New Myths in Black and Indigenous Art and Film: Feminine Paths to Becoming

In this 4-week course, mythologist and multidisciplinary artist Dr. Li Sumpter offers a breakdown of the Heroine’s Journey model evident in aesthetic and archetypal patterns in contemporary art and film narratives.

The class will explore the journey through works from Taking Space: Contemporary Women Artists and the Politics of Scale and select films featuring female protagonists of African and indigenous descent inspired by the exhibition.

For the fourth and final class, Feminine Paths to Becoming: A Visual Vernacular, we will look at how cultural myths originating from a certain time, place and people speak to that people’s unique experience in the world. Could the same be said about the art and film of the current era? Does a visual vernacular exist among contemporary artists and filmmakers representing young girls on the journey to becoming their best, authentic selves? This final class explores possibilities both promising and problematic when it comes to codifying culture and following old patterns that don’t always connect.