ARTH5576

Get to know the “outsiders” -- people who spent their lives making art without an interest in the mainstream art world. Study visionaries like Henry Darger, Bill Traylor, Vivian Maier, Daniel Johnston, Clementine Hunter, and Martín Ramírez. Dive into environments like Dr. Evermore’s Forevertron in Wisconsin and The Orange Show in Texas. Our goal in this class is to look at non-traditional art made between 1900 and today, in all regions of the U.S., and to ask questions about the various factors that lead to its marginalized status in the art world.

In learning about so-called outsider art, we will use methods drawn from art history, cultural geography, religious studies, folklore, ethnomusicology, race and disability studies, and museum studies. Throughout the semester, you will learn the skills of visual analysis, archive- and object-based research, and writing for public audiences. The final project involves conducting original research on an artist or artwork of your choosing, and communicating your findings in a final project that will take the form of your choice (e.g., podcast, online exhibition, visual artwork, traditional academic paper, etc.).

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