AFRICAN, NATIVE AMERICAN & OCEANIC ART (ART 1550) Instructor: Jean M. Borgatti, PhD (www.clarku.edu/~jborgatt) Email: jborgatti@gmail.com Home: 508 793-9695 Mobile: 508 615-4593

TEXTBOOKS Philippe Peltier, Shadows of New Guinea (readings posted on Wiki) Aldona Jonaitis, Northwest Coast Indian Art Babatunde Lawal, Visions: Yoruba

COURSE OBJECTIVES 1) To help students understand the arts of selected African, Native American, and Oceanic peoples over time and in their social and cultural contexts. 2) To familiarize students with the general formal characteristics and concepts of the canonical arts of the Yoruba of SW Nigeria--the example from Africa, in America of the art of the Northwest Coast, and in Oceania of three cultures in New Guinea-- Highland, Abelam and Asmat. 3) To heighten students' awareness of art production outside their own Western tradition 4) To encourage appreciation for the cultural values of both "applied arts" (masks, architecture, ritual costumes) and "fine arts." 5) To familiarize students with art historical research methods, bibliographic material, and current technologies of communicating research (word processing, power point, and web2 tools) 6) To encourage students to develop critical thinking about works of art, and to express their ideas through writing about art COURSE CONTENT Course consists of a series of slide lectures and discussions that will focus in Africa on the art of the Yoruba of SW Nigeria, in America on the art of the Northwest Coast, and in Oceania on three cultures in New Guinea--Highland, Abelam and Asmat. The case study approach facilitates understanding art in social context. The comparative (across culture areas) facilitates the recognition of the particular logic of each culture's aesthetic, or 'rules' for art-making and appreciation.

REQUIREMENTS (1) Check your email and Blogs. (14%) (3) One web assignment (6%)- finding and comparing two websites that deal with African (must include Yoruba), Oceanic (must include New Guinea, or Native American Art (must include NWC) – one an ‘academic’ or ‘non-profit, i.e. museum, site’ – the second a commercial site. Suggested questions - What is the intellectual content in each site? What is the aesthetic quality of the visual images? Explain why you think they are good (or not). What is the variety presented in terms of target geographic areas, ethnic groups, materials, functions? Can you suggest a 'quick and dirty' way to evaluate a site? Post your results and reasoning on your blog page. (4) 1-2 page Reflection paper on First Contact – (6%) prep for class discussion. (5) Three slide/concept quizzes, one on each section of the course based on posted

images/information (or comparable ‘types’) (15% each) (5) Final project done as a powerpoint presentation based on 8-10 page paper and 3 mini-reports. The project will be based on a based on a theme (such as mother and child, animal metaphors, birds, musical instruments, weapons and war, movement and transport, imaginary creatures, healing, death, personifying the spirits, imaging the ancestors, picturing people, depicting the 'other,' or you can come up with one of your own), and be based on three basic images, one from each culture area, that will be explained and put into context. Mini-Presentations will be posted on your blog at the close of study for each area – and incorporated into the final project during the last class. Students are encouraged to raise constructive questions during the preparation process and to comment on the final powerpoints once posted. You are charged with finding pictures in books for scanning as well as on the web. Documenting your sources for both images and information is critical. (30%) EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES: A visit an appropriate Central Massachusetts or Boston area museum accompanied by a short report; if you are a studio major: draw an appropriate work from 'life' at a local museum or do a creative work based on an idea or image from the class; bring in an article on a course appropriate event or exhibition.. EVALUATION: Assignments, quizzes, project, attendance, and class participation.

FINAL PROJECT GUIDELINES: Final comparative paper and project done as powerpoint presentation–describled above. Steps: (1) Define theme and develop introduction (2) select object for area 1 (3) Describe Location & environment for image, include map and photograph (4). Address meaning of object – include an image of the object in context, comparative works from the same culture, and the cultural background of the people. Steps 2-4 will be repeated for each culture area. Introduction will be developed from theme statement as well as a conclusion for the presentation. See connections across cultures on website for examples done as webpages. RESEARCH STRATEGIES: Consult your text books and other books on reservefor basic information and images. Go On-Line: To Library Catalogues and search on ethnic group name as appropriate (Yoruba, Asmat, Highland New Guinea, Abelam, Northwest Coast [Kwakwakawak or Kwakiutl, Tlingit and other tribal names]). Google the same names (often books and articles will turn up--and you can take the information and see if local libraries have the books or if Clark has access to those journals through J-Stor, E-Library, Academic Search Premier data bases). Put the names into Amazon.com. Again, this is to get names which you locate in local libraries. Wikipedia is also a place to start -- but you must check all information because it is not guaranteed correct! Do not use it as a source. For images -- ArtStor and Google Images -- as well as images in books . Images in books can be scanned. If in doubt, ask a librarian, ask me.

