Art in America, 1968-2000: Culture at th

Historians often approach the late 20th century through the lens of politics and economics, tracking the rise of conservatism, neoliberalism, and the dominance of global capitalism following the end of the Cold War. These narratives, however, leave little room for the arts during a time when American culture became a worldwide export and artists around the country produced inventive work that transformed the culture industry. How does our understanding of the late 20th century change when we focus on the arts? What do we learn from artists about those more familiar subjects of politics and economics. This seminar seeks to answer such questions, exploring cities that emerged as artistic hubs around the United States from 1968-2000. We will survey New York, California, the Sun Belt, and Pacific Northwest, examining subjects such as the rise of Wall Street and the art market; the national “culture war” between conservative politicians and artists; changes in the Hollywood studio system; the development of Silicon Valley, the internet, and tech-culture; the cultural hybridity of the Borderlands/la frontera; the utopian, free-market aspirations of Disney; and artistic responses to globalization. A goal of this class is to practice doing cultural history across artistic genres. Rather than focus on a single type of art, this course encompasses a variety of forms and media so that students can learn to make connections between different modes of cultural expression. We will pair these primary sources with works of historical scholarship so that we can contextualize the role of art in society and think about how it changes at the end of the 20th century. There are no prerequisites for this course, which will enrich majors in History and American Studies, as well as Ethnicity and Race Studies, AAADS, Urban Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, Art History, Film and Media Studies, Drama and Theatre Arts, and Dance.