Course syllabus

ARTHIST 730 A&B

Writing and Curating Maori and Pacific Art

SEMESTER 1 and 2, 2019

30 points

Course Convenor and Teacher:

Dr. Caroline Vercoe

c.vercoe@auckland.ac.nz

Course delivery format:

2 hour class session Thursday 11-1pm in 206-214 (Arts 1, Room 214)

 Summary of Course Description:            

This course highlights the intersections, relationships and connections between a wide and diverse range of Maori and Pacific art forms, including performance, tapa cloth, body adornment and contemporary gallery based art practices, and cultural concepts like Talanoa (open ended dialogue), Ta (temporal), Va (spatial), Kastom (customary practices) and Turangawaewae (‘a place to stand’, a sense of belonging or association grounded in one’s genealogy and tied to a particular place). It firmly positions Maori and Pacific artists, key exhibitions and art writers within an intersectional art historical framework, indigenous knowledge systems and the contemporary, global world. 

Themes explored include indigenous and migrant voices, memory and notions of belonging, popular culture and its interface with gallery practices, and stereotypes and representation. Themes and issues are discussed alongside relevant Pacific writers and theorists, including Ngahuia Te Awekotuku, Albert Wendt and Epeli Hau’ofa.

Recommended Readings:

• Nigel Borell, ed. Te Atinga, 25 Years of Contemporary Maori Art. Auckland: Toi Maori Aotearoa, 2014.
• Peter Brunt, Nicholas Thomas, eds.  Art in Oceania: A New History.  London: Thames and Hudson, 2012.
• Hirini Moko Mead and Bernie Kernot, eds. Te Maori. Maori Art from New Zealand Collections, Auckland: Heinemann, 1986.
• Queensland Art Gallery. My Country, I Still Call Australia Home: Contemporary Art from Black Australia. South Brisbane, 2013.

 Assessment Summary:

Seminar and Presentation:    25%

Essay:                                    35%

Case Study:                           25%

Art Writing or Review:           15%

100% Coursework         

Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.

Weekly Topics:

The weekly programme can be accessed on Canvas under Modules.

Course information, bibliography and resources such as power points can be found on Canvas under Modules.