agriART | Syllabus
AVT 496 | 599
School of Art | George Mason University
Professor: Mark Cooley
“…the way we eat represents our most profound engagement with the natural world. Daily, our eating turns nature into culture, transforming the body of the world into our bodies and minds.” – Michael Pollan
Course Description
The course brings together students with diverse interests and skills from a broad spectrum of academic programs in the interest of developing collaborative projects that explore the interdependence of our cultural and biological systems. The course proposes that, in particular, an examination of agricultural ecosystems offers an ideal site for artists working with ecological concerns. A look at the human food web reveals a series of sites and situations that dissolve the neatly divided concepts of nature and culture and open up opportunities for projects that work in the space between these opposing ideas. Every meal is a representation of our relationship with the land and the living things occupying it. But, it’s more than that. With every bite we are in fact consuming the land, becoming the land, as well as becoming the chemicals sprayed on it. With a single bite we become the nexus for a grand and elaborate cultural and biological project, the subject of decades of government policy, corporatization, marketing, branding, and so on, all tied up into the intricate (and often taken for granted) ritual of eating. The course takes a good look at the dominant food system at work on the planet today, investigates alternatives, and explores ways in which artists are challenging and inventing creative alternatives to industrial food culture.
SoA Green Studio
Located on the grounds of the Art and Design Campus, Green Studio offers artists a living studio for working on eco-cultural projects that interface with the campus public.
Course Requirements
Reading
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael PollanECOcentric Topics : Pioneering Themes for Eco-Art: (Series: Avant-Guardians: Textlets on Art and Ecology) by Linda Weintraub
Projects
The class will conceptualize and organize the production of several collaborative projects that respond to opportunities outlined by the professor during the initial class meetings. The class will form work groups around each project and divide the work equitably based on the interests and skills of group members. Projects will consist of several stages including: research & analysis, design, construction, documentation (media), and maintenance.Field Work
There will be two mandatory field trips scheduled for the course. We will organize transportation for those without.Attendance
Attendance and participation at all class meetings is mandatory and critical to the success of the class as a whole. In short WE NEED YOU. In the event of illness or emergency please notify the professor.Participation
Students will be expected to participate and contribute equitably to the development of projects in this course.
Assessment
There will be quarterly critical reviews with students. At this time students will present the work they have personally contributed to the class projects during the quarter and respond to questions and criticism from the professor and classmates. Critical reviews will engage student work from various perspectives taking into account the various definitions of effectiveness and quality offered by various disciplines. The interdisciplinary nature of the course necessitates a questioning and recreation over time of the standards of quality developed for independent studies. For example, what might qualify as an effective aesthetic choice in a given instance may not qualify as an effective ecological choice in the same instance. Evaluations will take these competing interests under consideration and begin to try to bridge these gaps by examining the ultimate cultural and biological goals established for each project and beginning to learn how to harmonize disparate standards of evaluation. Regardless of the philosophical dilemmas inherent to interdisciplinary discourse, students will be rewarded for hard work and consistent participation in the class. Following critical reviews, students will receive a letter grade representing their contribution to the class for the quarter. Contributions will be determined by reviewing each student’s participation (including attendance) and workload within the class, the quality and vigor of their work and the success to which they contribute to the collaborative process. Quarterly evaluations will be averaged to obtain a final grade. Letter grades represent the following:
A Work that represents an excellent contribution to the class. Work that is consistently conceptually vigorous and skillfully applied.
B Work that demonstrates a knowledgeable and creative understanding of relevant tools and concepts and contributes significantly to the class.
C Work that satisfactorily meets the requirements of a given project and displays adequate know-how.
D Work that may or may not meet the minimum requirements of the project and is unsatisfactory.
F Work that does not fulfill the requirements of the assignment, incomplete or excessively late, and/or work that displays very little effort and interest.
Important University Dates and Deadlines
Once the add and drop deadlines have passed, instructors do not have the authority to approve requests from students to add or drop/withdraw late. Requests for late adds (up until the last day of classes) must be made by the student in the School of Art office (or the office of the department offering the course), and generally are only approved in the case of a documented university error (such as a problem with financial aid being processed). Requests for non-elective withdrawals and retroactive adds (adds after the last day of classes) must be approved by the academic dean of the college in which the student’s major is located. For AVT/School of Art majors, that is the CVPA Office of Academic Affairs, Performing Arts Building A407.
Important School of Art Dates
ArtsBus
The dates for this fall’s ArtsBus trips are September 25, October 23, November 13.
