Traditional Eastern European Arts
This course will take students on a journey in which they'll explore traditional Eastern European folklore and folk arts. The course will begin with an overview of some Eastern European countries, cultures, and languages. Students will spend the majority of the course learning traditional art forms and evaluating the ways in which folk art promotes cultural awareness, reflects traditional values, provides insight into traditional daily life, and can give voice to marginalized rural communities. At the end of the course each student will have created a work of art in each of the following traditions: Polish papercutting, Ukrainian embroidery, and Russian painting on wood. We will look for inspiration in the natural world by having some class time outdoors and will also take a trip to the Montana Museum of Art and Culture on UM's campus.