AHVS 121 Understanding Visual Communication

Winter 2020 Assignment 6

We at UVic acknowledge with respect the Lekwungen peoples on whose traditional territory the University of Victoria stands, and the Songhees,
Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.

Over the last few classes we’ve started discussing the connections between art history and other disciplines.
This assignment is to download a copy of the Coast Salish Art Guide for the Cornett Building and consider your experiences in following the self-
guided tour. There is no formal tutorial on March 4, to give you time to do this tour on your own.

The tour guide can be found HERE.
(If the link doesn’t work (they keep moving stuff), search “Cornett art tour” – it should be the first topic that gives you the PDF link). Note that
they also move the art around, so it’s not always an exact guide, but it should provide some reference to the permanent and variable installations.

How do you perceive the various types of art? (for example, would you have considered the doors? even looked at them? what do you consider is
the significance of having art incorporated into this specific location?). What was your favourite piece? Why did it have resonance for you?
Studies of First Nations arts are often linked with Social Sciences, in particular Anthropology (as
opposed to most other cultures, predominately studied in Art or Art History). How do you perceive
this connection? Do you think it is (the most) appropriate? (Note: this paper isn’t
oriented towards cultural appropriation, but concepts of culture in relation to disciplinary silos.)

What does it mean to you to have art around UVic?
Are you now more aware of the other painting and sculpture on campus?
Do you feel that First Nations art on display elsewhere around campus “reads” differently in those
other environments? Why or why not?

The goals of the assignment are to:
1) to consider the issues and concerns of interdisciplinary viewing

2) to consider the issues associated with “dominant readings” of the arts (here the implicit link
between First Nations arts and Anthropology)

3) to experience some of the art embedded into the campus experience

Write a short paper, minimum 750 words, due to me by email ddudley@uvic.ca
Before Monday March 16, 2020 at 3:30PM.
Please see course outline for important details on how to format & submit assignments.

http://www.uvic.ca/socialsciences/assets/docs/CornettCoastSalishArtGuide2

mailto:ddudley@uvic.ca

mailto:ddudley@uvic.ca

http://www.uvic.ca/socialsciences/assets/docs/CornettCoastSalishArtGuide2