Syllabus

Ann Storey and Sarah Ryan

Winter 2001; 8 credits, upper division credit possible; Reference #: 00269P

Saturdays, 9-4:30 pm, Lecture Hall 5

The Quiet Revolution:

The Arts and Crafts Movement in America

What is the relationship among art, work and social justice? Was there a time when artistic concerns and labor issues were linked? How did art add a richer dimension to the fight for social justice? To answer these questions, this program will explore the connections between American art and labor during the exciting time of the 19th Century Arts and Crafts Movement. Both artists and workers rebelled against the dehumanization of work and the sterility of mass-produced goods caused by the Industrial Revolution. Revitalizing handicrafts, applied arts and architecture, this movement also strove to move control of production into the worker's own sphere.

By erasing the boundaries between arts and crafts and stressing simplicity and truth to materials, this movement became an important source for modern art. By working in the intersection between art and the social conscience, it directly influenced social realist WPA art of the 1930s. This program will study utopian settlements, such as "Home" and "Freeland" in the Puget Sound, that were established so that workers could live their ideals.

Credit will be awarded according to each student's individual focus, but could include labor studies, American art history, Pacific Northwest History, American history, analytical and/or creative writing, and visual art. We will take a field trip to Port Townsend, Washington, to see Victorian and Arts and Crafts architecture and visit the historical museum.

Student responsibilities

Full attendance at all class sessions; readings, short essays, written in response to the readings, seminar participation and facilitation, field trip, a final research paper (5-7 pages) or art project and short presentation about your project; self and faculty evaluation. You will exchange your essays with another student as well as turning them in to your faculty seminar leader, so bring at least two copies to class each time. Your essays should be 1- 2 pages, typed, in which you state clearly the author's main thesis and your response to this thesis. Your essay must also include ideas/issues gleaned from the text that you want to discuss in seminar.

The final project addresses the question, "How can I use what I have learned in this program to respond to today's world?" In answering this question, your project can be either a research paper or an art project that focuses on a specific issue, craftsperson or architect related to the program themes that you bring up to date and make relevant to today's world. If you choose to do an art project it should be accompanied by a short paper (2 pages typed) explaining your methods/thoughts/sources in creating your piece. Your art project can be in any medium and must be comparable in scope to a 5-7 page research paper. All student work should be assembled into a portfolio and turned in the last day of class.

Contact Sarah at sarahr@igc.org or (360) 867-6720. Sarah's office hours are Fridays, 3- 6 pm or by appointment in Library 2108. Contact Ann at (360) 867-5008 or email: ann.storey@gte.net Ann's office hours: Mondays, 5-6 pm or by appointment in Library 3221.

Books:

The Art That Is Life : The Art & Crafts Movement in America, 1875-1920, by Wendy Kaplan; Utopias on Puget Sound, 1885-1915, by Charles Pierce Lewarne; Art and Labor: Ruskin, Morris, and the Craftsman Ideal in America, by Eileen Boris; The Story of Utopias, by Lewis Mumford; Articles: "Home: No Place Like It," from The Last Wilderness, by Murray Morgan (pp. 101-121); "The Rise of Radicalism," (pp 1-28) from Revolution in Seattle, by Harvey O'Connor, "Time, Work Discipline and the Rise of Industrialism Capitalism," by E. P. Thompson.