From Street Art to Contemporary Art: The evolution of a 21st Century art movement
Two-day practical and theoretical course
2 July 2016 10.30am - 5.30pm3 July 2016 10.30am - 5.30pm
The General Assembly Room, Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly
£360
Summer Exhibition 2016
Terms and conditions
Led by Cedar Lewisohn, internationally renowned curator, writer, artist and expert on street art, this course will introduce the historical origins of street art, focusing both on its evolution and creative approaches, style and mediums, as well as its emergence as a legitimate art movement and its place in the market today.
Street art and artists originate from a variety of commercial backgrounds, and underground cultures, including pop, punk, cyber, comics, fashion, hip-hop and skateboarding. Many artists base their work on iconographic designs and images, but the movement includes a diverse range of stylistic approaches, mediums and creative practices in a genre that is continuously evolving. Grounded in communities of practice, street artists have contributed to the colourful regeneration of forgotten and overlooked areas in both cities and urban landscapes, as well as smaller rural communities. By reflecting and commenting on their environment and society, street artists have gained both local and international attention.
The emergence of street art and its recognition as a legitimate and independent movement is one of the most exciting cultural developments of the past few decades. Today, thirty years after it first started appearing widely in our cities, art experts, along with curators, dealers and collectors have started treating street art as a legitimate artistic movement for the 21st century.
Street art is experiencing growing interest from key players across the art world, evolving into a new sector and marketplace. The move away from the street and into commercial galleries, art fairs and public spaces has generated both supporters and detractors but remains one of the most fascinating developments in the art world today.
About the Course
Taking place in the Royal Academy’s General Assembly Room, this weekend course analyses the history, origins and evolution of street art. Participants will be introduced to key people and players, the most important works, exhibitions and events, as well as the types of artistic practice behind the 21st century’s most debated art movement. The course charts key elements which have resulted in its gradual acceptance by the establishment and general public, as well as the commercial art world.
The morning sessions include a lecture and discussion led by Cedar Lewisohn. The first day explores street art and contemporary urban art from an historical, social and political perspective. The second day focusses on the commercial and market aspects of street art. The afternoon sessions include visits to and talks from leading street art dealers, commercial galleries and auction houses as well as tour of street art in the East End of London.
This course will provide:
• An introduction to the history and development of street art
• A complimentary ticket to the Summer Exhibition
• A street art guided tour in the East London Shoreditch area
• A visit to a Contemporary Urban Art Gallery
• A drinks reception at the end of the second day
The course will be held in the General Assembly Room – one of the grandest rooms of the Royal Academy and where the Royal Academicians meet to discuss the RA’s business. The General Assembly Room was originally a private room in the grand London Home of Lord Burlington, until the building was transformed by Samuel Ware into an elaborately gilded state room in 1815-8. When the Royal Academy moved to Burlington House in 1867, it was transformed by Richard Norman Shaw RA into the chamber for the General Assembly, the Academy’s governing body. With its beautifully gilded interiors, wooden floors and marble fireplaces, the magnificently restored 18th century room houses works from the Royal Academy Collection of British Art from the last 250 years, including Reynolds, Constable, Gainsborough and Hockney.
About the Tutor
Cedar Lewisohn
Cedar Lewisohn is an artist, writer and curator. He has worked on major museum projects for institutions including Tate Britain, Tate Modern and The British Council. Cedar is interested in various forms of exhibition platform, as well as experimental forms of writing, which can be used as a new way of understanding art. Cedar has recently been working at The Jan Van Eyck Academie, in Maastricht, where he has spent a year researching the role of the artist as curator and exploring how artists and curators can work together and better inform each other’s practice. During his time at the Jan Van Eyck, Cedar curated a number of exhibitions and events. He is also currently working on curatorial projects for The British Council and Fondazione Hangar Bicocca in Milan. Cedar regularly writes for artists’ catalogues and other print journals, as well as contributing to cultural programming at the BBC, Chanel 4 and BBC World. He is author of the publications Street Art: The Graffiti Revolution (Tate 2010) and Abstract Graffiti (Merrell, 2011).
This course is for you if:
• You have a general interest in contemporary art and are interested in learning more about the street art movement of recent years.
• You would like to deepen and enrich your knowledge with an expert perspective.
• You are interested in the current state of the street art market and possibility for collecting, curating or research.
• You enjoy the thrill of spending time walking around the East London area with an opportunity to see street art in its urban context.
• You are interested in the culture, sub-cultures, practice and artistic process of street art and its market.
• You are interested in understanding more about key artists, people, places and events in the street art movement as well as the most recent developments and trends in the field.
This course is suitable for enthusiastic beginners as well as those with previous knowledge and professional interest in the subject and also those with previous knowledge of street art who wish to develop their understanding further.
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