Mar 28, 2024  
2021 - 2022 University Catalog 
    
2021 - 2022 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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AAH 560 - The Newport Seminar


Prerequisites: None
The course will examine the history of American arts through the study of the material culture of Newport, Rhode Island. Newport’s history, like any other, can be written in more than one way. On the one hand, Newport is a microcosm of the development of the fine arts in America. In this version of the history, the aesthetic development of Newport reaches its zenith in the Gilded Age. However, this interpretation of Newport’s history omits much. Newport’s story is shaped by many - and not all of them are elites. We will examine the “thick” history of Newport by looking not only at high style arts but also at commonplace objects as well. We will develop an understanding of the making of a specific place over a long span of time, from the colonial period to the present. In creating our history, we will take an interest in a broad spectrum of the arts. American arts flourished in Newport. We will look at architecture and landscapes as well as at painting, sculpture, art glass, and furniture. Our goal is not only to recognize works of art as exemplars of a specific style but also to understand who made the objects and why.

3 credits

Annually



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