EXTRA CREDIT is a new education series that aims to provide a general overview of contemporary art and to demystify the field for those outside of the art world. It is ideal for anyone interested in learning more and for those looking to further engage with exhibitions and museums. Classes will take place on Sundays at 12PM from June 4 through July 30.

Jesse Pires presents Beneath the Surface: Reflections on Video Art. This session examines the phenomenon of video art from its inception in the 1960s to the present moment. We’ll explore video art’s relationship with film and television as well as its shifting position within the art world and question the very relevance of the term “video art” in a contemporary context. Approaching video both as a tool for political and personal empowerment as well as a completely unique system of exchange between viewer, artist, and technology, this class will present a non-chronological overview of artists and artworks utilizing video in various ways.

This event is free and open to the public; register here.

JESSE PIRES is Chief Curator at Lightbox Film Center where he has organized numerous film screenings including Free to Love: The Cinema of the Sexual Revolution, a month-long series exploring commercial and underground films associated with sexual liberation in the 1960s and 1970s. His more recent work has been concerned with exploring the connections between experimental cinema and contemporary art. He co-curated the program Pop Cinema: Art + Film in the US and UK, which was presented at International House in 2011. Jesse was a delegate at the 2010 Experimental Media Congress (Toronto) and the 2012 Experimental Cinema Congress (Berlin). He has curated programs for the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania, Slought Foundation, Vox Populi Gallery, The Fabric Workshop & Museum, Light Industry, and Union Docs.

Extra Credit is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.