images do not all offend in the same way • Images that offend many people inspire laws, policies • Offenses to images take different forms (iconoclasm, vandalism etc.) • More on this topic later

14. Zolberg-- “art object as social process” • Unique artists, unique art works (individual creation) • Problem of Multiples (negotiating artistic value)– Walter Benjamin • Changing views • Akrich—Beaune Altarpiece • Controversy over PBS jazz series • Different views (controversies) • Ex. Schwartz & Wagner-Pacifici on Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington D.C.

15. Participants in art worlds -- Creators Art Audiences/Publics art mediators Audiences/publics/consumers

16. Different views of role of artist in Western art traditions • skilled worker, craftsperson (astrological sign, Mercury) • tormented genius (sign of Saturn) • Intellectual (French Academy of Painters and Sculptors) • entrepreneur • social critic/social healer

17. Andy Warhol

18. Campbell’s Soup

19. Marilyn

20. Electric chair

21. Artists’ Roles & status: Status of the artist • inadequacy of economic measures • Not just who makes a living from the arts • issue of “professionalization” • training, • laws, • self-regulating professional body for practitioners, • standards (practices, fees, income) etc. • model of professions in the liberal arts • Self identification

22. Howard Becker’s Art Worlds • Arts worlds include all the people involved in art-making • Cooperative links through shared conventions • Study how participants “draw lines” and what art worlds do

23. What do art worlds do together? • Develop conventions & shared practices related to creation (ex. musical notation systems) • Mobilize resources (material resources, training personnel, networks, organizations) • Develop Distribution Systems

24. Different types of artists (Becker) • Types • Integrated professionals • Mavericks • Folk artists • Naïve artists • Classification according to how they fit in art worlds (degree of integration)

25. Ranking Artists (Becker’s 4 types) • according to different ways of working & career patterns • 1. integrated professionals • fit with accepted conventions & canons held by organizations • well-trained --technical skills, shared traditions

26. 2.Mavericks • innovative rebels against “system” • begin as conventional “novices” but deliberately violate norms of art world • techniques for success-- develop alternate systems for distribution • do not totally lose touch with world of their medium

27. example:KLF • Bill Drummond at the “Brit Awards”, 1993

28. 3. Folk Art • link with community practices • ex. Duck decoys, quilts, chain-gang songs, Christmas pagents • art serves needs, part of daily activities • follows aesthetic conventions, using established procedures (ex. Sorting scraps by colour) • often part of well-organized community, with informal training

29. 4. Naïve Art • aka. “primitive” naïve, grassroots • indiosynmcratic • ex. James Hampton, Throne of the Third Heaven of the national Millenium General Assembly • ex. Art of children and the insane • outsiders • N.S. artist Maud Lewis, Henri Rousseau, Grandma Moses

30. Van Laar and Diepeveen on “The function of Artists in Society” • Another typology • Five roles: • Skilled worker • Intellectual • Entrepreneur • Social critic • Social healer • Other dimensions • Ex. Wittkower “Under the Sign of Saturn” • Transformation from craftsperson to status of intellectual in humanistic profession

31. Concluding Remarks on the Definition of the Artist • Different criteria used in different contexts • Fundamental conceptual problems

32. Criteria used in classifying art & artists • “aura” of the artist (authenticity -- School of Frankfort, Walter Benjamin-- “Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”) • qualities of the art • artistic category • particular work • characteristics of the audience/public (notion of consecration) • “highbrow/lowbrow” tastes (Levine--The emergence of a cultural hierarchy in America) • SES • size

33. Conceptual & practical problems in studying artists & artistic careers • Establishing criteria for locating, identifiying artists • “Irrationality” of choices (P-M. Menger) • Ex. Choosing poorer pay for more prestigious roles as an actor • In modern times -- Clash between notions of • career (regularities, patterns ) • Artistic recognition (singularities, unique, break past)

34. Planning Short Assignments and Class Presentations • Handout 2 (tentative proposed dates) • Discussion of ideas for topics

35. Guest Speaker • Sylvia Roberts on research strategies for assignments and term papers

36. 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.