Art & the History of Art 391 - Five College Advanced Studio Seminar: Staying with the Trouble

This course takes as its theme philosopher Donna Haraway's iconic phrases, "staying with the trouble." We live in a time of extraordinary, perhaps unprecedented complexity. Every day, we are confronted with realities of political and economic upheaval, planetary environmental crisis, new liberatory possibilities, massive inequalities and oppressions, technological transformation, and much more. What do we, as creative artists and thinkers, have to offer this moment? As a community of artists, we will explore what it means to create art through a non-dualistic relationship to theory and practice, research and reflection, making and thinking, nature and culture. There will be an emphasis on artistic and conceptual engagement with land and place, using the preserved lands of the Amherst College campus, but coursework will not be limited to this thematic area. We will work with a project-based art methodology, and students will develop a single in-depth project or an evolving, iterative body of artistic work over the course of the semester. In addition to each student's artistic work, course activities will include reading, research, discussion, reflective writing, collaborative group activities, critique, engagements with guest presenters, field trips, and the development and installation of a group exhibition.

This course is limited to junior and senior art majors from the five colleges. 

Prerequisites: Offered in rotation within the five colleges. Enrollment limited to 15, three from each of the five colleges. Fall 2025.

How to handle overenrollment: Enrollment by faculty nomination only.

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: An emphasis on artistic and conceptual engagement. In addition to each student's artistic work, course activities will include reading, research, discussion, reflective writing, collaborative group activities, critique, engagements with guest presenters, field trips, and the development and installation of a group exhibition.