Presidential Visiting Artist

The Stanford Arts Institute routinely hosts Presidential Visiting Artists. In 2018-19, SAI will be hosting the acclaimed filmmaker Kerry Tribe. Tribe describes her work as "documentary adjacent" and her most recent film, Standardized Patient, premiered at SFMOMA in Fall 2017. Tribe will offer two classes: "Art in the Age of Neuroscience" and "Practice and Critique."

Kerry Tribe is one of four visiting artists in the Presidential Residency on the Future of the Arts program.

2018-19 Visiting Artist

Kerry Tribe
2018-2019

Stanford Arts Institute will host Kerry Tribe during 2018-19 as part of the Presidential Residencies on the Future of the Arts program.

Biography

Kerry Tribe is a Los Angeles-based video and performance artist. Her performance piece, Critical Mass (2010) was staged at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 2010, the Tate Modern in 2012, and several other museums. Tribe’s most recent film, Standardized Patient (2017), premiered at SFMOMA in Fall 2017. She describes her work as “documentary adjacent.”

Tribe will teach two courses at Stanford this year, “ARTSINST 171/271: Art in the Age of Neuroscience” (Winter 2019) and “ARTSINST 172/272: Practice and Critique” (Spring 2019). Through documentary filmmaking, “Art in the Age of Neuroscience” will examine questions of subjective experience while paying particular attention to media and linguistic theory, cognitive psychology and theories of consciousness. “Practice and Critique” is designed to enhance students’ understanding of critical issues within their own work and the work of their peers, and is intended for MFA candidates in Documentary Film or Art Practice or for advanced undergraduates working in visual art or time-based media.

Courses

ARTSINST 171/271: Art in the Age of Neuroscience

Winter 2019 | 3-5 Units
Tuesday / Thursday 12:00 PM - 2:50 PM

Technical advances in brain imaging offer new insights into the neurological underpinnings of consciousness. Yet the new science of mind leaves many unanswered questions regarding philosophical, cultural and spiritual aspects of subjectivity. Who is the 'I' that makes art and who is the 'I' that experiences it? Drawing from a broad range of disciplines, this hybrid seminar/production course examines questions of subjective experience while paying particular attention to media and linguistic theory, cognitive psychology and theories of consciousness. The material is topical and the readings are guided. Of paramount importance is your commitment. Active participation in discussions, activities, self-directed research and creative production is required.
Same as: ARTSINST 271

ARTSINST 172/272: Practice and Critique

Spring 2019 | 3-5 Units
Tuesday / Thursday 12:00 PM - 2:50 PM

Appropriate for MFA candidates in Documentary Film or Art Practice or for advanced undergraduates working in visual art or time-based media, "Practice and Critique" is designed to enhance students' understanding of critical issues within their own work and the work of their peers. The artist and instructor will collaboratively direct feedback on work in progress. Feedback of finished work (or a completed component of a larger / thesis project) will follow a critique method developed by feminist artist and educator Mary Kelly in which the artist doesn't speak until the end of the session. We begin by reflecting on the affective, perceptual and phenomenological experiences engendered by the work. In doing so, we slow down our natural inclination to seek answers about "what the work (or film) means" by paying close attention to how it goes about producing meaning. In time, we proceed towards the denotative, referential and connotative meanings available to be read within the work. Finally we invite the artist to ask questions of the class and reflect upon their experience of the critique. Students will come away with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of how their work affects an audience. Optional one-on-one meetings with the instructor will provide opportunities for directed problem-solving and, depending on the goals and interests of students enrolled in the course, additional class time may be dedicated to screenings, field trips, studio visits or other activities.
Same as: ARTSINST 272

Events

Experience Unfolding: Amnesia, Cognition, and Film
Wednesday, November 14
4:30pm
Oshman Hall, McMurtry Building

The work of artist and filmmaker Kerry Tribe explores complex subjective experiences through highly restrained, time-based forms. Her films, videos, performances and installations offer meditations on perception and cognition, exploring topics germane to neuroscience and philosophy alike.

Working in a mode she calls, "documentary-adjacent," Tribe has made projects about wide-ranging topics, including medical simulation, the Los Angeles River, the famous amnesic Patient H.M., a butterfly's wing, a Soviet cosmonaut and the linguistic disorder aphasia.

In this artist's talk, Tribe will share excerpts from a selection of works that focus on questions around memory, perception, empathy and communication, suggesting that encounters with art might provide unique opportunities to collectively examine human experience in profound and generative ways.

Kerry Tribe’s work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at venues including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane; The Power Plant, Toronto; Modern Art, Oxford and Camden Arts Centre, London. The recipient of a Herb Alpert Award in Film/Video, a USA Artists Fellowship and a Creative Capital Grant, her works are in the public collections of LACMA, MoMA, SFMoMA and The Whitney Museum of American Art.

The Presidential Residencies on the Future of the Arts are supported by the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President for the Arts.