– If you need ArtsBus credit for this semester, you MUST enroll in AVT 300 (CRN 72362, 72363, 72364) before September 14, 2010. Anyone who intends to travel to New York independently, or do the DC Alternate Assignment for credit MUST enroll in AVT 300. There will be NO exceptions. If you need multiple AVT 300 credits this semester, you must enroll in multiple sections of AVT 300. Please go to the ArtsBus website: http://artsbus.gmu.edu “Student Information” for additional, very important information regarding ArtsBus policy.Visual Voices Lecture Series
Visual Voices is a year-long series of lectures by artists, art historians and other art professionals that enriches the School of Art curriculum. Visual Voices lectures are held on Thursday evenings from 7:30- 9:00 p.m. in Harris Theater. The fall schedule includes four lectures:
September 30, 2010: Julie Belcher and Kevin Bradley, “Yee-Haw Industries, 32 Flavors of Gravy”
October 14, 2010: Enrique Chagoya, “Illegal Aliens Guide to Reverse Anthropology”
October 21, 2010: John Carson, “TimeLines”
December 2, 2010: John Mason, “ Art and Law”
University and School of Art Policies
As a courtesy to others in the class, and in accordance with George Mason University policy, please turn off all beepers, cellular telephones and other wireless communication devices at the start of class. The instructor of the class will keep his/her cell phone active to assure receipt of any Mason Alerts in a timely fashion; or in the event that the instructor does not have a cell phone, he/she will designate one student to keep a cell phone active to receive such alerts.
Commitment to Diversity
This class will be conducted as an intentionally inclusive community that celebrates diversity and welcomes the participation in the life of the university of faculty, staff and students who reflect the diversity of our plural society. All may feel free to speak and to be heard without fear that the content of the opinions they express will bias the evaluation of their academic performance or hinder their opportunities for participation in class activities. In turn, all are expected to be respectful of each other without regard to race, class, linguistic background, religion, political beliefs, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, veteran’s status, or physical ability.Statement on Ethics in Teaching and Practicing Art and Design
As professionals responsible for the education of undergraduate and graduate art and design students, the faculty of the School of Art adheres to the ethical standards and practices incorporated in the professional Code of Ethics of our national accreditation organization, The National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).Open Studio Hours
School of Art teaching studios are open to students for extended periods of time mornings, evenings and weekends whenever classes are not in progress. Policies, procedures and schedules for studio use are established by the AVT studio faculty and are posted in the studios.Students with Disabilities and Learning Differences
If you have a diagnosed disability or learning difference and you need academic accommodations, please inform me at the beginning of the semester and contact the Disabilities Resource Center (SUB I room 234, 703-993-2474). You must provide me with a faculty contact sheet from that office outlining the accommodations needed for your disability or learning difference. All academic accommodations must be arranged in advance through the DRC.Official Communications via GMU E-Mail
Mason uses electronic mail to provide official information to students. Examples include communications from course instructors, notices from the library, notices about academic standing, financial aid information, class materials, assignments, questions, and instructor feedback. Students are responsible for the content of university communication sent to their Mason e-mail account, and are required to activate that account and check it regularly.Attendance Policies
Students are expected to attend the class periods of the courses for which they register. In-class participation is important not only to the individual student, but also to the class as a whole. Because class participation may be a factor in grading, instructors may use absence, tardiness, or early departure as de facto evidence of nonparticipation. Students who miss an exam with an acceptable excuse may be penalized according to the individual instructor’s grading policy, as stated in the course syllabus.Honor Code
Students in this class are bound by the Honor Code, as stated in the George Mason University Catalog. The honor code requires that the work you do as an individual be the product of your own individual synthesis or integration of ideas. (This does not prohibit collaborative work when it is approved by your instructor.) As a faculty member, I have an obligation to refer the names of students who may have violated the Honor Code to the Student Honor Council, which treats such cases very seriously.No grade is important enough to justify cheating, for which there are serious consequences that will follow you for the rest of your life. If you feel unusual pressure about your grade in this or any other course, please talk to me or to a member of the GMU Counseling Center staff.
Using someone else’s words or ideas without giving them credit is plagiarism, a very serious Honor Code offense. It is very important to understand how to prevent committing plagiarism when using material from a source. If you wish to quote verbatim, you must use the exact words and punctuation just as the passage appears in the original and must use quotation marks and page numbers in your citation. If you want to paraphrase or summarize ideas from a source, you must put the ideas into your own words, and you must cite the source, using the APA or MLA format. (For assistance with documentation, I recommend Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference.) The exception to this rule is information termed general knowledge—information that is widely known and stated in a number of sources. Determining what is general knowledge can be complicated, so the wise course is, “When in doubt, cite.”
Be especially careful when using the Internet for research. Not all Internet sources are equally reliable; some are just plain wrong. Also, since you can download text, it becomes very easy to inadvertently plagiarize. If you use an Internet source, you must cite the exact URL in your paper and include with it the last date that you successfully accessed the site.
