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Join us for the first seminar Fear or Death taught by Samantha Sutcliffe and Joe Cochran.

Dates: May 22nd - June 30th

Meets: Sunday 2:00 - 4:00pm (In Person)

Tuition: $250 ($40 per class / 6 classes total / 12 Hours)

Course Description : Fear or Death? will utilize art history and theory to explore the frameworks of censorship and its impact on individuals and society as a whole. Class discussions analyze pivotal political movements such as Wikileaks and study the dynamics between freedom of speech, propaganda and surveillance. Students are encouraged to develop their practice with creative assignments that confront and/or attempt to resolve the universal state of Fear that we all live in. Work in all mediums and practices are supported including fiction, documentary, performance, photography, installation, digital, research-based, curatorial and social practice. Full syllabus available with enrollment. Preview abbreviated syllabus here.

Featured texts include David Wojnarowicz's Close To the Knives,  Jackie Wang's Carceral Capitalism, Boris Groys's Philosophy of Care, Mark Fishers's Post-Capitalist Desire and Paul Virilio's Administration of Fear. Featured works include Trevor Paglen, Laura Poitras, Jenny Holzer and Amira Baraka.

Guest Lectures: Ira Silverberg and E5piral

Fear is a global environment….a localized bomb that explodes every second with the news of an attack, a natural disaster, a health scare, a malicious rumor…a community of emotions shared by different social classes”.

- Paul Virilio, Administration of Fear

“In denial of confusion through the false construction of ourselves and what we know - whether told to us by algorithms, teachers, or institutions. Fragility is apparent when we fall for our own constructions, technology’s promises of a better tomorrow. An artificial world with no pain, no conflict, no uncertainties, no death. Interdependencies with technology strengthened by fear. Fear of what makes us human, fear of our own insignificance. Fear of confusion. Creating fragmented minds dissociated from the body, and the energy fueling everything. “

- Sadie Prego 

Scholarships: There is a limited number of need-based scholarships available with partial and full reduction of tuition. Prospective students can opt to take individual courses ($40 per session) if they are not able to attend all six sessions. Please direct any questions to Uncensorednewyork@protonmail.com

Additional Information:

Samantha Sutcliffe (B.1990)is a documentary photographer, writer, curator and Director of Programming at Uncensored New York. She has taught at the International Center of Photography, The Bushwick Community Darkroom and The Point Community Center in the Bronx. In 2024 she will attend the Arts, Letters & Numbers Residency program where she will further develop the education and curatorial initiatives for Uncensored New York. Her work focuses on media consumption, sexuality and alienation. She received a B.A. in Studio Art with a minor in Art History from The City College of New York and completed the One Year Certificate Program in Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism at The International Center of Photography. Samantha curated the exhibition Death of the Subject at Public Works Administration. The show explored the disturbing flow of media brainwashing and doxing culture, suggesting to break the cycle by pausing and becoming symbiotic with nature. 

Joe Cochran (b. 1990, East Harlem, New York City) is a lens-based visual artist, archivist, and researcher. His work can be described as the study of societies and their frameworks, life’s temporality, and enduring inquiries into migration and its struggles. Drawing inspiration from his formative years, Cochran’s practice explores advanced, capitalist societies, the methods they use to negotiate order, and the manner with which we engage. Cochran’s exhibitions, showcased nationally and internationally, including recent presentations at Frieze's Expo Chicago and the Malta Biennale, underscore his commitment to interrogating established narratives and unveiling the complexities of contemporary existence. His works are included in collections such as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture(New York, NY), the Langston Hughes Library (Queens, NY), and the evergreen State College Library (Olympia, WA), solidifying his position a discerning commentator on the human condition in the modern era. 

Uncensored New York is an art movement and collective dedicated to preserving transgression through distribution, public programming and education. They are the recipient of the Emerging Exhibitors Grant, the Creatives Rebuild New York and The City Corps Grant.