Undergraduate - UnitATS2019 - Perspectives on Indigenous Art: Production, meaning and symbolism

The aim of this unit is to explore the ways early and recent Indigenous art relates to peoples' cultural identity, history and traditions. The unit also seeks to learn how art communicates or encodes information about various aspects of Indigenous cultures. Subject matter to be discussed will be drawn primarily from Australia and supplemented with comparative material from other regions including Aotearoa (New Zealand), North America, and southern Africa. On successful completion of the unit students will be able to:

1. develop an appreciation and understanding of the cultural heritage value of Indigenous art in a global sense;
2. demonstrate sound knowledge of the major forms of Indigenous art, their antiquity and their social function;
3. demonstrate an awareness for how different forms of art act(ed) to construct and/or reinforce Indigenous identity;
4. compare, contrast, and critically analyse key interpretive frameworks and techniques through which Indigenous art is (and has been) perceived;
5. discuss and comprehend the changes to Indigenous artistic traditions that occurred through contact with the 'other' (e.g. Europeans, Macassans);
6. demonstrate an understanding of the historical development and social context of major Indigenous artistic traditions.