Community Art: Practice and Theory (2025/2026: Periode 3)

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Cursusdoel

After completing this course, participants should have:

1. a well-developed understanding of the range of practices that comprise community art around the world;
2. a firm theoretical grounding in the various theoretical and art-historical debates that have shaped both the thinking on and practices of community art in the contemporary moment;
3. an understanding of the work of community artists in relation to urban life, municipal and state governance, local politics and activism;
4. a basic knowledge of the audiovisual techniques and qualitative research methods necessary to conduct research on community art and artists.

After completing the course, participants will be able to:

1. hold informed perspectives and engage in scholarly and mainstream debates on issues arising out of community art and its various forms of social intervention;
2. develop their own theoretical/activist/practitioner perspectives on community art;
3. understand the conceptualization and creative processes involved in community art-making;
4. conduct primary qualitative and audiovisual research on community art practices, particularly in urban contexts;
5. clearly articulate and present their ideas, concepts and research findings in written and oral form, in a video presentation and in an expository paper.

Vakinhoudelijk

This course provides the student with a critical introduction to the practical and theoretical dimensions of community arts. Community arts can be loosely defined as a way of creating art in which professional artists collaborate more or less intensively with people who do not normally actively engage in the arts. The basis for this practice is a carefully constructed and maintained reciprocal relationship between artists and non-artists, from which original, innovative and socially relevant art emerges. Community art involves all arts disciplines and can be found in all corners of the world: in immigrant working-class areas, in prisons, in rural communities, in (former) war zones, etc. In the Netherlands, for example, it is a rapidly expanding field that operates mostly, but not exclusively, outside of the mainstream or avant-garde. Because it challenges traditional notions of (autonomous) art-making, community art reconfigures existing art theory and criticism in an attempt to validate itself both socially and culturally. The course familiarizes students with the diversity of community arts practices around the world and with the wide range of scholarly perspectives on community arts. As small, multilingual research teams, students will conduct fieldwork in ongoing community arts projects in Utrecht or elsewhere in the Netherlands, film their results, and present this video to the class.

This course is part of the minor Creative Cities.

LAS and TCS students who follow this course as part of the core curriculum of their major, need to complete a compulsory preparation course/assignment. See for more information: https://tcs.sites.uu.nl/

Aanvullende informatie

This course has priority rules and a waiting list. Your enrolment is guaranteed if you
- are a student in the BA Liberal Arts and Sciences or Taal- en Cultuurstudies and this course is part of your specialisation (kernpakket)
- are enrolled in the Creative Cities minor
- are an exchange student and meet the course’s entry requirements
In all other situations, you will be placed on a waiting list if you enrol in this course. For any remaining slots in the course, lots are drawn among the students on the waiting list.


Please note: the time slot shown here is not yet final, and may still be modified until the third Wednesday in September.

Werkvormen

Hoorcollege
Voorbereiding

Carefully and critically read the assigned texts before class.

Werkcollege
Toelichting

During the plenary sessions (which last 2 hours), students will be introduced to practical examples of community art and key theoretical concepts that relate to community art worldwide. In the laboratory sessions (also 2 hours long), students will receive training in audiovisual documentation (mobile journalism) and field research (ethnography, observation, interviews). From the fifth week on, students will be expected to conduct field research in groups in ongoing community art projects.

Bijdrage

Active participation in discussions, good team work (thoughtful towards international students, being prepared to pull one's weight), a sensitive attitude towards the hosts during the field work stage, and productive collaboration in preparing the presentations. This is an intensive course that requires: active participation in discussions; efficient and fully co-operative team-based fieldwork (involving deep inter-cultural awareness and sensitivity between local and international students).

Voorbereiding

Exchange students are expected to be able to critically respond to complex English language texts. Their spoken and written English needs to be excellent in order to fully engage in this module.

Toetsing

Paper

Verplicht | Weging 50% | Minimum cijfer 5,5 | ECTS 3,75

Portfolio

Verplicht | Weging 50% | Minimum cijfer 5,5 | ECTS 3,75

Ingangseisen en voorkennis

Ingangseisen

Er is geen informatie over verplichte ingangseisen bekend.

Voorkennis

General knowledge about art & society in the student's country of origin.

Voorkennis kan worden opgedaan met

Visiting community art projects in the students' city of residence.

Voertalen

  • Engels

Cursusmomenten

Gerelateerde studies

Thema's

Tentamens

Er is geen tentamenrooster beschikbaar voor deze cursus

Verplicht materiaal

  • READER
    Different journal texts and book chapters will be made available online or on Brightspace.

Aanbevolen materiaal

Er is geen informatie over de aanbevolen literatuur bekend

Opmerkingen

This course has priority rules and a waiting list.

Coördinator

S. Sprenger MA S.Sprenger@uu.nl

Docenten

dr. T.U. Schmidt t.u.schmidt@uu.nl
S. Sprenger MA S.Sprenger@uu.nl

Inschrijving

Deze cursus is open voor bijvakkers. Controleer wel of er aanvullende ingangseisen gelden.

Inschrijving
Van maandag 3 november 2025 tot en met vrijdag 21 november 2025

Na-inschrijving
Van maandag 19 januari 2026 tot en met dinsdag 20 januari 2026

Inschrijving niet geopend
Permanente link naar de cursuspagina
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