URBS 385 - Seminar in American Art

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

(Same as ART 385) Topic for 2020/21a: American Visual/Material Culture in World’s Fairs & International Expositions. From the mid-nineteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries, world’s fairs and international expositions played a central role in facilitating the emergence of mass visual culture and shaping developments in the fine arts, architecture, and urban design. Millions of visitors attended these vast global spectacles, wandering through the elaborate but temporary geographies erected on fair grounds to view public works of art and architecture, anthropological displays, popular entertainments, and juried shows of the latest cultural, scientific, and technological advancements. In Europe and the United States, the heyday of these fairs coincided with—and materialized—a new phase of national consolidation and colonial expansion. This interdisciplinary seminar focuses on the art, architecture, and display cultures of world’s fairs in Europe and the U.S. between 1850 and 1940, specifically examining American presentations, encounters, and experiences. The course critically analyzes the exhibition itself as a medium, focusing on themes such as constructions of nation, race, and difference; technology and modernization; consumption and consumerism. Emily Voelker.

Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.

One 2-hour period.

Course Format: CLS

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