ARHT5908 - The Business of Art (2006)

Postgraduate

 

Department: Art History and Theory School: School of Letters, Art and Media Semester(s): Semester 2 Credit Points: 6 Co-ordinator: Drs. Jennifer Milam and Julian Pefanis Email: jennifer.milam@arts.usyd.edu.au;julian.pefanis@arts.usyd.edu.au Telephone: 9351 4210 and 9351 69009

UoS Description

This unit of study introduces students to historical and theoretical perspectives on changing notions of value (aesthetic and monetary) in art markets, conflicts of interest in collecting and exhibiting works of art, ethical issues invloved in corporate sponsorship of exhibitions and prizes, corporate museums, funding issues in the private and public sectors, the rise of satellite museum collections (in places like Bilbao and Las Vegas), the relationship between art museums and tourism, and corporate justification of interventions in the art world.

UoS Objectives:

The UoS teaches historical, theoretical, and analytical methodologies related to the study of art markets, corporate sponsorship and the economics of art museums.

UoS Outcomes:

Students have acquired interdisciplinary perspectives on aesthetic, ethical, economic and histoical issues related to art markets and the politics of acquisition and display. Students are able to debate conflicts of interest and ethical issues related to collecting and exhibition practices by individuals, corporations and museums.

UoS Learning Situations:

Seminars ,  2 hours per week
2 hours per week

UoS Assessment:

Tasks will centre on individual case studies, involving empirical and theoretical analyses. 4000 - 5000 words (assignment, being a presentation of a case study + essay)

UoS Readings/References:

Mark W Rectanus, 'Culture Incorporated:Museums, Artists and Corporate Sponsorship' (University of Minnesota Press, 2002);
Chin-tao Wu, 'Privatising Culture:Corporate Art Intervention since the 1980s' (Verson, 2003)

Online Components:

Online components may include:
A listing of Lecture and Tutorial topics
Additional reading references
Assessment topics and assessment criteria

How the Online Components work with the rest of the UoS:

The on line component of this unit is optional. It provides a supplementary guide to information supplied in classes.

Minimum Requirements for Hardware/Software:

WEB BROWSERS:

* for Windows users( Microsoft IE 5.0 or higher, Netscape 6.2 or higher)

* for Macintosh users ( Microsoft IE 5.1 or higher, Netscape 6.2 or higher, Safari 1.2 or higher)

INTERNET CONNECTION: 56k modem