ARTH 081. Uncovering Philadelphia’s Asian Art

Eligible for ASIA
What are the hidden (and not-so-hidden) histories of Asian and Asian American art in Philadelphia and its surrounding areas? Philadelphia is often associated with the American revolutions of independence, industrial production, and carb-focused foods such as pretzels and cheesesteaks. But its connections with Asian art, architecture, visual culture, and material culture are fundamental to its history and continue to impact its present. How can Asian and Asian American works of art in Philadelphia serve as objects for analysis and investigation, and open up pathways of inquiry? How and in what ways is art understood as “Asian,” and what strategies are at play in its making, display, and interpretation?

This course examines how Asian art and its situated contexts can illuminate the histories and tensions of global connections. It is also an introduction to the diverse interdisciplinary methods and concerns of art history, architectural history and material culture studies. Through in-class discussions and visits to site and collections, we will unpack the complex “social lives” of the case studies presented by Philadelphia’s many engagements with Asia, focusing mainly, though not exclusively, on connections to the arts of China, Japan and India. We will consider issues such as exchange between Asia and the Americas, constructions of “East” and “West,” the role of cultural intermediaries, exoticism and cultural appropriation, modernism and tradition in architecture and design, ideologies of nature, collecting, and museum practices, among others. The course will also feature study sessions and exhibition viewings of works of art such as Japanese prints, Asian-inspired French ceramics, and a variety of Asian and Asian-influenced textiles, in order to consider more broadly how issues of global exchange have shaped works of art, visual culture, and material culture. No prior knowledge of Asian art is required.

Arts and Humanities
1 credit.
Spring 2025. Eberhard.
Catalog chapter: Art History
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/art-history

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