Courses & Curriculum
Sample Courses & Curriculum
American Art: Colonial to 1900
This course examines the ways in which artists represented “America.” Beginning with the Colonial era, we explore selected themes and issues in American art to 1900. Emphasis is placed on how the works of art can help us understand our history, how studying that history provides a deeper understanding of the works of art, and how art worked to create diverse national identities.
Art + Land: Artists Engage the Environment
Building on Chatham’s commitment to sustainability, this course examines human engagement with nature and the landscape through the visual arts, from the Renaissance to contemporary times. Particular attention is paid to the development of landscape painting and photography, Land Art of the 1970s, and artists who work sustainably today.
Curating African Art and Artifacts
This course explores the rich diversity of art across sub-Sahara Africa from the Paleolithic era to today. It focuses on cultures from West, Central, and East Africa to complement the holdings of the University’s outstanding Olkes Collection of African Art, which includes more than 600 objects. Class lecture, discussion, and student projects use works from the collection, resulting in a student-prepared exhibition of the Olkes Collection in the Susan Bergman Gurrentz ’56 Art Gallery.