History of Art and Architecture

Reflections on the Viral Image

Wednesday, February 14, 2024 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Alison Langmead and Chris Nygren
202 Frick Fine Arts

In the fall of 2023, Profs. Langmead and Nygren (with the help of several HAA colleagues) launched a new course, HAA 0065, The Viral Image. This class looked at the phenomenon of vitality across time and space in an effort to help students use the tools of art history to make sense of the contemporary world, saturated as it is with images. In this colloquium, they will reflect on the course - both its contents and its logistics. Reflecting on what worked well may help other faculty shape their own classes. Discussing what we, as faculty, learned about the viral image by listening to our colleagues and students also helped shed light on a phenomenon that is as ubiquitous as it is poorly understood.