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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.

Blog

Making Sense of Art in the Age of Machine Learning—A Suggested Reading List

about a week ago

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

about 11 months ago

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

about 2 years ago

Today, I visited Sicily’s contemporary art museum in Palazzo Riso, another converted baroque palace that was heavily bombed during WWII after local fascists made it their headquarters. I love thinking how much those people would have hated the kind of art that occupies this space and lives on its walls. This art does not celebrate beauty, nor does it tell audiences what to think, who to love, or what rules or political leaders to follow— it is art that deliberately creates questions, discomfort, and provocation while asking audiences to shape the final meaning. Even today, here in Palermo, I discovered through conversation with locals that there are many who criticize and attack the works (artworks by non-Italians, women, people of colour, gay people, and those who use unconventional materials and approaches to art-making) exhibited in the space. It appears the culture wars are again reshaping Italy as they did 80 years ago. History does not repeat itself, as the Mark Twain saying goes, but it does rhyme. Pay attention. Among the artists pictured here: Vanessa Beecroft, Regina Jose Galindo, Herman Nitsch Christian Boltanski, Cesare Viel, Sergio Zavattieri, Loredana Longo, Carla Accardi, Richard Long, William Kentridge . . . #contemporyart #arthistory #sicily #palermo #italy #artwork #artmuseum

How to describe the Palazzo Butera in Sicily? Take a baroque palace on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, restore it with great care, and then fill it with your collection of contemporary art, antiquities, ephemera, and a sprinkle of modern and Renaissance works. Add a beautiful cafe with a terrace facing the sea and invite the public to admire it all. This is the best of what a private collection can be— bravo to the curators and anyone who had a hand in planning this space. It is breathtaking! A must visit if you come to Sicily. . . . #palermo #sicily #arthistory #contemporaryart #artcollection #palazzobutera #modernart #artmuseum

A stroll through Palermo capturing colour, light, and mood 💙 . . . #sicily #italy #palermo #urban #architecture #arthistory #flaneur

Buongiorno bella Sicilia! ✨I arrived in bustling Palermo after sunset last night just in time for a lovely al fresco dinner with my dynamic Urban Emotions research group, and awoke this morning to the beauty, light, and colour of Sicily, enjoying my coffee on my hotel’s rooftop terrace and strolling quiet streets as the city awoke. I will be here for the week participating in a round table discussion at the AISU Congress (Association of Italian Urban Historians) exploring the intersection of emotions, cities, and images with the wonderful individual researchers (from Italy, UK, Turkey, and the US) with whom I have been collaborating through online discussions and meetings for over a year. We first connected in Athens last summer at the EAHN European Architectural History Network Conference and have been working on a position paper that will be published later this year in the Architectural Histories journal expanding on our individual case studies to argue for the broader relevance of urban emotions as a multidisciplinary field of study. It is so wonderful to finally meet as a group and continue our conversations! . . . #urbanhistory #italy #palermo #sicily #arthistory #urbanemotions #contemporaryart

What are the books I would recommend to any artist, art historian, or curator if they wanted to get a critical handle on the state of art in the age of AI? I have some suggestions as I spent the past several months assembling a set of readings that will shape the core questions of a course I will be teaching on this topic come fall at @kwantlenu @kpuarts @kpufinearts . By request, I am sharing the reading list and core questions on my blog (check out top link in bio) in an effort to encourage the consideration of these ideas to a wider audience. I hope to report back at the end of the semester about what I learned teaching this course, and I will be on the lookout for others in my field taking on this topic as a much-needed addition to the art school curriculum in the years to come. IMAGE: Lev Manovich’s exploratory art work from 2013 is made up of 50,000 Instagram images shared in Tokyo that are visualized in his lab one year later. . . . #contemporaryart #machinelearning #ai #artificalintelligence #arthistory #newpost #avantguardianmusings

© 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.

Hans Hofmann, Spring (1940) in celebration of the spring equinox this coming week. — Hans Hofmann, *Spring* (1940) in celebration of the spring equinox this coming week.

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Roundup

March 19, 2017

My media feed this week has been lit up with news of arts funding cuts to the US budget, along with rave reviews of the newly opened Whitney Biennial in New York-- these two arts news stories of course go hand in hand. Just this past week in my Contemporary Art History seminar, we were studying and discussing the 1993 Whitney Biennial, which was a watershed exhibition and moment in the art world that saw the reawakening of political activism and identity politics on the heels of the late 1980's and early 1990's culture wars (under George H.W. Bush). With so many parallels between that moment and today, it is no surprise that we are witness to renewed attention on large scale group art exhibitions and what they signal for the broader social body. As we welcome spring this week, I am certain more and more attention will be paid to the awakening social conscience of the art world. Enjoy the links and take some time this week to celebrate the equinox. We all deserve some warmth!

