ART 317 - Museum History and Theory

This course will consider the history and theory of museums and collecting. Public institutions for the display and viewing of artworks and other cultural objects, which we now call museums, developed in Europe in the 18^th century in the context of revolution and imperialism. Museums are, therefore, distinctly modern and western institutions that served specific political functions which continue to play a profoundly important role in museum practices today. During the first part of the semester, we will study the history and development of large-scale object collecting, from Medieval treasuries filled with saints’ bones and other relics housed in precious jewel-encrusted gold containers; to early modern cabinets of curiosities that placed animal carcasses side-by-side with ancient Roman coins, unicorn horns, Renaissance paintings, and Mexica feather headdresses; before discussing how the modern public museum came into being with a primary objective of decontextualizing cultural artifacts in order to serve as tools of burgeoning nationalism in Europe. We will conclude the first part of the semester by studying how museums today continue to reflect and uphold the values that led to their creation in the 18^th century. The second part of the semester will be devoted to studying museum design and curation, and the impact that they have on the presentation and consumption of culture and history. Finally, we will consider de-colonizing practices in museums through a series of case studies.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group I
Prerequisite(s): ART 201
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Understand how arguments can be made, visions presented, or feelings or ideas conveyed through language or other modes of expression (symbols, movement, images, sounds, etc.).
Analyze and interpret texts, whether literary or philosophical, in English or a non-English language, or works of the visual or performing arts.
Evaluate arguments made in or about texts (whether literary or philosophical, in English or a non-English language, or works of the visual or performing arts).