Art and Power: Creativity in Revolutionary Times | Philip Nickel
Philip Nickel
SAA is excited to present two free lectures by local Art History teacher Philip Nickel. Philip has been teaching Art History for the last 22 years at Sprague High School. He describes his experience with developing an art history program at Sprague as a unique opportunity that’s been incredibly rewarding, adding that, “Having been dragged to museums from the time I could walk, I discovered that art history was a natural outgrowth of my political, literary, and cultural interests.”
We are kicking off our adult programming with this two-part art history lecture series with additional programming and workshops to be announced this spring. You may register for one or both sessions. Click here to register
Session 1: Identity Politics – Power and Authority
APRIL 16, 2025
6:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M.
This section will survey art as a political statement of power and authority. It considers how governments and leaders express concepts to a public and how that messaging can be interpreted
Examples:
- Flavian Amphitheater / Pantheon
- Houdon’s Washington / Greenough’s Washington
- Henry VIII / Martin Luther
- President Obama / King George
- Oregon State Capitol / Governor Portraits
Session 2: Identity Politics – Resistance and Rebellion
MAY 14, 2025 | 6:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M.
This section will survey art as a form of rebellion against power and authority. It considers how individuals express resistance to a variety of forms of power and how art is used to question authority. Special attention is paid to contemporary artworks.
Examples:
- Kara Walker / Lorna
- SimpsonYinka
- Shonebare
- Basquiat
- Ai Weiwei
- Paul Revere’s Boston Massacre
- Guerilla Girls
- Richard Serra’s
- Abu Ghraib
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