What makes an exceptional socially-engaged public artwork or project? For those who practice in the field, the question invites careful consideration of aesthetics, process, participation, staging, and interpretation. Across the better part of the last decade, this line of inquiry has fueled the work of Monument Lab, a public art and history studio based in Philadelphia. With deep roots and close ties to the Department of Fine Arts's Center for Public Art and Space, and methods interanimating contemporary art and pedagogy, Monument Lab works with artists, students, activists, municipal agencies, and cultural institutions on exploratory approaches to public engagement and collective memory. The Monument Lab course in Fine Arts explores the theoretical study and practical applications of public art. The course operates as a socially-engaged "civic studio" to engage case studies, debate key issues in the field, meet with artists and practitioners, conduct site and studio visits, and practice direct methods for producing individual and collaborative public projects. Focusing on the intersection of theory and practice, the praxis course highlights engaged methods piloted by Monument Lab in citywide exhibitions and special projects, especially to focus on themes and models for participation, public engagement, co-creation, curation, temporary installation, and socially engaged art-making. Each student will embark on a semester-long independent project, as well as participate in a group initiative centered on a current Monument Lab project in Philadelphia to gain experience in the field of socially-engaged public art.
Refer to Penn Course Search for the official roster and details of courses offered in a particular term.
