Art History Track
The Curriculum
Global Modernism
Instructor: Nicole Coffineau
The aim of this course is to explore the history and discourses of modern art, modernism, and the
avant-garde via the social and theoretical questions understood to have driven the development
of artistic modernism around the globe from roughly 1789 to 1968. The course will be organized
according to four major lenses of inquiry: “Aesthetic Categories within Social Art Histories,”
“Formalism and Autonomy,” “Perception and Artistic Production,” and “the Role of the Mind,
or, the Beholder’s Share.” Each of these lenses, or themes, will be driven by a set of readings,
images, and key terms that together constitute “conversations,” or orientations toward the history
of modern art. An aim of this course is to enable students to identify and ultimately enter into
focused, art-historical conversations and to understand their positioning within the broader
discourse. However, because there is a fair amount of conceptual overlap among the course’s
themes, the foremost goal is to enable critical analysis of modern, visual artworks from multiple
perspectives, or within multiple frameworks. In considering the many, dynamic engagements of
theory, history, and visual artworks, this course will provide not only a strong knowledge of
modern art, modernism, and the avant-garde, it will also help students develop a sense of the
methods used to study the histories and theories of modern art.
Time: Mon, Tues, Wed, and Thurs 9:30 AM- 12:00 PM EST
Thurs afternoons from 2:00- 4:30 PM EST
Art History of the Exploited Feminist Self
Instructor: Sarah Hoover
This course will teach a history of feminist artists from the 1960s forward who have used their own trauma in their art, and explore how that has led to their personal and professional growth. Does making art out of trauma lead to exploitation of the self? Does exploitation of the self lead to empowerment? How have feminist artists navigated systems meant to oppress them, and can they operate within these systems successfully? We will explore how the trauma informed personal story can be utilized for art making, fame building, accumulation of resources and healing, and how this can be both beneficial and compromised.
We will visit galleries, museums and internationally recognized artists’ studios—a triple threat of experience normally not available to the public. Class will be a mix of traditional art history lecture and discussions of our visits, assigned texts, and works viewed.
Time: Mon, Tues, Wed, and Thurs 9:30 AM- 12:00 PM EST
Thurs afternoons from 2:00- 4:30 PM EST
History of Photography 1839-1945
Instructor: Nicole Coffineau
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the big questions associated with photography
and its history as an art form, a technology, and a mode of social and cultural communication. By
the end of this course, students will have a rich understanding of the history of the emergence of
photography and photographic theory. They will be able to engage with aesthetic, technological,
and social discourses surrounding photography’s invention and development from 1839 through
the second World War. Students will be able to relate theory with the practice of photography,
and understand the roles photography plays in the histories of art, society, and communication.
Time: Mon, Tues, Wed, and Thurs 9:30 AM- 12:00 PM EST
Thurs afternoons from 2:00- 4:30 PM EST
The Program and Structure
Want to learn about the history of art and self-expression while immersing yourself in New York City's art world? In our Art History Track, students learn how art has occurred through different mediums at various points in history through a feminist lens. Students will also visit important museums, galleries and explore the thriving art world in New York City, while engaging in different projects.
Program Structure
This track is residential with the option of commuting. Classes take place on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 9:30 AM- 12:00 PM and Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 2:00- 4:30 PM EST. Enrichment and student life activities will be held in both the early day and evening time frames (10am EST- 8pm EST).
The Instructors
Sarah Hoover
Art History of the Exploited Feminist Self
Sarah Hoover is an art historian, writer, cultural critic and consultant. She holds a masters degree in Cultural Theory from Columbia and a BA in Art History from NYU, and spent the first thirteen years of her career at Gagosian, the world’s largest contemporary art gallery.
Based in New York, Sarah straddles the art, fashion, dance, food, non profit and literary worlds. She is on the fundraising committee at Recess Art and she co-founded the Accelerator Committee at American Ballet Theater. Art Production Fund, Coalition for the Homeless, and Sky High Farm Foundation are other non profits with which she partners to help with fundraising and advocacy.
Her first book, The Motherload, will debut in 2023.
You can read her most recent articles in Vogue, New York Magazine’s The Strategist, and Mother Tongue Magazine.
Nicole Coffineau
Global Modernism
History of Photography 1839-1945
Community Office Hours
Each Monday at 2:00 PM EST students are invited to meet with any member of our Pre-College Programs team. Office hours are meant to mimic the PCP’s open door office policy and give students a space to meet with instructors, course assistants, or a professional staff member.
Bridging Curriculum and Community
Community Building Programming
We believe student life does not start and end in the classroom. Each night after class students can choose from 2-3 evening activities led by our Program Assistants.
Program Assistants
Program Assistants are current Barnard students who manage small cohorts of student teams. Your PA is a resource for you to ask questions about non academic issues (remember: your Course Assistant is your point of contact for academics). PAs plan and facilitate nightly community building activities such as self care nights, Netflix parties, Broadway shows, and much more.