Course Overview

This course is tailored toward investigating and practicing the autobiographical and autoethnographic skills necessary for completing art-based research tasks such as MAE theses, projects and exhibitions and other Master and PhD writing. That essentially means that we will rely heavily on our stories/autobiographies as a means to reflect (reflecting about autobiography is an autoethnographic method) about who I am, what I am interested in, what I am doing, and what I am trying to accomplish in my art and/or writing or in my teaching. This will be our primary task this semester; to begin to describe (autobiography) and possibly reflect/assess (autoethnography) the kinds of art or other research I am interested in creating, why I am, and where it may lead.

We will assume that art is research. (The following books thoroughly investigate that art is research: Leavy, P. (2009). Method meets art: Arts-based research practice. New York: The Guilford Press; Park, C. C. (2010). Creating with reverence: Art, diversity, culture and soul. Tucson, AZ: Sotol Books; and Schneider, A. & Wright, C. (Eds.). (2010). Between art and anthropology: Contemporary ethnographic practice. New York: Berg.) We will be looking at some diverse histories of how artists have created methodological innovations in art and the impact on us as artists and community members. Many of these methods come from non-mainstream places. We will read about visual artists and other artists who are using art as research tools to explore personal, social, political, and community issues. Through these artists, hopefully we can see ourselves in their stories; see our art as relevant; and see our schools, students and communities as part of a broader visual, environmental, and global picture. 

Our first book, is a theory/history book, Linda Weintraub’s (2012) To Life! Art in Pursuit of a Sustainable Planet that documents the beginning of the art eco movement, representing multiple artists developing/utilizing different methods to create art. These contemporary methods include but are not limited to: bio art, performance art, digital, installation, public, social practice, design—all contemporary methods of making research/art. Because of our direct links to West Texas and the Hill Country, and our own communities, I am hoping this text will create an excitement for us; a willingness to look beyond the traditional ways we have been taught to think about art as research; what art is, what counts and what doesn’t. We will be perusing sustainable approaches/methods that artists have developed; looking at contemporary methods of making art: digital, performance, social practice, etc. One question for many of us if a practicing teacher might be what are the pedagogical implications for such art practices for our classrooms? Much of the book is a compendium describing the practices of contemporary practicing artists. The digital version has lesson plans and many resources that can complement our classroom practices. Our second book is Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction. It is an anthology of contemporary women visual and performing artists across visual and performing arts disciplines, examining how their art is informed by their personal lived experiences and contemporary social issues. I use this book to show us how nuance of lived experiences not only informs who we are or might be, but informs us making art. It also shows us how to invite our lives into our own writing and art. Chapadjiev closely examines many critical connections between creativity and self-destruction in many women artists’ lives. Our third book is Roads to Junction: Making Art, Teaching Art. It's a compilation of former MAE student art and research. 

Much of this course will be spent on reading, posting on our blog, and responding to ideas and possibilities in our own research; or at the very least begin to think about areas that interest us; places to begin. Finally, since this is a research course, we will practice using APA Style Manual for our writing. Your writing samples can be in APA Style in text and references. If you go to: http://www.bibme.org/citation-guide/apa/ It will give you guidelines to follow without purchasing the APA Style Manual book. It will show you how to cite a book and other sources in APA Style. Please note that we will be posting and writing in our semester projects, but you will not be writing formal research papers. Abstracts and title pages will not be necessary. 

Welcome to Our 5363 Blog

First off, welcome to the 5363 blog. Just so you know, only class members are permitted to blog. This is a private blog and no one else will be reading your comments but your classmates and me.

Here is how things will work. Each week begins on a Thursday and finishes the following Wednesday at midnight. But, you will always have until the following Friday to post for that week. That way, you will have nine days to post each week. But keep in mind that means we, as class members, must look at each week until Friday. I am asking that you post a minimum of four times per week--so we can develop a virtual dialog between ourselves. That means blogging a few times per week. Not all at once in a row. I will go through each week and read all of the comments (as I require you too) and note how many times you comment/post. That's just a technical thing on my part, so I can see who is participating.