Students with Disabilities: Clark is committed to providing equal access to the educational experience for all students in compliance with Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act and The Americans with Disabilities Act and to providing all reasonable academic accommodations, aids and adjustments. Any student who has a documented disability requiring an accommodation, aid, or adjustment should speak with the instructor immediately. Students with Disabilities who have not previously done so should provide documentation to and schedule an appointment with the Office for Students with Disabilities and obtain appropriate services.

WEEK1 Sept.6: Introduction and Overview

Is Art Natural? How do we understand art? Who are you? A Consideration of Ethnocentrism and Understanding Other Cultures Video: First Contact Reading:Bohannon: Shakespeare in the Bush/Hamlet in West Africa WEEK2 Sept. 13: From Curiosity Cabinet to Museum—A

History of Western Contact with Art and Artifact from Africa, North America and Oceania Susan Vogel, "Introduction" in Art/Artifact (book on reserve and link posted on-line) Richard Anderson, Calliope’s Sisters, Intro, pp.1-5, and pp. 199-220 "Western Aesthetics” (photocopy on reserve and link posted on-line) Text: Aldona Jonaitis: pp.35-56 (book on reserve) For additional plates and information: Rubin, Primitivism in 20th CenturyArt, 2 Vols. (MOMA) (books on reserve) Film: Onka’s Big Moka (IF THERE IS TIME)

Oceania: New Guinea WEEK3 Sept. 20: Art and Culture of the New Guinea Highlands Shadows, pp.13-29, 234-247, 296-321 WEEK4 Sept. 27: New Guinea – Abelam and Asmat Shadows, pp. 70-87 Shadows, pp. 260-277,378-390 Video: Cannibal Craftsmen of New Guinea

WEEK5 Oct. 4: QUIZ ON NON-WESTERN ART/NEW GUINEA CONCEPTS/SLIDES North America: Northwest Coast The Northwest Coast – Land, People, Art / Film (Land of the War Canoes) Reading: Jonaitis, 1-34: Creating a Great Art Tradition WEEK 6 Oct. 11: The Northwest Coast Artist and his Design System, Motifs

and Meanings Hilary Stewart: Looking at Indian Art of the NWC, pp. 19-89 OR Cheryl Shearer: Understanding NWC Art : a guide to crests, beings, and symbols Art/Life – Crests (Masks, Houses, Poles) and Shamans (Healing and Initiation) Jonaitis, pp 89-169, pp. 35-88

WEEK7 Oct. 18: Roots of NWC Art and Continuing Traditions Video: Archaeology – Ozette (On Reserve at the Library) Jonaitis, pp. 189-313 Suggested: Webster, "The Contemporary Potlatch" in Chiefly Feasts, pp. 227-248 (links on-line) and Blackmun et al., Northwest Coast Graphic Art (Book on Reserve) WEEK 8 Oct. 25: QUIZ ON NWC CONCEPTS/SLIDES T Begin: Africa: Yoruba of SW Nigeria Yoruba World, Artist and Aesthetics; The River That Never Rests Babatunde Lawal, pp. 7-28; Drewal/Pemberton/Abiodun, 13-42 Suggested: Yoruba Aesthetics (on Wiki) WEEK 9 Nov. 1: Yoruba Iconography: Sculpture Types and Characteristic Motifs Masquerades for Ancestors-Mothers-Leaders Reading: Babatunde Lawal: 29-66 Margaret Drewal: Projections from the top of the head in Yoruba Sculpture Suggested for additional plates and information, Drewal/Pemberton/Abiodun:117-188 (Book on Reserve) WEEKS10-11 Nov.8-15: Roots and Context of Yoruba Art: Nok, Ife, Esie, Benin, Igbo Ukwu Reading: Visona et al. A History of Art in Africa, pp. 228-238, 273-286. Suggested for additional plates and information: Drewal/Pemberton/Abiodun: 45-89, Eyo & Willett: Treasures of Ancient Nigeria, 3-48. (Books on Reserve) WEEK 12 Nov.29: Diaspora and Contemporary Trends in Yoruba Art Film: Film -- Modern Nigerian Art Reading: Babatunde Lawal: 94-102; Get on your magic carpet again, and visit Take a magic carpet to the Smithsonian and carefully attend virtual exhibits: Oshogbo Art from the 1960s and Poetics of Line (Links posted on-line) Yinka Shonibare at http://www.yinka-shonibare.co.uk/yinka-shonibare-home.html and hear about him as well as hear him speak at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WypxE_c6FS0 WEEK13 Dec.6: CLASS PRESENTATIONS Week 14 Dec.13: CLASS PRESENTATIONS QUIZ ON YORUBA CONCEPTS/SLIDES