Art History & Studio Courses
Themes in Contemporary Art & Television
Wednesday, March 20, 2013 to Wednesday, May 1, 2013
This six week art history and television studies seminar will run on Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. $150 for the 6 week course or $25 per class drop in fee.
This seminar will examine prevalent themes in contemporary visual culture through an analysis of contemporary art and television drama series produced during the last decade. This seminar will focus upon the ways in which contemporary artists and American, Canadian, and British television drama series explore and interrogate contemporary philosophical, ethical, aesthetic, and political debates.
March 20: Narrative & Language with Deadwood & The Wire
April 3: Magical Realism with Pushing Daisies & Being Erica
April 10: Identity, Gender & Sexuality with Sex in the City, Queer as Folk (BBC) & The L Word
April 17: Crime & Forensics with Dexter and Da Vinci's Inquest
April 24: Time: Past & Future with Mad Men & Battlestar Galactica: The Mini Series
May 1: Embodiment & Mortality with Six Feet Under & Dead Like Me
This is a lecture/discussion non-credit seminar that takes place in my home with optional readings and no assignments. Students are required to watch two television episodes prior to each class. The fee for the complete seminar is due on March 18, 2013. Drop in fees are due during the weekly classes. Seminars may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. All efforts will be made to inform students of cancellations as soon as possible. A full refund will be given to students in the case of a cancellation.
Email kristen@kh1art.ca for a course syllabus and to reserve a spot.
The Supernatural in Contemporary Visual Culture
Thursday, June 13, 2013 to Thursday, July 18, 2013
This six week art history, television, and film studies seminar will run on Thursday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. $150 for the 6 week course or $25 per class drop in fee.
The seminar will examine prevalent themes in contemporary visual culture through an analysis of representations of supernatural phenomenon including aliens, superheroes, woodland creatures, angels, magicians, and sea monsters in film, television, and art created from 1999 to the present. The course will focus upon the ways in which contemporary art, television, and film explore and interrogate philosophical, ethical, aesthetic, artistic, cultural, and political debates in relation to the theme of the supernatural.
June 13: Superheroes with Heroes & The X-Men, 2000 (USA)
June 20: Aliens with Doctor Who & Attack the Block, 2011 (UK)
June 27: Woodland Creatures with True Blood & Pan's Labyrinth, 2006 (Spain)
July 4: Angels with Supernatural & Dogma, 1999 (USA)
July 11: Sea Monsters with Buffy the Vampire Slayer & The Host, 2006 (South Korea)
July 18: Magicians with The Dresden Files & The Prestige, 2006 (USA)
This is a lecture/discussion non-credit seminar that takes place in my home with optional readings and no assignments. Students are required to watch one television episode and one film prior to each class. The fee for the complete seminar is due on June 10, 2013. Drop in fees are due during the weekly classes. Seminars may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. All efforts will be made to inform students of cancellations as soon as possible. A
full refund will be given to students in the case of a cancellation.
Email kristen@kh1art.ca for a course syllabus and to reserve a spot.
Sunday Night Screenings: Films about Art
Sunday, May 19, 2013 to Sunday, December 8, 2013
Once a month I will be screening films about art, projected large in my living room. I will provide popcorn and candy but feel free to bring additional snacks and beverages (alcoholic or not).
There will be a short lecture about the art historical context of films and a brief discussion after the screenings if people are interested. Film screenings start at 7:30 pm.
May 19: Andy Goldsworthy Rivers and Tides, 2004. Director: Thomas Riedelsheimer
“Documentarian Thomas Riedelsheimer shows us Andy Goldsworthy as he creates art in natural settings using natural materials such as driftwood, ice, mud, leaves, and stones. Goldsworthy comments on his “earthworks” and occasionally responds to off screen questions from Riedelsheimer while he painstakingly builds his outdoors sculptures.”
• Short lecture and discussion about Earth Art
June 23: Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present, 2012. Directors: Matthew Akers & Jeff Dupre
“A documentary that follows the Serbian performance artist as she prepares for a retrospective of her work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.”
• Short lecture and discussion about Performance Art
July 7: Herb & Dorothy, 2008. Director: Megumi Sasaki
“The film tells the story of two middle-class collectors of contemporary art, Herbert and Dorothy Vogel, and the enormous and valuable collection of conceptual art and minimalist art they amassed.”