Keep in mind that you will need to look on our blog more than one time per week. If you are an early blogger with your posts, wait a day or two to respond to other comments. It may take a while for people to respond. For those who respond later in the week on a Tuesday or Wednesday, I still expect everybody to read the entire week of posts—even if that means going back to read them. If you miss a week, do not post in the past week. Post your comments for the previous week in the current week. Just let us know you are doing that.

You need to read the syllabus for more information and then look to Week One for reading assignments and any other information and to begin posting. Usually, I will have some comments, questions, or thoughts to begin a discussion for a week. Sometimes I may not. Those are merely to begin a discussion. My comments do not determine the discussion. They are mere prompts to create a discussion. My perspective is but one of many. It does not rule.

Within a few weeks, I will further explain a project I'd like you to do this semester. You can read about it in the syllabus. I require that you write in first person. That is unfamiliar to many/some people. But, when you write about your art or a project you are involved in in your capstones (if you are MAE students) of other Masters or PhD writing, you will need to write from your own perspective and life and professional experiences. Let me demonstrate: “I feel that…,” “I believe that…,” “My experiences have been…,” I am hoping that you will blend in your personal, professional, community, and other aspects of your life experiences in your comments/posts.

The books we are using, I hope, will be interesting to you. This semester, we will assume that making art is research and go from there. We will look to artists as cultural workers and our mentors. And because of our West Texas and Hill Country affiliations and connections and my own love of nature, we are using the Weintraub book—that focuses on contemporary theories/methods in making art; and it uses the environment, something I take for granted far too much, as a template. I am excited to read the book. The second book is: Live Through This. It is a very personal look at the aspects of creativity and self destruction in the lives of contemporary women artists. Our last book is Roads to Junction: Making Art, Teaching Art. It is a study and celebration of MAE research over the years. I know you will enjoy reading about the art, projects and theses of former MAE students. 

A word about reading books: For many of you, these books will be a first read. I have read all of these books many times now. There is only so much I/we can take in from a book with one read. We/you/I may read it from a personal perspective, political, environmental, social, gendered, etc.—there are many ways to engage in a book. I am asking that you look at it from a personal, professional, artistic and/or community perspectives. Feel free to engage yourself in our conversations. Ask questions. Make mistakes. Think beyond. Agree with books. Challenge them.

Each week, I'll try to have a few comments posted to get us started on our readings. Please feel free to bring in movies, books, articles, talks, exhibitions, websites, other artists, cultural interventions, work experiences, and anything else you feel is pertinent to our class. I am hoping we will develop a personal and intimate dialogue on this blog.

Please review all of the tabs and then proceed to Week One: Introductions, where there will be short directions on what to do. Welcome again to Art 5363. Feel free to email me any questions or concerns you may have. If you miss a week, just make up your blog postings in the current week. Always make them up. (Do not make them up in the past week.) Many of you are teachers and things happen. No need to apologize on here. Just get your posts in even if they are late. Never a penalty. Please do not fall more than two weeks behind. Even if two weeks worth, post in current week.

Please always use "I" language. It will make your posts even more powerful. Feel free to ask questions in your posts. We may not have the answers. Feel free to recommend books or readings or films or exhibitions that relate to our talks/posts. And please read everybody's posts. That will mean you will probably have to catch-up on Wednesday morning/evening for a few later posts. And feel free to carry discussions forward from one week to the next. And, one last comment about posting on the blog. Starting our second week, post once or twice initial comments about the readings. Then, wait a bit, read some of the other posts and post two more times. That way we get a better discussion. Try not to post four times in a row. I understand that means that you might have to go back in another day to see what people have posted. But that’s the nature of a non-synchronous course like this. Generally, people post toward the end of the weekend and Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ll get into a groove that hopefully will work for most of us in the class.

Also, keep in mind that I have made all of us authors, meaning that you can add video and pictures as I can. It’s much easier to do that as an author than a reader. There is a 300K limit on image size. 

Welcome again. Ed Check