Course overview
Culture and creativity are built through collecting and connecting ideas, objects, people and experiences across time and space. Throughout human history we have collected from family heirlooms, to works of art, and exotic animals. This course explores this complex history using case studies from around the globe, and from students own lives. What inspires people to collect Does collecting spark creativity How have the collections of key cultural institutions come into being and what biases were at play in their development Using The Art of Collecting as a broad conceptual lens to think through the way cultural industries like festivals, galleries and archives present creative work, students will examine how meaning is derived from the ways that different creative works are brought together, combined, or excluded. The Art of Collecting questions how we can use collections today to tell stories of the past, to create meaning, and to inspire new creative and cultural works.
Course learning outcomes
- Critically evaluate the history, practice and politics of collecting and the ongoing impact of these legacies for cultural institutions and communities.
- Show an understanding of how objects move into, through and out of cultural institutions.
- Think critically about the ways in which the GLAM sector uses collections to tell stories about the past, present and future.
- Show an understanding of the legacy of collecting including the contemporary ethical, practical and environmental considerations.