1. Nancy Lovato

2. Michael Miles (chose written over oral – paper due)

3. Saraphina Monaco

4. Toi Neeley

5. Ashley Patterson

6. Nate Skole

7. Laura Strait

8. Jordan Suggs

For those wanting/needing to revise your first review, please bring updated copy to class by Tuesday, July 8th.

Mini-reviews for next class (to quickly read):

Sent in by Toi: “Sex in the City“‘

Sent in by Rachel G. “Iron Man Packs a Punch as Cinema’s Newest Superhero“

Sent in by Samantha: “History Now“

CLASS: For next Tuesday’s class, please read the following and be prepared to discuss how you navigated the fictional story “My Body,” what you thought of the narrative structure, etc. For your last blog response (yes, this is the last one!), please discuss your thoughts about the film we saw in class, Cloverfield, and how the film possibly reflects contemporary concerns, issues, desires, etc.

Readings:

• Shelley Jackson, “My Body“
  

Also, PRESENTATIONS begin next THURSDAY – please note that half the class will be expected to do their oral presentations on REVIEW # 2 next Thursday, the other half on Tuesday, July 15th. The actual written review is due on July 17th (the last day of class) BY EMAIL – your email w/ attachment should be time stamped no later than midnight! You should, however, already know who you plan to review and therefore have thoughts (and media examples) to show for your presentations. For guidelines on what is expected for both your written review and the presentation of that artist’s work, as well as the schedule of oral presentations, please click here.

Also — while there are no more blog response assignments, please do continue to check the blog for any announcements or updates in the schedule.

• From April – “The Chic is Real” in NY Times.
• From Torreyanna – Review of Matthew Brannon’s exhibit (review is second in series of three)
• From Isabel- Cy Twombly is the only graffiti artist I care about

Reading for next Tuesday: Next week, we’ll discuss video games and disaster films. In preparation for our discussion, please read the following. Following are two options for the blog response.

• Kakoudaki, Despina. “Spectacles of History: Race Relations, Melodrama, and the Science Fiction/Disaster Film,” Camera Obscura, Vol. 17, No. 2, 2002
• Walkerdine, Valerie. “Remember not to die: young girls and video games.” Papers: Explorations into Children’s Literature, Nov 2004.

Below are sets of questions — choose ONE set to respond to:

• If you chose a game with people in it, think about the following: consider the roles: were the people in the game baseball players, boxers, soldiers, etc.? What about ethnicities? What ethnicities did you identify? Who seems to have what role? – what color or gender, for example, are the “bad guys”?
  Who is the hero of the game? What did these people look like? – fat, skinny, muscular, tall, short . . . and what roles did each play? And how does any of this reflect popular or contemporary ideas around race, class, and/or gender?
• What was the goal of the game? To kill all your enemies? To get the gold? To win the race? What obstacles did you have to overcome in order to move from level to level or to win the game? How might any of this reflect contemporary culture (our ideas about success, what it takes to win, the “American” story or ideal, etc.)? In what ways was the game NOT like life?
• In what ways was the game totally fantasy-like or had elements that were not at all realistic of modern society? Perhaps these elements were of a past that no longer exist. And if so, how might that reflect a particular set of ideas in today’s culture; and if so, what?

CHOICE TWO: free writing response to readings – discuss whatever most takes your attention within the readings, being sure you provide examples to support your thoughts.

Music Without Borders: The Bachata Roja Concert: Unsung Heroes, Rediscovered Icons/Mayra Andrade

Date: 6/26/2008
Time: 6:30 p.m. – until . . .

Millennium Park brings the best global sounds to Chicago for the critically-acclaimed Music Without Borders series, the City’s ongoing year-round celebration of international music.

Rediscover the early icons from the Dominican Republic who pioneered the romantic, guitar-driven ballads and dance rhythms of the Afro-Carribean beat – singers Ramon Cordero and El Chivo Sin Ley, guitar giant Edilio Paredes – and discover singer-guitarist Joan Soriano, an emerging bachatero star from today’s younger generation. Cape Verdean singer Mayra Andrade opens the night.

Music Without Borders is presented by a grant from the Governor’s International Arts Exchange program of the Illinois Arts Council.

