A framed U.S. flag hanging on a white wall ©Anthony Delanoix / unsplash.com

American History through Art

Friday, March 8, 2024, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This seminar will take place in Amerikahaus. A livestream with possibility for active participation is also available. Upon registration, please select only one participation format.

Speaker: Dr. Bärbel Harju, LMU Munich

From Dorothea Lange to Carrie Mae Weems, from Andy Warhol to Kehinde Wiley, this seminar examines American history through the lens of art. We will focus on the history of American visual art and the contingent cultural forces and historical contexts in which American styles and movements emerged. Taking the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair as a starting point and ending with the 2017 Whitney Biennial, we will take a closer look at how art movements reflect the rapid cultural and political changes in American society during the 20th and early 21st centuries. We will discuss key movements like early American Modernism, the art of the Harlem Renaissance, Regionalism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Neo Expressionism as well as the emergence of Feminist Art, Black Art, the Chicano Movement, and the American Indian Movement (AIM). Last but not least, we will explore contemporary art in the context of protest movements of the 21st century: ACT UP, Occupy Wall Street, March for Our Lives, the #Metoo Movement, and #BlackLivesMatter.

Schedule:
09:00 Introduction: Art and the “American Century”
09:30 Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair, Early American Modernism, and the Quest for Identity  
10:00 From the Harlem Renaissance to a New Deal for American Art
10:30 Coffee Break
11:00 Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Neo-Expressionism
11.30 Culture Wars: Black Art Movement, Feminist Art, Chicano Movement, and AIM
12:00 Contemporary Social Movements and Art
13.00 Open Discussion
14:00 End



Registration fee: € 10 per teacher seminar. Please note that the registration fee is due upon registration and can only be reimbursed after submitting a doctor's note or when the format of the seminar changes the way teachers can participate.

Please register via our registration form. We have announced the seminar on FIBS but do not have open registration there.
FIBS: Stiftung Bayerisches Amerikahaus gGmbH


Photo above: © Andy MacMillan / unsplash.com

Bärbel Harju ©FOS Karlsfeld

About Bärbel Harju

Dr. Bärbel Harju is an assistant to the President at LMU Munich. She earned her PhD in American Cultural History from LMU in 2011 and held research and teaching positions in the Department of American Studies from 2011 until 2020, focusing on popular culture, music, and the history of protest movements. In 2015, she founded the Writing Center at LMU Munich and served as its director until 2019. In addition to her role at LMU Munich, she works as a freelance writing coach, offering workshops on academic writing and individual consultations for students and doctoral candidates.

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Amerikahaus – Bavarian Center for Transatlantic Relations

Karolinenplatz 3, 80333, Munich

Sarah Ackermann

Leiterin Recherchezentrum, Programme Schüler*innen und Lehrkräfte

E-Mail
ackermann@amerikahaus.de
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Telefon
089 55 25 37-20