Class Art and Human Rights

This UC is born from an evidence: the Visual Arts are used more and more as a critical, ideological and reinvigorating tool. Our fast, complex and plural contemporary world challenges artists in a demanding way in their daily lives. More and more, the territory of Human Rights is raw material for artists and their artistic message decisively implies a form of citizenship, committed and critical. The involvement of Visual Arts in the defence of the most fragile, the most forgotten or the most problematic members of our humanity is today a global reality, and many case studies and artistic currents are examples of this. 

The UC seeks to accompany this civic intervention, showing (on the one hand) a theoretical and thematic framework of the Rights involved, and (on the other hand) the multiple possibilities of artistic interference in social, religious, economic and political fractures, etc. In this 1st cycle, the UC gains its pertinence by offering the youngest this realistic vision

1. Rebellion and vanguard in the Arts: a history of (anti)schools

2. Creativity and freedom of artistic expressions in the frontier of the Human

3. The artist and Human Rights (HR) today: minorities, gender, religion, opinion, body, life, death, love, horror

4. Groups and programs in defense of HR: UNESCO: Art Lab: Dialogue with World Artists for Human Rights. USA: International Human Rights Art Festival. UK: Leicester Human Rights Arts and Film Festival. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: Art for Amnesty. SAHARA: ARTIfariti - Art and Human Rights. Human Rights Arts & Film Festival (HRAFF). Human Rights Nights. International Human Rights Art Festival. Smashing times International Centre for the Arts and Equality. Highlight Arts. Creating Rights. FREEMUSE: Defending artistic freedom. Artists at Risk connection. IARA - International Arts Rights. Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.  Artists for Human Rights. Arts Rights 212 Justice. Artsfex: Artistic freedom of expression.

The learning process will alternate between teacher and student, theory and practice, in role-play. The assessment methodologies will be chosen by the student according to his/her style and position towards HR. It must take place within the framework of VA, being able to insert or dialogue from the VA with other artistic expressions (musical, multimedia, performing or others). As assessment elements, ONE of three possibilities to be presented in class:
a) work of author (student), dealing with a theme (or several) of the DR. It implies a critical-appreciative text of the work itself and its rationale.
b) analysis and critique of a social or community project in the DR where important artistic qualities are manifested. Involves a substantiating text.
c) analysis of an artistic school or creative programme on HR focus. This involves a text explaining the programme and a critique of the objectives of the school or programme.
d) best free proposal by the student (subject to teacher validation)

Cardoso, F. (2018) Direitos Humanos. Reflexões a partir da arte, género e movimentos sociais. Viseu Ed. 

DeLaet, D.L. (2021). The Global Struggle for Human Rights: Universal Principles. USA: Cengage Learning

Freeman, M. (2020). Human Rights Key Concepts. UK. Polity Press

Guerra, P. et all. (2019). COMbART: Arte, ativismo e cidadania. Porto, Univ. Porto

Judkins, R. (2016). A Arte do Pensamento Criativo. Lisboa: Temas e Debates. 

Lipovetsky, G. (2019). Agradar e tocar. Ensaio sobre a sociedade da sedução. Lisboa: Ed:70

McCall-Smith, K. et all. (2019). The Faces of Human Rights. UK: Bloomsbury Publishing, PLC

Singer, P. (2018). Ética no Mundo Real: ensaios sobre coisas realmente importantes. Lisboa: Ed:70

Sikkink, K. (2019). Evidence for Hope: Making HR Work in the 21st Century. Oxford: Princeton Press

Webb, C. T. (2016). Art and Human Rights. Ed. Univ.Manchester Press

Wood, P. et all. (Eds.). (2021). Art in Theory: The West in the World. An Anthology of Changing Ideas. Hoboken, NY: Wiley-Blackwell