erika doss

Erika Doss // Public Art, Public Feelings: Creativity And Controversy In Public Culture Today

Doss is professor and chair in the Department of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame, where she teaches courses in American, modern, and contemporary art and cultural studies. She is the author of Benton, Pollock, and the Politics of Modernism: From Regionalism to Abstract Expressionism (1991), Elvis Culture: Fans, Faith, and Image (1999), and Twentieth-Century American Art (2002), to name only a few. Her interests as an art and cultural historian have concerned issues of public reception and response as well as how diverse publics shape and direct culture.

In her lecture Doss focuses on various contemporary public art projects and the heated debates they often generate.


Reading List

The suggested reading list includes various reading and media recommendations provided by the lecturer. This list of materials can include projects authored by the lecturer or others, and provides further insight into the guest’s sources of inspiration and additional context surrounding the artist/scholar/designer’s work and practice. This list is shared with RMCAD students and faculty and is archived on the website for academic integration and research opportunities. The physical materials are archived in the RMCAD campus library and the VASD Program archive.


Benton, Pollock, and the Politics of Modernism: From Regionalism to Abstract Expressionism by Erika Doss
Book – 1991

The Emotional Life of Contemporary Public Memorials: Towards a Theory of Temporary Memorials  by Erika Doss
Book – 2008

Memorial Mania: Public Feeling in America by Erika Doss
Book – 2010

Mind Map Pictionary

Mind Map Pictionary

Join us for a workshop to create a mind map using a unique version of Pictionary. Bring your ideas or an unfinished mind map. Monday, March 10, 2025, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. MT

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Creative Poetry Workshop

Creative Poetry Workshop

Join us for our latest installment of an inclusive, generative poetry workshop! ALL students are welcome from beginners experts. Tuesday, March 18, 2025, 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. MT

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