"Could Blockchain Put Money Back in Artists’ Hands?"

artsy.net

"An Exhibition Inspired by Walter Benjamin’s ‘The Arcades Project’"

hyperallergic.com

"Finally, a Movie That Nails the Anxiety You Feel Texting"

wired.com

"Sesame Street Isn’t Just for Affluent Kids"

theatlantic.com

"New York graffiti tour turns the illicit underground into accessible art"

theguardian.com

"10 Artists Who Disrupt the Status Quo"

canadianart.ca

"The Cast and Creators of The Americans on Making a Show About Russian Spies During … Well, You Know"

vulture.com

"How Smart Women Got the Chance"

nybooks.com

"Liz Magor: Everyone Should Have a Studio | Art21 "Exclusive" (VIDEO)"

art21.com

"15 Essential Chuck Berry Songs (MUSIC)"

nytimes.com

Pablo Picasso, Reclining Woman Reading (1969) — Pablo Picasso, *Reclining Woman Reading* (1969)

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Roundup

March 12, 2017

This was one of those weeks in the academic year that I enjoy the most-- falling just after the crazed pace of midterms and before the new avalanche of year-end papers and projects. It is a time that provides enough pause to check in with students to see how their semester is progressing, while allowing for some productive reflection on what has and has not worked thus far in the term. This year I have been leading a wonderful seminar class titled "Film and the City," that has provided an opportunity to go back and re-visit some fantastic films that find new resonance for today's students through their form and content-- films such as Agnes Varda's Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962), Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express (1996), and Jennie Livingston's Paris is Burning (1990). I am reminded every time I teach an iteration of this course how powerfully the visual language and associations of specific urban spaces are communicated through and shaped by film culture. It is also uncanny how seamlessly some of these themes and ideas translate to new audiences, sometimes half a century later....

And some great news this week-- I was granted my Educational Leave for the 2017/18 academic year beginning this fall! The entire process of planning, assembling, and presenting my course of research and plans for the sabbatical was quite a challenge, and I am now looking forward to the opportunity to complete some in-process projects and get a few new ones off the ground. Feeling grateful and very excited for the months and year ahead.

"A New Vancouver Triennial Contends with Making Art in a Gentrified City"

hyperallergic.com

"How the Art World Took to the Streets for International Women’s Day"

artnet.com

"Disowning Ivanka: The Art World Stares Down the First Daughter"

artnews.com

"Jeff Koons plagiarised French photographer for Naked sculpture"

guardian.com

"Activists Spill Symbolic Oil at the Louvre to Protest Its Sponsorship Deal"

hyperallergic.com

"Gustav Metzger, ‘Auto-Destructive Art’ Provocateur, Dies at 90"

nytimes.com

"When Art Meets Power"

nybooks.com

"The New White Nationalism’s Sloppy Use of Art History, Decoded"

artnet.com

"Armory Show Art Fair, 2017 New York (VIDEO)"

jameskalmroughcut

"Times Talks | Depeche Mode (VIDEO)"

TimesTalks

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford on the set of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962). A new TV series, Feud, debuts on FX tonight that stars Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange playing the Hollywood icons and exploring their troubled relationship. — Bette Davis and Joan Crawford on the set of *Whatever Happened to Baby Jane* (1962). A new TV series, *Feud*, debuts on FX tonight that stars Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange playing the Hollywood icons and exploring their troubled relationship.

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Roundup

March 05, 2017

As I write this, I am looking out my window at a snow blizzard...in March.... in Vancouver.... sigh. And to think I was walking across the Brooklyn Bridge wearing only a t-shirt and basking in warm sunshine a few short weeks ago when I visited New York for the annual College Art Association Conference. I took many photographs while there that can be viewed here. Someone clearly mixed up our weather this year. One upside to all of this bad weather is the indoor time I have spent catching up on movies, books, and other media I have had piling up. Before last weekend's Academy Awards, I watched no less than five films to get up to speed on the nominations, and I was as floored as anyone else to see the grand finale mishap (delivered by Bonnie and Clyde-- Beatty and Dunaway-- no less!) on live television. While I was thrilled to see Moonlight take home the grand prize, I was disappointed that Isabelle Huppert was not given the Oscar for Best Actress for Elle, a performance that has quickly become my favourite of the past year. And speaking of great performances by actresses, I cannot wait to see the premiere episode of Ryan Murphy's Feud tonight. Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange playing Bette Davis and Joan Crawford? Yes please! Enjoy the links.

