Description
Many people encounter high culture only as tourists. When they make a pilgrimage to the Pantheon in Rome or to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa they are following in the footsteps of many others, going back at least as far as the Grand Tour in the 18th century. This three-session class will look at the phenomenon of cultural tourism, its history, and its implications for understanding our own responses to art. Is culture serious or fun? About learning or about leisure? What happens if we look at a work of art or architecture as a tourist destination rather than as something that has a self-contained meaning? What happens when we put the emphasis on experience? On leisure as opposed to work (or education)? How is commerce implicated in culture? Register for this class if you will only be viewing via Zoom. You must have a computer/tablet/phone with audio and video capability.
