Overview
Since the late 1960s, “self-sanctioned” outdoor graffiti has been on the cutting edge of contemporary mores—providing an integral outlet for psychological and social issues and, as Shepard Fairey’s 2008 HOPE campaign attests, trenchant political activism. What began as a heterodox antidote to the traditional art space, and creative avenue for those who might not have financial access to arts education, has, in the decades following, become lionized by the elite artworld. Through this course, we'll journey through the world of graffiti, its transmutation into street art, and migration from the fringes of the mainstream to its center.
This five-week lecture series charts the dynamic transformation of urban art--from its early iterations illicitly scribbled on Manhattan subway cars in the 1980s, to its expansion, proliferation, and controversial moments, through its presence in the museum and on the floors of the auction house.
Topics covered:
- History of Urban Art
- Ethical Slippages with Street Art
- Disruptions and Innovations in Street Art
- Street Art in Museums
- The Market for Street Art
Learning Outcomes:
- Participants understand the nuanced differences between graffiti culture, street art, and public art practice
- Participants develop the awareness of, and aesthetic sensitivity to, urban art, forging the ability to discuss the various types of urban art—such as murals, stencils, wheatpastes and tags—with fluency
- Participants can examine how urban art contributes to, and is both an extension and disruption of, in the mainstream artworld
- Participants gain insight into topical urban art controversies
Academic Profile
Lizy Dastin is an art history instructor at Santa Monica College and UCLAx with a specialty in contemporary public art and urban practice. She has previously taught at Chapman University, Mercy College, the School of Visual Arts and the American Jewish University and has facilitated public art related programs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the International Center of Photography. Lizy is the founder of Art and Seeking, an interview and digital lecture platform that bridges the gap between the mainstream artworld to the unorthodox world of street art, and co-hosts a popular art and art history podcast called Art Attack with urban icon, Justin BUA.
Any Questions?
Click here to send us an email if you have a question regarding the course
Image Credit:
Artist:Jean-Michel Basquiat
Artwork:Untitled (Black Devil Head)
