DIVST300 Brazil: Summer Arch Studio
August 3–23, 2008

Starting with the anthological Week of Modern Art of 1922 and culminating with the construction of one of the most significant utopias of the XX century, Brazil is paradigmatic of the new and the modern. Historically Brazil has been fertile territory for the intersection and dialogue between different artistic manifestations in literature, music, and the visual arts: photography, film, painting, sculpture, and architecture. These interrelated modes of cultural expression help define Brazilianness - as opposed to the Western canon - and create a compelling debate between national / cosmopolitan, rural / urban, and central / peripheral. This dialogue established between the artistic tradition of Brazil and the avant-garde languages of Europe at the dawn of last century will act as a foil for a series of explorations, physical and conceptual, in which students engage during their short but intense time there. Aug 3-9, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte (to be confirmed). Aug 10-16, Exploring Sao Paulo. Field trip to Brasilia Aug 17-23, Sao Paulo workshop at Escola da Cidade. This course fulfills 3 credits of Diversity Studies Seminar, Diversity Studies Studio, or Architecture Studio.