• Short lecture and discussion about Minimalism and Pop Art
August 4: Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine, 2009. Directors: Marion Cajori & Amei Wallach
“Louise Bourgeois has for six decades been at the forefront of successive new developments, but always on her own powerfully inventive and disquieting terms. Filmed with unparalleled access between 1993 and 2007, Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine is a comprehensive and dramatic documentary of creativity and revelation.”
• Short lecture about Contemporary Sculpture and Installation
Sept. 29: Here is Always Somewhere Else: The disappearance of Bas Jan Ader. 2008. Director: Rene Daadlder
“The critically acclaimed documentary about enigmatic Dutch/Californian artist Bas Jan Ader (1942-1975), whose daring conceptual performances culminated in his mysterious disappearance at sea. As recounted through the eyes of fellow emigrant Rene Daalder, Ader's story becomes a sweeping overview of contemporary art as well as an epic saga of the trans-formative powers of the ocean.”
• Short lecture and discussion about Conceptual Art
Oct. 20: The Woodmans, 2010. Director: Scot Willis
“Francesca Woodman's B&W images, many of them nude self-portraits, now reside in the pantheon of great photography from the late 20th century. The daughter of artists Betty and Charles Woodman, Francesca was a RISD graduate, who came to New York with the intention of setting the art world on fire. But in 1981, as a despondent 22-year-old, she committed suicide. The Woodmans beautifully interweaves the young artist's work (including experimental videos and diary passages) with interviews with the parents who have nurtured her professional reputation these past 30 years, while continuing to make art of their own in the face of tragedy.”
• Short lecture and discussion about Contemporary Photography
Nov. 17: !Women Art Revolution, 2012. Director: Lynn Hershman Leeson
“Through intimate interviews, art, and rarely seen archival film and video footage, !Women Art Revolution reveals how the Feminist Art Movement fused free speech and politics into an art that radically transformed the art and culture of our times.”
• Short lecture and discussion about Feminist Art
Dec. 8: Waste Land, 2010. Director: Lucy Walker
“Filmed over nearly three years, Waste Land follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of "catadores"—self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz’s initial objective was to “paint” the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to re-imagine their lives.”
• Short lecture and discussion about Contemporary Latin American Art
More Themes in Contemporary Art & Television
Wednesday, October 2, 2013 to Wednesday, November 6, 2013
This six week art history and television studies seminar will run on Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. $150 for the 6 week course or $25
per class drop in fee.
This seminar will examine prevalent themes in contemporary visual culture through an analysis of contemporary art and television drama series produced during the last decade. This seminar will focus upon the ways in which contemporary artists and American, Canadian, and British television drama series explore and interrogate contemporary philosophical, ethical, aesthetic, and political debates. We will look at contemporary artists from around the globe who work in a variety of media, including sculpture, installation, video art, performance art, photography, painting, and drawing.
Oct. 2: Morality & Medicine with House & Nurse Jackie
Oct. 9: Beauty Ideals with Nip/Tuck & Ugly Betty
Oct. 16: Drug Culture with Breaking Bad & Weeds
Oct. 23: Terrorism, Ideology & Politics with 24 & Homeland
Oct. 30: Space & Place with Lost & Carnivale
Nov. 6: Apocalypse with Survivors (BBC) & Jericho
This is a lecture/discussion non-credit seminar that takes place in my home with optional readings and no assignments. Students are required
to watch two television episodes prior to each class. The fee for the complete seminar is due on Sept. 30, 2013. Drop in fees are due during the weekly classes. Seminars may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. All efforts will be made to inform students of cancellations as soon as possible. A full refund will be given to students in the case of a cancellation.
Email kristen@kh1art.ca for a course syllabus and to reserve a spot.
Reality Television & Contemporary Art
Wednesday, November 13, 2013 to Wednesday, December 18, 2013
This six week art history and television studies seminar will run on Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. $150 for the 6 week course or $25
per class drop in fee.
This seminar will examine prevalent themes in contemporary visual culture through an analysis of contemporary art and reality television series produced during the last two decades. The course will focus upon the ways in which contemporary artists and reality television series explore and interrogate contemporary philosophical, ethical, aesthetic, and political debates.
