IAHIS 5250 History of Public Art, Monuments & Memorials
Since antiquity, public art, monuments and memorials have taken various forms and served different purposes. This course explores the history, language and meaning of public art, historic monuments and memorial sites as they have appeared across time and cultures. Towards this end, students will consider a broad range of objects, structures and sites. In so doing, students will consider the following questions: How do we define public art? In what ways do monuments and memorials shape our understanding of history and culture? How do they serve to commemorate our past and mediate our sense of identity on both an individual and collective basis? How do monuments and memorials engender different forms of power, privilege and ideology? How do these sites inform our values and beliefs? And finally, how might our conception of public art, monuments and memorials evolve over time and with the development of new technologies?