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Visualizing Women's Work: Using Art Media for Social Justice
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 16 hours
  • Course by University of Michigan
  • Offered by

About

Discover the historical erasure of women’s work through social justice art Public art has often ignored the work and legacy of minorities and women, but recently there has been a welcome reappraisal of publicly displayed visual monuments and art media. This course dives into the artistic process, exploring how art has the power to address issues of social justice and gender equality and answer historic injustices. Critique art history through the lens of gender You’ll begin the course by evaluating public monuments in terms of form, content, and context, undertaking a critical analysis of art through a social justice lens. With a focus on both the local and global picture, you’ll address the historical erasure of women’s work – compensated and uncompensated – learning about the role of gender bias in historical public art. Examine the creative process and creative research The course will also give you a foundation in visual literacy and interpretation, as you explore the artistic process and creative practice as a form of research. You’ll then learn how to develop your own media-based or literary projects that respond to gender bias in public commemoration. Examine real-world examples of social justice art projects On the final sections of the course, you’ll identify and interpret existing art-based social justice projects in a variety of media, including site-specific work and web-based initiatives. Learning alongside world-renowned visual and performance artist Melanie Manos, you’ll come away armed with creative and provocative ways to counter historical erasure in public art.

Modules

Welcome

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
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1 Discussions

  • Introduce Yourself!

1 Videos

  • Welcome

2 Readings

  • Syllabus and Course Policies
  • Pre-course Survey

Foundational Concepts of Visual Literacy

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 2 Discussion
    • 1 ExternalTool
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Form, Content, and Context

1 External Tool

  • Share an image of the art you’ve described

2 Discussions

  • Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue
  • Describe the form, content, and context of selected art

1 Videos

  • Form, Content, Context

1 Readings

  • Additional Resources

Mixed Media: Art in Many Forms

    • 3 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 ExternalTool
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Art Genres Bingo

1 External Tool

  • Share Your Paper Art

3 Videos

  • Many Forms of Art
  • Many Forms of Art: New Genres
  • Paper Art

1 Readings

  • Additional Resources

Artists Motivations

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 ExternalTool
Show info about module content

1 External Tool

  • Can you define it?

1 Discussions

  • Artists Reveal their Why

1 Videos

  • Artists Motivations: Kara Walker

2 Readings

  • Walker selected Works
  • Coming Attractions!

Social Justice-based Art: What does it look like?

    • 2 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
Show info about module content

1 Discussions

  • Which example resonates with you?

2 Videos

  • Visibility: Using Art to Raise Public Consciousness
  • Making Visible: Performance Art and Social Justice

3 Readings

  • Additional Resources
  • Community Engagement and Socially Engaged Art
  • View Melanie Manos's Work

The Role of Research in Art Practice

    • 2 Videos
    • 2 Readings
    • 3 Discussion
    • 1 ExternalTool
Show info about module content

1 External Tool

  • Your Reimagined Activity

3 Discussions

  • Research and You
  • Role of Research in Creative Practice
  • Materials Research

2 Videos

  • Creative Practice as a Form of Research: Melanie Manos
  • Materials Research Activity

2 Readings

  • Research to Inform Creative Work: Corral & Chan
  • Materials Based Research: Olafur Eliasson

Public Visual Culture and Public Historical Culture

    • 2 Videos
    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 ExternalTool
Show info about module content

1 External Tool

  • Public and Historical Visual Culture in your Region

1 Discussions

  • Styles of Regional Public Historical Monuments

2 Videos

  • Defining Public Visual Culture and Public Historical Culture
  • Critical Assessment of Public and Historical Visual Culture

2 Readings

  • Eras and Styles of Historic Monuments
  • Coming Attractions!

Artists’ and Activists’ Respond to Gender Bias

    • 3 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 3 Discussion
Show info about module content

3 Discussions

  • Guerrilla Girls’ Motivation?
  • Engaging with Community
  • Does the Venue Matter?

3 Videos

  • Humor and Activism: Guerrilla Girls
  • Participatory Art: Suzanne Lacy
  • Lens-based Activism: Shirin Neshat

3 Readings

  • Guerrilla Girls
  • More on Suzanne Lacy
  • More on Shirin Neshat

Gender Bias in Public Visual and Historical Culture

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
Show info about module content

1 Discussions

  • The Absence or Presence of Women

1 Videos

  • Guy in the Sky - Look up! It's a Bird, a Plane, a Monument of a Man!

1 Readings

  • More Historic Monuments

Gender Bias in Different Cultures

    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
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1 Discussions

  • Gender Bias in your Region

2 Readings

  • Confronting Patriarchal Tradition: Rokudenashiko
  • Coming Attractions!

Visualizing Women's Work: Process and Research

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 3 Discussion
Show info about module content

3 Discussions

  • What are the untold stories?
  • Attention Catching Brand
  • The Visual Language of a Significant Woman in your Life

2 Videos

  • Giving Visibility to Women's Contributions
  • Creative Visual Identity: Jay Campbell

1 Readings

  • More on Giving Visibility to Women's Contributions

Defining Terms, Refining Goals of a Project

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
Show info about module content

1 Discussions

  • Re-evaluating Assumptions

1 Videos

  • Historical Research and Creative Expression: Kilala Ichie-Vincent

2 Readings

  • Division of Labor by Gender and the Devaluation of Domestic Work
  • Womankind and UNWomen

New Forms of Monuments

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 ExternalTool
Show info about module content

1 External Tool

  • Making Visible the Women in Your Life

1 Discussions

  • Reconsidering Memorial, Commemorate, and Monument

1 Videos

  • Using Sculpture to Heighten the Experiential

2 Readings

  • Redefining the Form of Commemorative Monuments
  • How to Celebrate a Significant Woman in your Life?

Course Conclusion

    • 1 Videos
    • 4 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Videos

  • Course Conclusion

4 Readings

  • HerViewInternational
  • Visualizing Women's Work Project
  • Course Survey
  • Course Copyright and Attributions

Auto Summary

Explore the power of art to address social justice and gender equality in "Visualizing Women's Work: Using Art Media for Social Justice." Guided by renowned artist Melanie Manos, this foundational course in Arts & Humanities delves into the historical erasure of women's contributions in public art. Over 960 minutes, learners will critique art history, examine creative processes, and develop their own projects. Available on Coursera with Starter and Professional subscription options, this course is ideal for those passionate about social justice and art.

Melanie Manos
Instructor

Melanie Manos