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“Art is an outlet toward regions which are not ruled by time and space”

— Marcel Duchamp

Avant-Guardian Musings is a curated space of ideas and information, resources, reviews and readings for undergraduate and graduate students studying modern and contemporary art history and visual art theory, film and photography studies, and the expanding field of visual culture and screen studies. For students currently enrolled in my courses or the field school, the blog and associated social media links also serve as a place of reflection and an extension of the ideas and visual material raised in lecture and seminar discussion.

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Blog

From the Archives | How (And Why) To Take Excellent Lecture Notes

From the Archives | How (And Why) To Take Excellent Lecture Notes

about 7 months ago

Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things

Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things

about 2 years ago

Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things

about 2 years ago

Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things

Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things

about 2 years ago

Top 10 Modern and Contemporary Art Exhibitions Worth Visiting In 2023

Top 10 Modern and Contemporary Art Exhibitions Worth Visiting In 2023

about 2 years ago

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A rare chance to glimpse our future 💙✨🙌🏻 We don’t often get inside our downtown Kelowna condo (thanks to some amazing tenants over the years) but we are about to turn it over and we were lucky for a perfect Okanagan day. The lake views and s

A rare chance to glimpse our future 💙✨🙌🏻 We don’t often get inside our downtown Kelowna condo (thanks to some amazing tenants over the years) but we are about to turn it over and we were lucky for a perfect Okanagan day. The lake views and space always takes my breath away! We plan to move back here or somewhere close by once we are ready to retire and make good on one of our best investment properties. . . . #kelowna #realestateinvestors #condo #sunsetdrive #investmentproperty # lakeviews #retirementplans

🌸🏍️💨🌸🏍️💨🌸🏍️💨🌸
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#hanami #springtime #cherryblossom #motorcycle #motorcyclelife #sportbike #sportbikelife #aprilia #apriliars660 #motogirl #motogirls #vancouver

🌸🏍️💨🌸🏍️💨🌸🏍️💨🌸 . . . #hanami #springtime #cherryblossom #motorcycle #motorcyclelife #sportbike #sportbikelife #aprilia #apriliars660 #motogirl #motogirls #vancouver

Dopamine dressing ✨ A pop of red works every single time ❤️… and yes, I am 💯 starting to take aesthetics cues from my motorcycle! 🙈
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#ootd #whatiwore #dopaminedressing #givenchy #citizensofhumanity #madewell

Dopamine dressing ✨ A pop of red works every single time ❤️… and yes, I am 💯 starting to take aesthetics cues from my motorcycle! 🙈 . . . #ootd #whatiwore #dopaminedressing #givenchy #citizensofhumanity #madewell

Sophia ❤️ So happy to have her back with me. Nothing like a spirited motorcycle ride up Sea-to-Sky to calm the nervous system as the world goes to hell 😝
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#apriliars660 #aprilia #sportbikelife #motorcycle #motorcyclelife #motogirl #motogirls #v

Sophia ❤️ So happy to have her back with me. Nothing like a spirited motorcycle ride up Sea-to-Sky to calm the nervous system as the world goes to hell 😝 . . . #apriliars660 #aprilia #sportbikelife #motorcycle #motorcyclelife #motogirl #motogirls #vancouver

As global trade wars intensify and the world faces a total realignment of political interests and partnerships, it remains critical to pay attention to what the billionaire class is doing, especially in the realm of art and culture.