Nov. 12: The Art World with Work of Art: The Next Great Artist & Gallery Girls
Nov. 20: Surveillance with Big Brother (UK) & The Glass House
Nov. 27: Home with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition & The 1940s House
Dec. 4: Family with Sister Wives & Wife Swap (Austrailia)
Dec. 11: Beauty with America's Next Top Model & True Beauty
Dec. 18: Sexuality with The Real L Word, Boy Meets Boys & The Joy of Teen Sex
This is a lecture/discussion non-credit seminar that takes place in my home with optional readings and no assignments. Students are required
to watch two television episodes prior to each class. The fee for the complete seminar is due on March 18, 2013. Drop in fees are due during the weekly classes. Seminars may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. All efforts will be made to inform students of cancellations as soon as possible. A full refund will be given to students in the case of a cancellation.
Email kristen@kh1art.ca for a course syllabus and to reserve a spot.
Themes in Contemporary Art Practice
Monday, July 22, 2013 to Friday, July 26, 2013
This course is being offered through the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta:
http://www.extension.ualberta.ca/course/EXART/3906/
This five-day seminar is a combination of studio practice and art historical lectures. Each day’s class will contain a lecture, presentation of images and videos, and discussion of readings to introduce frequently occurring themes and issues in contemporary art.
Following the daily lectures, students will create artworks related to and inspired by these themes. Students will experiment with a different medium each day: video, performance art, collage, photography, and sculpture/installation.
July 22: Time
Art project: Short video with cell phone or digital camera
July 23: Identity
Art project: Collage with magazines and newspapers
July 24: Embodiment
Art project: Performance art piece
July 25: Place
Art project: Photographic essay of downtown Edmnton using cell phone or digital camera
July 26: Memory
Art project: Sculpture and installation using found objects
The Supernatural in Contemporary Visual Culture
Thursday, June 13, 2013 to Thursday, July 18, 2013
This six week art history, television, and film studies seminar will run on Thursday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. $150 for the 6 week course or $25 per class drop in fee.
The seminar will examine prevalent themes in contemporary visual culture through an analysis of representations of supernatural phenomenon including aliens, superheroes, woodland creatures, angels, magicians, and sea monsters in film, television, and art created from 1999 to the present. The course will focus upon the ways in which contemporary art, television, and film explore and interrogate philosophical, ethical, aesthetic, artistic, cultural, and political debates in relation to the theme of the supernatural.
June 13: Superheroes with Heroes & The X-Men, 2000 (USA)
June 20: Aliens with Doctor Who & Attack the Block, 2011 (UK)
June 27: Woodland Creatures with True Blood & Pan's Labyrinth, 2006 (Spain)
July 4: Angels with Supernatural & Dogma, 1999 (USA)
July 11: Sea Monsters with Buffy the Vampire Slayer & The Host, 2006 (South Korea)
July 18: Magicians with The Dresden Files & The Prestige, 2006 (USA)
This is a lecture/discussion non-credit seminar that takes place in my home with optional readings and no assignments. Students are required to watch one television episode and one film prior to each class. The fee for the complete seminar is due on June 10, 2013. Drop in fees are due during the weekly classes. Seminars may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. All efforts will be made to inform students of cancellations as soon as possible. A
full refund will be given to students in the case of a cancellation.
Email kristen@kh1art.ca for a course syllabus and to reserve a spot.
Sunday Night Screenings: Films about Art
Sunday, May 19, 2013 to Sunday, December 8, 2013
Once a month I will be screening films about art, projected large in my living room. I will provide popcorn and candy but feel free to bring additional snacks and beverages (alcoholic or not).
There will be a short lecture about the art historical context of films and a brief discussion after the screenings if people are interested. Film screenings start at 7:30 pm.
May 19: Andy Goldsworthy Rivers and Tides, 2004. Director: Thomas Riedelsheimer
“Documentarian Thomas Riedelsheimer shows us Andy Goldsworthy as he creates art in natural settings using natural materials such as driftwood, ice, mud, leaves, and stones. Goldsworthy comments on his “earthworks” and occasionally responds to off screen questions from Riedelsheimer while he painstakingly builds his outdoors sculptures.”