"How to Fix the Met: Connect Art to Life"

nytimes.com

"The Case for the Flâneuse"

theatlantic.com

"Big Little Lies brings a lifestyle blog to life, then murders it"

avclub.com

"The Market Is Changing What Art Looks Like"

arsty.net

"Marina Abramović’s First European Retrospective Reminds Us How She Reached Superstardom"

artnet.com

"A Brief History of the Art Collectives of NYC’s Chinatown"

hyperallergic.com

"As Duchamp’s ‘Fountain’ Turns 100: 14 Iconic Artworks It Inspired"

artnet.com

"Banksy Opens the “Walled Off Hotel” in Bethlehem"

thisiscolossal.com

"Feud: Inside Ryan Murphy’s Heartbreaking Tribute to Bette Davis and Joan Crawford"

vanityfair.com

"How to see the Russian Avant-Garde" (VIDEO)

moma.com

Andy Warhol, Statue of Liberty (1986) — Andy Warhol, *Statue of Liberty* (1986)

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Roundup

February 05, 2017

Another weekend, another set of global crises... it is starting to become all a bit too normalized, no? I found myself going down one too many rabbit holes on Twitter and Facebook this week as I attempted to research and follow-up on what bits of news were reliable and what could be dismissed as "fake news"-- the new pastime of many people on social media. Several circulating diagrams and articles have been making the rounds on my feeds and this concern for "alternative facts" presents academics with the perfect moment to reassert the importance of research, peer review, and critical discourse in the classroom. Whatever the motivation, I am energized to see so many students take seriously the stakes and consequences of our current political and communication climate. Enjoy the links and stay vigilant when it comes to the news and information you are consuming.

"Stop Problematizing Academic Jargon"

slate.com

"The Revolution Has Been Digitized: Explore the Oldest Archive of Radical Posters"

hyperallergic.com

"MoMA Takes a Stand: Art From Banned Countries Comes Center Stage"

nytimes.com

"Cinephiles will be jazzed by this supercut of all the film references in 'La La Land'"

mashable.com

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show and How Sitcoms Moved to the City"

theatlantic.com

"How the Fight to Own .Art Illustrates the Art World’s Inherent Contradictions"

artsy.net

"How Frederick Douglass Harnessed the Power of Portraiture to Reframe Blackness in America"

artsy.net

"Gerhard Richter’s Lost Cartoons"

nybooks.com

"What Makes Contemporary Photography Feminist and Queer? (VIDEO)"

moma.com

"The “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses … Ah, Screw It” Edition (PODCAST)"

slate.com

Gloria Steinem reading a passage from Sex and World Peace. Image courtesy of Women's Media Center. — Gloria Steinem reading a passage from *Sex and World Peace.* Image courtesy of Women's Media Center.

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Roundup

January 22, 2017

"Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves." This expression credited to the 19th century American philosopher, writer, and activist Henry David Thoreau reminds us how important, yet precarious and delicate, democracy can be. Over the weekend as millions of women, men, and children took the streets worldwide to raise awareness around women's issues and send a clear message to the new US president, I had many mixed emotions about the what the face of activist resistance and organization will look like in the years to come. On the one hand, it is astonishing how quickly word spread through social media channels since November to assemble the record-breaking crowds. Images, video, and other media saturated all communication formats in the 24 hour news and social media cycles following the marches-- a feat that in itself points to the democratic nature of the Internet. But on the other hand, I couldn't help wonder where these crowds had been when it really counted-- in the days and months leading up to Brexit, the US elections, and other moments of intervention over the past year(s) when a collective vote or voice could have turned the historical tides in different directions. There weren't clear demands being voiced by the weekend marchers-- something that reminded me of the splintered Occupy movement from a few years ago. I suppose it is the spectacle of the activist crowd in today's digitally mediated world that worries me most, and I hope that the disobedience part of Thoreau's equation can be exercised when cameras are not present. I also hope that this movement, in all of its impressive scale and potential, can become activated politically, and not just as a form of temporary, or worse, armchair activism. I also hope I am proved wrong and that this weekend was the blossoming of something remarkable and history changing. Enjoy the links and exercise your disobedience wherever possible this week :)