ART of the MOOC: Public Art and Pedagogy

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/public-art-pedagogy

Introduction

### Course Review: ART of the MOOC: Public Art and Pedagogy on Coursera In an era where art transcends mere aesthetics and becomes a powerful medium for social dialogue and community engagement, the course *ART of the MOOC: Public Art and Pedagogy* stands as a beacon for aspiring artists, educators, and community activists. Developed by the acclaimed artist and Duke University professor, Pedro Lasch, and co-taught by Nato Thompson, the artistic director of Creative Time, this course encourages participants to explore the intersections of public art, pedagogy, and spatial politics. #### Overview This course endeavors to equip students with both theoretical insights and practical skills in the realm of public art interventions. Whether you are interested in creating your own public art piece or simply wish to deepen your understanding of social practice art, this MOOC offers a comprehensive overview of the field's recent history and contemporary forms. The lectures are rich with content, connecting significant developments in public art to broader issues like spatial politics and social structures. ### Syllabus Breakdown 1. **Introduction to Public Art and Pedagogy** - The course kicks off with an introductory module that outlines its structure, aims, and community guidelines. This foundation sets the tone for the collaborative learning experience ahead. 2. **Public Art and Spatial Politics: Lectures, Guest Presentations, and Quiz** - This module dives deep into the definitions and examples of public practice, focusing on how socially engaged art interacts with urbanism and social planning. The inclusion of guest presentations offers compelling perspectives that enhance the learning experience. 3. **Public Art and Spatial Politics: Projects and Self-Assessments** - Students are encouraged to apply their learnings through optional projects that allow for creativity and self-exploration. The flexibility here is refreshing—projects are self-reviewed, catering to varied interests and experiences. 4. **Fictions, Alternative Structures, and Mock-Institutions: Lectures, Guest Presentations, and Quiz** - This section examines how socially engaged artists utilize the guise of institutions to address societal issues. The prompt encourages students to invent their own structures, fostering a spirit of innovation and critical thinking. 5. **Fictions, Alternative Structures, and Mock-Institutions: Projects and Self-Assessments** - Similar to earlier modules, students have the opportunity to undertake self-guided projects that are optional and non-graded, striking a balance between exploration and academic pressure. 6. **Experimental Pedagogy: Lectures, Guest Presentations, and Quiz** - The course culminates in a focus on alternative educational models and their role in art. It invites students to reconsider their relationship with education and engage in meaningful discussions around hierarchy in traditional learning environments. 7. **Experimental Pedagogy: Projects and Self-Reflection** - As the course concludes, students reflect on their experiences and learning journeys, cementing their newfound knowledge. ### Recommendation *ART of the MOOC: Public Art and Pedagogy* is highly recommended for anyone interested in the transformative power of art in public spaces. It caters to various skill levels, from complete novices to seasoned practitioners. The course's emphasis on optional, self-guided projects fosters an inclusive and supportive environment, making it easier to engage without the weight of traditional grading systems. Moreover, the blend of theoretical frameworks and practical applications ensures that participants not only learn but also actively contribute to the discourse around public art and its impact on society. With a global community of learners, this course fosters connections that extend beyond the digital classroom, making it an enriching experience both personally and professionally. In summary, if you are eager to understand and enact the principles of public art and pedagogy, this course should be at the top of your list. Embrace the opportunity to challenge norms, explore your creativity, and engage with a community committed to social change through the arts.

Syllabus

Introduction to Public Art and Pedagogy

This short module provides an overview of the course's structure, working process, global community, and overall guidelines. Make sure to read it right away and refer back to it when needed.

This lesson will lay out some basic definitions and examples of public practice and socially engaged art, especially as they relate to spatial politics. We will examine the critical role that such practices have had in relation to various forms of urbanism and social planning and consider the physical and symbolic mechanisms that separate the global and the local, the urban and the rural, the visible and the invisible, citizens and immigrants, settlers and refugees. The lecture and guest presentations will provide foundation and inspiration for students’ own experiments with spatial politics.

The prompt, lecture and guest presentations will provide the foundation and inspiration for students’ own experiments. These student experiments were originally peer reviewed projects in the ART of the MOOC series, but have now been made entirely optional and self-reviewed. If you want to do them, we recommend you chose one of the two options (one is more social, the other more individual) and complete the optional quiz after you are done. Your project submissions and the quiz are not graded, so they will not impact your performance in the course.

By definition, social art is a collective endeavor. It might seek to transform larger social structures and economies. Perhaps more modestly, it might offer some alternatives or simply confront immediate challenges. The production of an unusual, creative, or engaged collective body can be its final goal. In this lesson we will learn how socially engaged artists have used the guise or actual form of organizations and institutions such as churches, corporations, banks, government offices, and other social units as the very media of their work. This lesson’s practical components will ask students to invent their own alternative social structures or fictional interventions.

The prompt, lecture and guest presentations will provide the foundation and inspiration for students’ own experiments. These student experiments were originally peer reviewed projects in the ART of the MOOC series, but have now been made entirely optional and self-reviewed. If you want to do them, we recommend you chose one of the two options (one is more social, the other more individual) and complete the optional quiz after you are done. Your project submissions and the quiz are not graded, so they will not impact your performance in the course.

Many socially engaged artists are invested in the communication of ideas through education or educational projects. From Freire and Boal to Judy Chicago and Miriam Shapiro’s Womanhouse and the CalArts Feminist Art Program a brief review of experimental or radical pedagogy and its influence on art is hence the focus of this lesson. Using various technologies and social forms, some of these works set out to transform education from within. Others intentionally position themselves as self-organized platforms outside of institutions. Our focus will be on how the production of alternative communities of learning can challenge the hierarchies, professionalization, homogenization, and economy of current education systems. This week’s practical components will invite students to rethink their relationship to education as they chose between small-scale socialization and massive collaboration.

The prompt, lecture and guest presentations will provide a foundation and inspiration for students’ own experiments with spatial politics.The prompt, lecture and guest presentations will provide the foundation and inspiration for students’ own experiments. These student experiments were originally peer reviewed projects in the ART of the MOOC series, but have now been made entirely optional and self-reviewed. If you want to do them, we recommend you chose one of the two options (one is more social, the other more individual) and complete the optional quiz after you are done. Your project submissions and the quiz are not graded, so they will not impact your performance in the course.