• Short lecture and discussion about Earth Art
June 23: Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present, 2012. Directors: Matthew Akers & Jeff Dupre
“A documentary that follows the Serbian performance artist as she prepares for a retrospective of her work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.”
• Short lecture and discussion about Performance Art
July 7: Herb & Dorothy, 2008. Director: Megumi Sasaki
“The film tells the story of two middle-class collectors of contemporary art, Herbert and Dorothy Vogel, and the enormous and valuable collection of conceptual art and minimalist art they amassed.”
• Short lecture and discussion about Minimalism and Pop Art
August 4: Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine, 2009. Directors: Marion Cajori & Amei Wallach
“Louise Bourgeois has for six decades been at the forefront of successive new developments, but always on her own powerfully inventive and disquieting terms. Filmed with unparalleled access between 1993 and 2007, Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine is a comprehensive and dramatic documentary of creativity and revelation.”
• Short lecture about Contemporary Sculpture and Installation
Sept. 29: Here is Always Somewhere Else: The disappearance of Bas Jan Ader. 2008. Director: Rene Daadlder
“The critically acclaimed documentary about enigmatic Dutch/Californian artist Bas Jan Ader (1942-1975), whose daring conceptual performances culminated in his mysterious disappearance at sea. As recounted through the eyes of fellow emigrant Rene Daalder, Ader's story becomes a sweeping overview of contemporary art as well as an epic saga of the trans-formative powers of the ocean.”
• Short lecture and discussion about Conceptual Art
Oct. 20: The Woodmans, 2010. Director: Scot Willis
“Francesca Woodman's B&W images, many of them nude self-portraits, now reside in the pantheon of great photography from the late 20th century. The daughter of artists Betty and Charles Woodman, Francesca was a RISD graduate, who came to New York with the intention of setting the art world on fire. But in 1981, as a despondent 22-year-old, she committed suicide. The Woodmans beautifully interweaves the young artist's work (including experimental videos and diary passages) with interviews with the parents who have nurtured her professional reputation these past 30 years, while continuing to make art of their own in the face of tragedy.”
• Short lecture and discussion about Contemporary Photography
Nov. 17: !Women Art Revolution, 2012. Director: Lynn Hershman Leeson
“Through intimate interviews, art, and rarely seen archival film and video footage, !Women Art Revolution reveals how the Feminist Art Movement fused free speech and politics into an art that radically transformed the art and culture of our times.”
• Short lecture and discussion about Feminist Art
Dec. 8: Waste Land, 2010. Director: Lucy Walker
“Filmed over nearly three years, Waste Land follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of "catadores"—self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz’s initial objective was to “paint” the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to re-imagine their lives.”
• Short lecture and discussion about Contemporary Latin American Art
More Themes in Contemporary Art & Television
Wednesday, October 2, 2013 to Wednesday, November 6, 2013
This six week art history and television studies seminar will run on Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. $150 for the 6 week course or $25
per class drop in fee.
This seminar will examine prevalent themes in contemporary visual culture through an analysis of contemporary art and television drama series produced during the last decade. This seminar will focus upon the ways in which contemporary artists and American, Canadian, and British television drama series explore and interrogate contemporary philosophical, ethical, aesthetic, and political debates. We will look at contemporary artists from around the globe who work in a variety of media, including sculpture, installation, video art, performance art, photography, painting, and drawing.
Oct. 2: Morality & Medicine with House & Nurse Jackie
Oct. 9: Beauty Ideals with Nip/Tuck & Ugly Betty
Oct. 16: Drug Culture with Breaking Bad & Weeds
Oct. 23: Terrorism, Ideology & Politics with 24 & Homeland
Oct. 30: Space & Place with Lost & Carnivale
Nov. 6: Apocalypse with Survivors (BBC) & Jericho
This is a lecture/discussion non-credit seminar that takes place in my home with optional readings and no assignments. Students are required
to watch two television episodes prior to each class. The fee for the complete seminar is due on Sept. 30, 2013. Drop in fees are due during the weekly classes. Seminars may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. All efforts will be made to inform students of cancellations as soon as possible. A full refund will be given to students in the case of a cancellation.
Email kristen@kh1art.ca for a course syllabus and to reserve a spot.
