This section of our blog serves as documentation of the 5-week project of students in the Siena Art Institute’s Art and Society course led by visiting instructor Bernardo Giorgi in the Spring 2013 semester.  The project explored mapping and walking as artistic practices. Each student had their own page to document their work and reflections on the project.

The 13 students in the course came from the US, Macedonia, Albania, S.Korea, India, and Montenegro:

Anila Kondi
Marko Mujičić
Ilija Vukasović
Ivana Mircevska
Leigh Anna Cohen
Lori Lamberto
“Cian” (Ji Sun) Kim
Teal Baskerville
Jamie Baik
Sophia Miller
Ananya Sikand
Rebecca Rood Goldman
Joanne Barrett

The Art and Society course is part of the core semester program of the Siena Art Institute.  The goal of the class is to support students’ ongoing portfolio development, and to encourage students to employ their artistic practices in a holistic exploration of the intersection of art and civic life, and the roles art can play in a society. Course activities include discussions of assigned readings, viewing films, hands-on projects in a variety of disciplines, visits to galleries, museums, and other locations in the local area, presentations from guest artists and creative professionals, community collaborations, and assignments encouraging students to create art for public contexts (both individually and collaboratively). There is also an organized calendar of group critiques and individual advising sessions, to ensure that students are receiving constructive feedback about their developing portfolio of work. This course encourages students to think seriously about their roles as artists, and to break out of the “comfort zone” of their existing studio practices.

www.sienaart.org