A note on art and digital technologies:
Digital technologies are particularly suited to copy, sample, or appropriate, mash etc. previously created content. Many artists (visual, audio and literary) have used these techniques quite successfully in order to parody, celebrate or otherwise comment on cultural icons and what they represent. As a class, we will discuss techniques such as these and their relevance to copyright law and the university honor code, but as a rule students should always be up-front and honest with the class and professor as to what visual content has been sampled and how it has been manipulated or rearranged in any given project. Failure to do so will be considered a honor code violation.Writing Center
Students who are in need of intensive help with grammar, structure or mechanics in their writing should make use of the services of Writing Center, located in Robinson A116 (703-993-1200). The services of the Writing Center are available by appointment, online and, occasionally, on a walk-in basis.
Course Outline
Changes to this outline are likely and will be announced in class and posted here.
T 8/31
Course introduction
Video – Food Inc.R 9/2
Site visit: Art and Design Building and surrounding areas
Video – The Future of Food
A brief history of agriArt
Discuss Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 1
Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 2 & 3T 9/7
Potluck
A brief history of agriArt
Discuss Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapters 2 & 3
Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 4R 9/9
A brief history of agriArt
Discuss Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 4
Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapters 5 & 6Saturday 9/11
Crop Mob at Neighborhood Farming InitiativeT 9/14
Project work – Conceptualizing & organizing projects
Discuss Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapters 5 & 6
Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 7R 9/16
Project work – Conceptualizing & organizing projects
Discuss Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 7
Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapters 8 & 9T 9/21
Site visit: GMU Organic Garden
Discuss Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapters 8 & 9
Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 10R 9/23
Project work
Discuss Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 10
Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapters 11 & 12T 9/28
1st Evaluation
Project work
Discuss Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapters 11 & 12
Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 13R 9/30
Project work
Discuss Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 13
Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapters 14 & 15T 10/5
Project work
Discuss Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapters 14 & 15
Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 16R 10/7
Video – Fresh
Discuss Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 16
Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapters 17 & 18Saturday 10/9
Polyface Farm TourT 10/12
Project work
Discuss Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapters 17 & 18
Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 19R 10/14
Project work
Discuss Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 19
Reading – Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapter 20T 10/19
Project workR 10/21
2nd Evaluation
Project work
Video – The GardenT 10/26
Project work
Discuss video – The GardenR 10/28
Project work
Video – Killer at LargeT 11/2
Project work
Discuss video – Killer at LargeR 11/4
Project work
Video – FlowFriday 11/5
Foraging trip and garden harvest with Bill MarableT 11/9
Project work
Discuss video – FlowR 11/11
3rd Evaluation
Project work
Video – Poisoned WatersT 11/16
Project work
Discuss video – Poisoned WatersR 11/18
Project work
Video – The World According to MonsantoT 11/23
Project work
Discuss video – The World According to MonsantoR 11/25
Project workT 11/30
Project workR 12/2
Project workT 12/7
50 mile potluckR 12/9
4th Evaluation
agriART | Resources
Projects
Molecular Invasion with Beatriz Da Costa 2002-04
Free Range Grain with Beatriz Da Costa 2003-04
GenTerra with Beatriz Da Costa 2001-2003
Cult of the New Eve – with Paul Vanouse, and Faith Wilding 1999-00
Invisible Earthlings 2008-09
Love is Strong as Death 2006
U-Gen-A-Chix 2003
Expo EmmaGenics 2001
Biopower! A Walking Tour of Biotechnology, University of Illinois 2004
Edible Estates 2005-Present
Biotech Campaigns 2001, 2007
FTAA
Plan Columbia
Humble Pile 2008-Present
Urbanforage 2006-present
Urban Homestead 2006-Present
Living Kitchen 2006-Present
Clean Livin’ 2005-Present
Greenhouses of Hope 2005-Present
rambling range
Field Trip
Nearest Nature 2008Headlands Garden Boat 2008
Victory Gardens 2007
Rainwater Harvester/Greywater System Feedback Loop 2007
Bingo Field 2006
F.R.U.I.T Network 2005
The Meadow Network 2008
Lemon Everlasting Backyard Battery 2008
Sonoma County Preserve 2006
Temescal Amity Works 2004-2007
NMS-Nature Matching System fruits sticker
NMS —Nature Matching System
SOS
The Rhizome
The Green Stewardship
Black Gold
Mobile Garden
Greenade
Grove Brownfield Cleanup
Autonomous Sustainability Demonstration
