The Material Culture of New York City: The Twentieth Century

In this course we will study of the material culture of New York City in the twentieth century, its built environment, cultural landscape, and decorative arts industries. Students will examine the rise of the metropolitan region, industrialization and deindustrialization, and the city as an arena of racial and ethnic traditions and conflicts. The course will be organized around a series of historical spaces: the immigrant city and the Lower East Side; cultural spaces of pop art, and students investigate the artistic, social, cultural, and economic contexts of textile production, marketing, and consumption during the period. Major reform movements, stylistic trends, and the work of leading designers are examined vis-à-vis the significance of furnishing textiles in the creation of unified interiors, both domestic and commercial. In the realm of dress fabrics, students look especially at the contribution of avant-garde artists to both high-end and mass production. Particular attention is also paid to the rapidly evolving technological advances that dramatically affected fibers and weaving, dyeing, and printing processes. Two field trips are planned. 3 credits.