Reality Television & Contemporary Art
Wednesday, November 13, 2013 to Wednesday, December 18, 2013
This six week art history and television studies seminar will run on Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. $150 for the 6 week course or $25
per class drop in fee.
This seminar will examine prevalent themes in contemporary visual culture through an analysis of contemporary art and reality television series produced during the last two decades. The course will focus upon the ways in which contemporary artists and reality television series explore and interrogate contemporary philosophical, ethical, aesthetic, and political debates.
Nov. 12: The Art World with Work of Art: The Next Great Artist & Gallery Girls
Nov. 20: Surveillance with Big Brother (UK) & The Glass House
Nov. 27: Home with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition & The 1940s House
Dec. 4: Family with Sister Wives & Wife Swap (Austrailia)
Dec. 11: Beauty with America's Next Top Model & True Beauty
Dec. 18: Sexuality with The Real L Word, Boy Meets Boys & The Joy of Teen Sex
This is a lecture/discussion non-credit seminar that takes place in my home with optional readings and no assignments. Students are required
to watch two television episodes prior to each class. The fee for the complete seminar is due on March 18, 2013. Drop in fees are due during the weekly classes. Seminars may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. All efforts will be made to inform students of cancellations as soon as possible. A full refund will be given to students in the case of a cancellation.
Email kristen@kh1art.ca for a course syllabus and to reserve a spot.
Past Courses
I have taught courses on twenty one different topics & eras from prehistory to the present at universities and colleges in the US, Canada, and the UK.
Courses Taught: 2001-2013:
Themes in Contemporary Art and Television • The Supernatural in Contemporary Visual Culture • Portraiture in Contemporary Art • Sculpture in the Expanded Field: 1970-Present • The History of Video Art: From Portapak to Youtube • Contemporary Photographic Practices: 1985-Present • Bodies in Contemporary Art • Art Now • Modern and Contemporary Art: 1924-Present • Survey of 20th Century Art: 1900-1945 • Suvery of 20th Century Art II: 1945-Present • Survey of 20th Century Art: 1900-Present • Survey of Renaissance Art • Survey of 18th and Early 19th Century Art: 1700-1850 • Survey of the History of Photography • Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Art in London Collections • Introduction to the History of Art I: Prehistory-1300 • Introduction to the History of Art II: 1300-Present • Introduction to Art History and Visual Culture Studies: 1200-1900 • Undergraduate Honours Thesis in Art History • General Studies: Antiquity and Modernity •
For Past Courses Descriptions:
Drop In Classes
Wednesday, October 3, 2012 to Thursday, December 20, 2012
I am offering art history seminars from my home in Edmonton, Alberta. These are non-credit, discussion based courses with optional readings and no assignments.
Please send an email to kristen@kh1art.ca at least 2 days before the class you would like to attend so that you can save a spot and I will send you the readings. Payment can be made during class.
See Art History Courses section for more information about current and upcoming courses classes offered.
Themes in Contemporary Art & Television
Wednesday, March 20, 2013 to Wednesday, May 1, 2013
This six week art history and television studies seminar will run on Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. $150 for the 6 week course or $25 per class drop in fee.
This seminar will examine prevalent themes in contemporary visual culture through an analysis of contemporary art and television drama series produced during the last decade. This seminar will focus upon the ways in which contemporary artists and American, Canadian, and British television drama series explore and interrogate contemporary philosophical, ethical, aesthetic, and political debates.
March 20: Narrative & Language with Deadwood & The Wire
April 3: Magical Realism with Pushing Daisies & Being Erica
April 10: Identity, Gender & Sexuality with Sex in the City, Queer as Folk (BBC) & The L Word
April 17: Crime & Forensics with Dexter and Da Vinci's Inquest
April 24: Time: Past & Future with Mad Men & Battlestar Galactica: The Mini Series
May 1: Embodiment & Mortality with Six Feet Under & Dead Like Me
This is a lecture/discussion non-credit seminar that takes place in my home with optional readings and no assignments. Students are required to watch two television episodes prior to each class. The fee for the complete seminar is due on March 18, 2013. Drop in fees are due during the weekly classes. Seminars may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. All efforts will be made to inform students of cancellations as soon as possible. A full refund will be given to students in the case of a cancellation.
Email kristen@kh1art.ca for a course syllabus and to reserve a spot.