Bean In 2010
American Seed 2009
Project Grow 2008-Present
Industrial Harvest (more)
Living Barge with Nicole Kistler
The Enviromental Health Clinic + Lab
The Liz Christy Community Garden 1973 – Present
All Seasons Park, Vancouver – 1971
The (San Francisco) Diggers 1967-
The (English) Diggers 1649-1650
Collections
The RSA Arts and Ecology Centre
agriArt: Companion Planting for Social and Biological System
Sustainability Research Group – Eyebeam: Art and Technology Center
blogs
foodpolitics.com
civileats.com
guerrillagardening.org
arts & ecology
foodnotlawns.net
cityfarmer
Books & Articles
Is Capitalism Sustainable?: Political Economy and the Politics of Ecology, by Edited by Martin O’Connor
Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn. Second Revised Edition, Edited by Fritz Haeg
Ecovention: Current Art to Transform Ecologies, by Sue Spaid
Relational Aesthetics, by Nicolas Bourriaud
Guerrilla Gardening: A Manualfesto, by David Tracey
Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden And Your Neighborhood into a Community, By Heather Coburn Flores
Toolbox for Sustainable City Living: A do-it-Ourselves Guide, By Scott Kellogg, Stacey Pettigrew
Urban Wilds: Gardener’s Stories Of The Struggle For Land And Justice, Edited by Woelfe-Erskine
You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise, by Joel Salatin
Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal: War Stories From the Local Food Front,
by Joel SalatinThe Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, by Michael Pollan
Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health
by Marion NestleStuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System,
by Raj PatelAnimal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, by Barbara Kingsolver, with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver
Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty, by Mark Winne
Slow Food Nation’s Come to the Table: The Slow Food Way of Living, by Alice L. Waters (foreword), Katrina Heron (editor)
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, by Eric Schlosser
Chew On This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know About Fast Food,
by Eric SchlosserHarvest For Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating, by Jane Goodall
Food Inc. Karl Weber (editor)
“Manifesto for Maintenance Art—Proposal for an Exhibition,” Mierle Laderman Ukeles, 1969
“Leftovers / It’s about Time for Fresh Kills” Mierle Laderman Ukeles, 2002
Journal – Capitalism, Nature, Socialism
Movies
Dirt, Bill Benenson, Gene Rosow
The Garden, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
Food Inc., Robert Kenner
Fresh, Sofia Joanes
The Corporation, Joel Bakan, Jennifer Abbott & Mark Achbar
Poisoned Waters, Frontline, PBS
FLOW, Irena Salina
flowthefilm.comBlue Gold: World Water War, Sam Bozz
King Corn, Aaron Woolf
Fast Food Nation, Richard Linklater
The Future of Food, Deborah Koons Garcia
Killer at Large: Why Obesity is America’s Greatest Threat, Steven Greenstreet
Clips
Stuffed and Starved: As Food Riots Break Out Across the Globe, Raj Patel “The Hidden Battle for the World Food System” – Democracy Now
Michael Pollan on “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual” – Democracy Now
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All American Meal, Eric Schlosser – Democracy Now
“Bacon as a Weapon of Mass Destruction”, Arun Gupta, Dr. David Kessler – Democracy Now
“Omnivore’s Dilemma” Author Michael Pollan’s New Advice on Buying Food: “Don’t Buy Any Food You’ve Ever Seen Advertised”, Michael Pollan- Democracy Now
In Defense of Food: Author, Journalist Michael Pollan on Nutrition, Food Science and the American Diet, Michael Pollan – Democracy Now
Radical Nature – Environmental Activism
Radical Nature – Guerrilla Gardening with Richard Reynolds
Joel Salatin: Building Forgiveness into the System
Radical Nature – The Dalston Mill
Processes & How-to’s
composting
deq.state.va.us/waste/compost.html#twoVermiculture
deq.state.la.us/portal/default.aspx?tabid=2101
cityfarmer.org/wormcomp61.htmlPhytoremediation
ars.usda.gov/is/ar/archive/jun00/soil0600.htm
ars.usda.gov/pandp/people/people.htm?personid=949
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoremediation
youtube.com/watch?v=IabslL-SgqY
https://fcrevite.org/nvswcd/newsletter/phyto.htm
clu-in.org/download/remed/phytoresgude.pdf
plantbio.berkeley.edu/%7Eterry
satorimedia.com/fmraWeb/chin.htmRain gardens
co.arlington.va.us/Departments/EnvironmentalServices/epo/
EnvironmentalServicesEpoRainGarden.aspxWindow Farms
eyebeam.org/events/window-farms-how-to
windowfarms.orgChickens
http://urbanchickens.org
backyardchickens.comForest Gardening, Edible Landscaping, Urban Permaculture
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=659155658226666080#Backyard Permaculture
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=659155658226666080#docid=-918331001764551597High tunnels
hines.blogspot.com/2010/03/low-cost-high-tunnel-construction.html
ext.vt.edu/news/mediakits/releases/hightunnel.html
Groups
Slow Food DC
GMU Students for Workers Rights
Sustainability at Mason
Neighborhood Farm InitiativeCropMob
DC CropMob
Common Good City FarmBuy Fresh Buy Local VA
DC Urban Gardeners
Ecolocity DC
Guerrilla Gardening
Neighborhood Farm Initiative
Farms