• “Making Movie Magic” by bell hooks in The Crisis of Criticism (your course book) – pg. 133-146.

Rather than post questions for you to answer, I’d like for you each to respond to the reading by discussing whatever takes your attention within the article. What is your response to hook’s article? How do your own experiences either support or refute points she makes within her essay? Be sure that your response is well thought out and that you provide examples and/or explanations to support your response.

Also — I’d be really interested in hearing what you guys thought of the “Xenogenesis Suite: A Multi-Arts Exploration”

On Tuesday, we’ll have guest film director Kortney Ryan Ziegler and producer, Awilda Rodriguez Lora, screen their new film “Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen.” Please check out the links provided and familiarize yourself with the artists and their work.

Hi folks — I’m going to give you all until end of day Friday to EMAIL ME your first major review. Please send as a Microsoft Word doc (DO NOT write or paste your review into the email itself – as it’s impossible to write comments); also, be sure to double-space your review, have a unique title of your own, and put all the usual info in the upper left hand corner of the first page (as you would with any paper you turn in).

On Thursday, we’ll be going to the performance below. Since the show doesn’t start until 7:30 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m. (10 minutes after class end time), please meet me at 7:00 p.m. at 1014 South Michigan Avenue. DO NOT BE LATE or you may not be able to get into the event!

Nicole Mitchell’s “Xenogenesis Suite: A Multi-Arts Exploration”

Time of event: 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

Location: Columbia College Music Building, Concert Hall, 1014 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago

Description: “Xenogenesis Suite” is a multi-arts work inspired by the book Dawn by science fiction author Octavia Bulter. In addition to the musical performance, the event will feature a panel discussion and an art exhibition; it is designed to appeal to those interested in science fiction, music, experimental video, visual art, dance, and African-American culture. Features dance choreography by Margaret Morris, video by Floyd Webb, art works by Krista Franklin, and music by Nicole Mitchell and her Black Earth Ensemble. Commissioned by Chamber Music America’s New Works Creation and Presentation program, funded by the Doris Duke Foundation. Copresented by Columbia College Chicago’s Center for Black Music Research and the Department of Music and by Chicago Sinfonietta.

Meanwhile, continue working on your first review (re: any issue-oriented piece that you have chosen), which is due next Thursday. Please email me with any questions.

Below are links to the readings for Tuesday. You do not have to do a blog response for these readings, but please be prepared to discuss them in class. If you want (or need) extra credit, however, I will grade any blog responses to either or both of these readings.

• Cohen, Ted. “High and Low Art, and High and Low Audiences” (click on link, then enter your oasis number and password to access article).
• Cotter, Holland. “Beyond Multiculturalism, Freedom?”

Also, assignments follow: please do the response assignment below AND write a few sentences describing what you intend to review for the first major review assignment, the details of which can be found here. Please make sure these are posted by the beginning of Thurday’s class.

Reading/Viewing for Thursday’s class:

• Emlinger Roberts, Rebecca. (2005) The Stripper: Victim Art and the Art of Suffering, Antioch Review, Winter, Vol. 63 Issue 1, p23-39 (sign into library with your username and password to get access).

Questions for consideration:

1. Considering some of the points that Emlinger brings up in her article, where is the boundary line between what can be considered art, erotic art, and/or porn?
2. At what point, if any, does a particular piece of art move into “victim art”? Is there such a thing as victim art? Under what circumstances might someone become a victim under the auspice of art? Back up your discussion with textual evidence.
3. Emerlinger suggests at one point early on that it can be near impossible separating art from morality; what does she mean by that? And how does that play out in the context of this particular performance?
4. How does Emlinger represent the stripper in her article? As a pioneering transgressive artist? a victim? something in between? Do you think she would agree or disagree with Croce and why?
5. Reflecting upon Emlinger’s article, how might social context change the meaning of art? And must we know or understand a performance or art piece’s background, history, and other implications in order to appreciate it as art? How might we understand the stripper performance in Emlinger’s article before versus after she speaks to the dancer and learns of her HIV status?

Feel free to write about any other issue, concern, or interesting point that you noticed; just be sure to connect it to the readings.

