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SAVC 141 Art History I: Pyramids to Cathedrals
10 a.m. – 10:50 a.m., MWF
Dr. Chad Dawkins

This foundational course examines the art and architecture of the ancient world, focusing on Egypt, the Near East, and the Classical Greek and Roman world and Europe from about 2000 BCE to CE 1400. It also studies African and Asian art traditions that emerged during that period.

SAVC 142 Art History II: Renaissance to Contemporary
9 a.m. – 9:50 a.m., MWF
Dr. Abayomi Ola

This foundational course explores the history of the visual arts from the fourteenth century to the twentieth century (from the Medieval period to the Modern era). Students are taught about works of art in the social, political, religious, and philosophical realms as well as in the very personal contexts that gave these objects meaning for their original audiences.

SAVC 230 Global Foundations of Modern Art
11 a.m. – 11:50 a.m., MWF
Dr. Abayomi Ola

This course begins with the premise that the history of European and American modern art, which arose out of seventeenth century Enlightenment ideals, is incomplete without an examination of the African, Oceanic, Indigenous and other global influences that prompted the Impressionists to emulate Japanese woodblock prints and catalyzed Picasso and Braque’s exploration of Cubism in the early twentieth century.

SAVC 238 Art as Social Justice
3 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., W
Dr. Cheryl Finley

This course examines the central role that art and artists have played in the history of African American and African Diaspora social justice movements. Juxtaposing foundational theoretical texts by Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. DuBois, Angela Davis, Kwame Toure and Bryan Stevenson with archival sources and works of material culture, art, spoken word and film, students learn how art has been a catalyst for social justice.

African American Art
9:25 a.m. – 10:40 am., TR
Julia Elizabeth Neal

This survey examines multiple forms of visual art production by African Americans from 1619 to the present. It begins with an overview of the Middle Passage and slavery in relation to African American traditions in the decorative arts, architecture and archaeology through the end of the eighteenth century. Nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first century topics demonstrate how printmaking, photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, installation and time-based media engage both art historical movements and historical trajectories of freedom, civil rights and social change.

The Black Female Body in Visual Arts
1p.m. – 2:15 p.m., TR
Julia Elizabeth Neal

This lecture focuses on the history and discourses of the black female body as a figure of representation, sexuality, resistance, agency and identity in American visual culture. Organized thematically, with examples drawn from painting, sculpture, photography, film, popular culture and mixed media installations from the antebellum era to present day. ​

Introduction to Pacific Art
1p.m.-2:15p.m., MW
Dr. Bernida Webb-Binder

This introductory level course surveys the arts of Africa, from ancient times to today, highlighting the art of ancient African cities and kingdoms to the art of African liberation movement and urban centers. Students are introduced to the work of internationally acclaimed contemporary artists, who have emerged from colonial and postcolonial African contexts since the 1950s, to consider how colonialism, political independence, Pan-Africanism and other socio-political forces shape the artistic practices of artists of Africa and its Diaspora.

Satire in African and African Diaspora Arts
1 p.m. – 1:50 p.m., MWF
Dr. Abayomi Ola

Explores manifestations of satires in the visual arts of Africa and its Diasporas. Topics to be examined include: satires that subvert gender, racial or sexuality bias; satires that challenge hierarchies of artistic representation; and satires that address local, national or global environmental concerns.

Art History Thesis
3 p.m. – 5:40 p.m., M
Dr. Bernida Webb-Binder

The Art History Thesis is required for all Spelman College graduating seniors and is intended to serve as a “capstone” experience. This course gives students an opportunity to conduct supervised research and adapt to the rigors of study in the field of art history. Students should complete all of their major core requirements before enrolling in this course. The student and professor devise a meeting and writing schedule culminating in a written presentation of an art history research thesis.

Directed Studies – Art History
Dr. Cheryl Finley

TBA

Entering the Art World: Culture and Context
11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. R
TBD

Entering the Art World: Culture and Context provides a basic introduction to the topics and individuals that shape and inform curatorial practice. Through roundtable discussions, structured classroom exercises, field trips, and workshops with a variety of arts professionals, students will discuss and analyze the challenges, limits, rules and opportunities that have historically informed curatorial practice.

Introduction to the Object​
9:25 a.m. – 10:40 a.m., TR​
Dr. Chad Dawkins

This foundational course for the curatorial studies minor introduces a common vocabulary and conceptualization for discussing works of art. It provides a shared frame of reference for all students who are interested in the field of curatorial studies. Using exhibitions and works from the permanent collections of AUC institutions as case studies, students examine the role of institutions, curators and other museum professionals.

Mining the Museum
10 a.m. – 12:40 p.m., F​
Dr. Bernida Webb-Binder

This course positions museums as dynamic, changing, non-neutral spaces that should be respected as extraordinary cultural assets, that should be enjoyed and challenged, critiqued and scrutinized. This course focuses on seminal exhibitions that inform current perceptions of and interactions with museums. Using exhibitions and works from the permanent collections of AUC institutions as case studies, this course examines the role of institutions, curators and other museum professionals.

Curatorial Practicum
1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. F
Dr. Chad Dawkins

In this advanced seminar, students research and write a proposal for an exhibition, which is the culminating, capstone project for the curatorial minor. This final project may be a physical or digital exhibition. Students are encouraged to explore opportunities to partner with arts, education and community organizations in the Atlanta area, as well as alternative exhibition designs and educational initiatives both within and outside of traditional venues.