Studies in 20th & 21st-Century Art (460-0-1)
Topic
Pan-Africanism: Histories, Aesthetics, and Politic
Instructors
Antawan I Byrd
Meeting Info
Meets in Non-General PurposeRm: Thurs 3:30PM - 6:20PM
Overview of class
Concurrent with the opening of the exhibition Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica (December 15-March 30, 2025) at the Art Institute of Chicago, this course considers the cultural and political dimensions of Pan-Africanism, beginning with its origins in the late-nineteenth century and extending to the present day. Students will critically examine the process of narrating art and cultural histories through the multivalent form of the exhibition, it's catalogue, and its institutional context within an encyclopedic museum.
Students in this course will meet at the Art Institute of Chicago weekly and will engage with the exhibition as the primary case study for considering a range of questions, including: 1) How does the exhibition's layout, design, checklist, and use of media support its overall arguments about Pan-Africanism's evolution and endurance as a force in culture? 2) What other kinds of spaces, sites, or institutions have enabled attention to and the circulation of Pan-Africanist ideas? 3) How do the intersections of class, gender, race, and sexuality, shape our understanding of Pan-Africanism's influence on art and politics?
This course will consist of weekly reading assignments and a final project; discussions will be supplemented by in-class conversations with visiting artists, curators, and a range of public programs, including symposia and film screenings. Students should be prepared to travel to the museum weekly. This course will also include graduate students from the University of Chicago, and so space will be limited.
Registration Requirements
Contact Art History Registration
Class Materials (Required)
No textbook required.
Class Notes
Contact Art History Registration
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Art History MA and PhD Graduate Students Only