Blog Response DUE by Tuesday, June 10th:

Reading Due:

• Croce, Arlene. “Introduction” and “Discussing the Undiscussable,” Crisis of Criticism.
• “Confronting Head on the Face of the Afflicted,” Crisis of Criticism.

You must address BOTH readings in your blog response. Your response must also be thoughtful and critical, not merely a restatement of what you read. Also, when you provide textual evidence (quotes or summarizations), be sure to explain HOW that quote or reference further illuminates the point you are trying to make. DO NOT let the quote speak for you!

• In Croce’s essay, she says that she has not seen Bill T. Jones’s “Still/Here” and doesn’t plan to review it. According to Croce, why will she not review the dance performance? What is your response?
• Croce brings up the term “victim art” within her (non)review of Jones’s dance performance. What exactly do you think Croce means by the term “victim art”? Do you agree or disagree with Croce’s term “victim art” and why?
• Croce’s essay brought on a slew of critical responses, some suggested that while Croce’s essay was understandably controversial, Croce also had some good arguments. What might those be? What did Croce argue about art and/or our ways of perceiving it that actually have logical merit?
• Discuss Oates response to Croce with a focus on the term “victim art.” Does Oates take primary offense at the use of the term “victim art” or Croce’s claim that such art is “beyond criticism”? Why? Explain your response and provide textual evidence (quotes, paraphrases and/or examples from the text) to back up your conclusion.
• In what ways are Oates’ arguments both convincing AND unconvincing? Where are the strengths in her arguments? Where are the flaws? Again, explain your response and provide textual evidence (quotes, paraphrases and/or examples from the text) to back up your conclusion.
• Oates utilizes multiple examples in an attempt to argue that history is full of art that points to painful and authentic experience, but we do not render it “beyond criticism” as did Croce with the Bill T. Jones’ dance. However, what is the primary (and perhaps the most significant) difference between Oates’ examples and the Bill T. Jones’ dance (not)reviewed by Croce?
• In Croce’s essay, she argues a certain point of view in regards to what she believes constitutes art or makes it valuable as art. In what ways does each author reflect (however explicit or subtle) one of the main arguments of either Bell, Tolstoy, Sontag or Winterson?

** Always, always back up your thoughts with some example, quote, or explanation.

(Sorry folks, but I’m really sick — so am canceling class). I emailed each of you to let you know, but wanted to post on blog too. For those of you who missed this and the email (and went to see it); if you write a paragraph about the exhibit, I’ll give you extra credit.

I’ll give you until Friday evening to do this blog response; though the new one will be going up for Tuesday. We’ll just have extra to talk about. Email me with any questions.

For Thursday’s class, please read/view the following and respond either to one of the questions below or something (some thread or idea) that took your attention that isn’t represented by the questions, and/or engages some previous view of art (i.e. Sontag, Bell, or Tolstoy) you want to discuss. It may seem like a lot to read/view, but each article is short and Winterson’s writing engaging, so it shouldn’t take you too long.

Please read/view the following:

• Art Objects | extract by Jeanette Winterson
• The Guardian | 2002 | What is art for? by Jeanette Winterson
• View: Jeanette on a thing called art.
• The Secret Life of Us by Jeanette Winterson.

Questions:

• According to Winterson, what makes art valuable? Must art carry a message? Must it demonstrate technical expertise? Or must it simply be aesthetically pleasing? How do we, as a society, typically place value on certain art items?
• According to Winterson, must art do something to be worthy of being called art? And if so, what must it do? Elaborate and explain your response.
• If Winterson had a conversation with Susan Sontag on art and interpretation, on what might they agree and/or disagree? Be sure to explain why.
• How does Winterson seem to view the relationship between art and its audience? Does art have a greater responsibility to its audience than the audience to art? And in what ways does this either directly contradict or support some of the authors we’ve read up to this point?
• When considering the value and/or significance of art, do you think a piece of art stands alone (or should stand alone)? Or do you think knowing something about the artist is important and/or necessary? What do our readings thus far suggest?
• Winterson suggests that art is not a luxury, but rather a need. How does she support this idea? Why, according to Winterson, do we need art?
• Discuss Winterson’s view of art as a commodity. Be sure to reference at least two of the readings/viewings.
• How does your view currently align with or contradict some of what Winterson argues?