The accepted prerequisite for ART425 is ART216 Studies in Visual Culture.  If you will have completed ART216 by the start of the Spring semester and would like to add ART425 to your Spring schedule, email mberry@umbc.edu for a prereq override.

ART425 will be taught this Spring by Mark Durant on Tuesdays from 10am to 12:30.  The course counts toward the Art History options in the Visual Arts core or as an ART elective.  ART425 also satisfies the University WI (writing intensive) requirement and counts toward the upper level total.

How do artists engage in the practice of writing about their own and others’ artwork? What are the conventions curators follow in formulating theses statements for art exhibitions and in writing labels for the art objects on display in a show or a museum? What is entailed in producing an effective piece of art criticism? Students in this seminar grapple with these questions on a practical level by reading published works by artists, curators and critics, and by carrying out a range of weekly writing exercises. On a more philosophical level, the goal of the course is to become so comfortable with writing about art that to do so becomes more of a matter of desire than duress. The course will be conducted as a small seminar with weekly discussions and written assignments. Note Note: individual goals may be established with the instructor.