With all that i

As global trade wars intensify and the world faces a total realignment of political interests and partnerships, it remains critical to pay attention to what the billionaire class is doing, especially in the realm of art and culture. With all that is happening today, I thought it timely to announce that I will be traveling to Switzerland next month to participate in a conference examining Neoliberalism and the Capitalists at the University of Lausanne. My paper, titled “Savage Capitalism: Hypermodern Kitsch, Contemporary Art, and the Billionaire Class” is one I have been working on the past few months, but has had to be revised, re-written, and updated with all that has transpired since I first proposed it back in fall 2024. I have never felt more urgency as an academic to speak out, and I feel fortunate to have been invited to participate among such esteemed researchers working in the field of economics and political history. I am happy to share the program and range of research reprinted in the conference poster. I never take for granted my privilege as a university researcher and professor, and in these times, it is critical to exercise one’s freedoms to speak truth to power. . . . #academia #academicfreedom #arthistory #conference @kpuarts @kwantlenu #contemporaryart

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© Dorothy Barenscott, Avant-Guardian Musings, and dorothybarenscott.com, 2010-2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Dorothy Barenscott, Avant-Guardian Musings, and dorothybarenscott.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Victor Vasarely, Vonal Feny (Line Light) (1975). Leader of the Op-Art Movement— a visual style that uses optical illusions—this Hungarian-French modern artist (born Győző Vásárhelyi) was recently featured at the Vancouver Art Gallery with a retrospe… — Victor Vasarely, Vonal Feny (Line Light) (1975). Leader of the Op-Art Movement— a visual style that uses optical illusions—this Hungarian-French modern artist (born Győző Vásárhelyi) was recently featured at the Vancouver Art Gallery with a retrospective exhibition. Vasarely was also born this week on April 9, 1906.

Weekly Round Up... And A Few More Things

April 11, 2021

I join my fellow academics this week in the ritual that is the end-of-semester grading and exam prep chaos…. as such, enjoy this delightful Schitt’s Creek meme and the links. I will resurface with a proper post to accompany my weekly round up next week. Hang in there everyone!

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"Banknote embroidery as political art – in pictures"

"Banknote embroidery as political art – in pictures"

theguardian.com

"Artificial Stupidity"

"Artificial Stupidity"

artnews.com

"Work for the Weekend: Vancouver unveils sound piece inspired by 1980s working-class pop anthem"

"Work for the Weekend: Vancouver unveils sound piece inspired by 1980s working-class pop anthem"

theartnewspaper.com

"Inside the Market for Julie Mehretu’s Swirling Abstract Works"

"Inside the Market for Julie Mehretu’s Swirling Abstract Works"

artsy.net

"The Big Review: Kaws at the Brooklyn Museum"

"The Big Review: Kaws at the Brooklyn Museum"

theartnewspaper.com

"The Art Angle Podcast: KAWS Is the World’s Most Popular Artist. Why? (PODCAST)"

"The Art Angle Podcast: KAWS Is the World’s Most Popular Artist. Why? (PODCAST)"

artnet.com

"Is the Poster the Perfect Medium for our Times?"

"Is the Poster the Perfect Medium for our Times?"

elephant.art

"Populists are threatening Europe’s independent public broadcasters"

"Populists are threatening Europe’s independent public broadcasters"

economist.com

"The Art Collective That Nike Sued for Pouring Human Blood on Its Sneakers Has Agreed to Recall the Shoes"

"The Art Collective That Nike Sued for Pouring Human Blood on Its Sneakers Has Agreed to Recall the Shoes"

artnet.com

"A flurry of Yayoi Kusama shows are about to open, but restrictions on her installations may limit their appeal"

"A flurry of Yayoi Kusama shows are about to open, but restrictions on her installations may limit their appeal"

theartnewspaper.com

"Banknote embroidery as political art – in pictures"

"Artificial Stupidity"

"Work for the Weekend: Vancouver unveils sound piece inspired by 1980s working-class pop anthem"

"Inside the Market for Julie Mehretu’s Swirling Abstract Works"

"The Big Review: Kaws at the Brooklyn Museum"

"The Art Angle Podcast: KAWS Is the World’s Most Popular Artist. Why? (PODCAST)"

"Populists are threatening Europe’s independent public broadcasters"

"The Art Collective That Nike Sued for Pouring Human Blood on Its Sneakers Has Agreed to Recall the Shoes"

"A flurry of Yayoi Kusama shows are about to open, but restrictions on her installations may limit their appeal"