Authenticity 2
This document records a week‑long online discussion for Lehman College’s LEH 353: Studies in the Arts, centered on the theme “Representation & Authenticity.” Students were assigned to select one or more artists—primarily photographers, but also installation and performance video makers—and write personal reflections on how the works made them think, feel, and connect to their own experiences. The artists discussed include Deana Lawson, Dawoud Bey, Corky Lee, Pepón Osorio, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Abigail DeVille, John Akomfrah, Syowia Kyambi, Jamel Shabazz, and others. Each post combines description of the artist’s practice (e.g., Lawson’s staged portraits of Black bodies, Bey’s documentary‑style Harlem scenes, Lee’s reclaimed Asian‑American histories, Osorio’s barbershop installations on machismo, Frazier’s family‑focused industrial decline, DeVille’s garbage‑laden sculptures of forgotten histories, Akomfrah’s multi‑screen sound installations, Kyambi’s de‑colonial video/photography, Shabazz’s joyful NYC street photography) with personal anecdotes, cultural identity reflections, and critical observations about media bias, stereotypes, and the power of visual media to affirm or erase communities. Instructor Brian McCormick interjects throughout, contextualizing each artist’s methodology, emphasizing the activist potential of photography, highlighting the importance of authentic self‑representation, and encouraging students to see art as a tool for social change. He also notes the evolving role of photography in the digital age and the necessity of questioning the neutrality of images. Overall, the discussion illustrates how students engage with concepts of representation, authenticity, identity, and community through concrete artistic examples, linking classroom theory to lived experience and broader social justice concerns.
Topics
Course Prompt and Discussion Framework
The initial assignment asks students to choose one or more artists and reflect on how the works affect their thoughts, feelings, and personal connections, linking to themes of representation and authenticity.