Fall 2004
Clare Rossini
Mikhail Bakhtin said that “art arranges for understanding and communication among us powerful enough to cancel the gaps of loneliness that divide us, and beguiling enough to bind us in social harmonies.”
from The Hunter Gracchus by
Guy Davenport
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Welcome, all of you, to IArts 201 and to the Broad Street Arts Collective! Our focus this fall will be to study how the arts and artists reflect and shape their neighborhoods and communities. More specifically, as the members of a new and ongoing student artists organization, the BSAC, you will experience first-hand how art can connect us to our Trinity neighborhood and those who live, work, study, and play in it. The success of the BSAC this semester will be grounded in your passion, your commitment, your creative spirit, and your willingness to work hard.
No doubt you have never taken a course that enrolls you automatically in an arts organization. I have never taught such a class, either, and I anticipate some bumps along the way. But they will be interesting bumps, I’m sure!
Throughout the semester, we will be balancing theoretical work—the more typically “academic” business of the class, i.e., readings, discussions, assignments—with what philosophers call praxis, the actual experience-oriented aspects of the course. Let me summarize what will be involved in these two aspects of the course, with the caveat that the course, by its very design, must be a creative work-in-progress.
Theory
Reading and discussing relevant articles. Handouts will be distributed in class.
Writing three or four papers (each roughly 4-5 pages in length each).
Attending 3-4 arts events.
Meeting with artists, both those who live in the Broad Street neighborhoods and those who teach at Trinity or are visiting campus. Although I expect our discussions with these artists will be broad in nature, we will ask them to reflect on the role art plays in a community, and how their community (however they define it) affects their art-making.
Praxis
Developing a symbol or logo for BSAC, for use on a t-shirt and stationary.
Taking notes on BSAC meetings (see syllabus), which will be summarized in class and then filed in our archives, to be read by future members of BSAC.
Developing a BSAC web-site, time permitting.
Working with children at the Learning Corridor Montessori School during five of our Thursday classes.
Designing and producing BSAC’s first event, a celebration of neighborhood artists and art. This event will be scheduled for late in this semester or early in the next. We will create plan the event, create and distribute publicity to ensure that both Trinity and neighborhood folks know about it, do the set-up for the event, staff it, and clean up afterwards. Our own celebration will follow (dinner?).
COURSE GOALS
For you as a student: through both theory and practice, to provide you with a deeper understanding of the role art and artists play in their communities, and vice-versa.
For us as members of the Trinity community: through art, to deepen and broaden our connection to the neighborhood in which we work and study.
For you, both personally and as a world citizen: to help you to better understand the role art might play in your own life.
EVALUATION
Your final evaluation will be calculated as follows:
*Papers and final project or report will count roughly ten percent of your final grade each.
*Attendance, including class meetings in AAC and at Montessori school, arts events, planning and set-up for final class project: roughly thirty percent of your final grade.
*Participation: thirty percent of your final grade.
Note that I made need to add one or two additional projects to the course.
CLASS PROTOCOL
Please sit in a different place each time you come to class. When we are having a discussion, I ask that you not offer a second comment until everyone in the group has spoken once.
FINDING CLARE
My office is located at the north end of the Trinity universe. Please do not let the remote location of my office (at 70 Vernon Street, Room C-6) deter you from talking to me AT ANY TIME about ANY ISSUE which concerns you. Call or e-mail to make an appointment. I’m at x2360; home is 233-2168.
*This person will take notes on the main points of our discussion and bring to the next class period, typed, and hand in to Clare. Every person in the class will be asked to take on this task at least once during the semester.
Upcoming class outings:
“Shoot the Messenger,” performance piece by Jeffry Walker; (probable date—Sept. 24); “Secrets,” October 14th at Charter Oak Cultural Center, theater/dance piece by Judy Dworin Performance Ensemble.
ASSIGNMENTS, PAPERS AND PROJECTS
A First Day of Class Questionnaire
ART & COMMUNITY: Activities
Sept. 7 Introduction.
BSAC business: dates for BSAC exhibition and events at Broad
Street Gallery;
Sept. 9 Broad Street tour with Professor Andrew Walsh.
(Meet at front door of AAC promptly at 11:20.)
Sept. 14 Discussion of tour and handouts. First paper due.
Sept. 16 BSAC meeting. Come with your date-books. Note-taker:*
Sept. 21 Alvin Carter, neighborhood musician. Meet on AAC steps to be transported in van.
Sept. 23 Discussion with Frank Kirkpatrick, Dean of the College, regarding theories about the meaning of the word “community.” Evening: dinner followed by travel to Jeffry Walker’s “Shoot the Messenger.”
Sept. 24 Paper topic to be e-mailed.
Sept. 26 1 p.m. brunch with new InterArtists.
Sept. 28 Meet on front steps of AAC to walk to studio of Belinda James.
Sept. 30 Discussion; paper due.
October 5 meet in library cafe. 11:40-12 noon, BSAC meeting 12 noon-12:35, Jeffry Walker, guest
October 7 Paper #2 due. Discussion based on papers. Continuation of BSAC meeting.
October 12: Trinity Days, no class.
October 14: Meet with members of Salt Chocolate group OR visit neighborhood artist.
Evening: Judy Dworin Performance Ensemble at Charter Oak; board buses around 6:30 p.m.
Evening: bus will depart at 6 p.m. for Charter Oak Cultural Center for reception and performance of “Secrets” by Judy Dworin Performance Ensemble. (Group dinner before?)
October 19: Kathy Gersten from JDPE will speak to us about their piece.
October 21: First class with Montessori children. Meet at Broad St. gate (by athletic building) at 11:20, and we’ll walk over together.
October 26: Verandah Porche comes to class.
October 28 Montessori school
Nov. 2 VOTE!
Meet in Broad Street Gallery by 11:25
Nov. 4 Montessori school
Material for Gallery Guide due
Nov. 4-5 Layout of Gallery Guide.
Nov. 9 Meet in library café. Paper-in-progress due. Mini-paper due.
Nov. 11 Clare out of town (through Monday) on TCCTR business. Montessori school closed for Veterans Day. Use extra time to work on exhibition-related projects and duties!
Nov. 16 Meet in gallery during class time. Final plans for neighborhood arts celebration
Nov. 18 Meet at Montessori school to walk kids over to gallery and view show.
Nov. 19th Probable date of opening reception
Nov. 20th Gallery open 1-4
Nov. 23 BSAC meeting, meet in Library Café.
Nov. 25 Thanksgiving Recess, no class.
Nov. 30 Verandah Porche, visiting poet/artist.
Dec. 2
Dec. 7
Dec. 9
Dec. 15-21: Final exams.