Rome is one of the oldest living cities, and its claim to being 'caput mundi,' continues to resonate. How is this manifested in the field of the visual? This course explores the many people who contribute to the contemporary life of Rome every day, at the same time working in a historic continuum. Students will be encouraged to see themselves as archivists of contemporary Rome, and will learn to interact with the living culture of this city with the eye of the documentarian, the care of the curator, the perspective of the historian, and the creativity of the artist. Each student will develop a project (essay, performance, action, or visual record) that will be the basis for a small publication, to be realized by the end of the semester. Case studies may focus on artists; theater; set design; music; gastronomy; landscape and environmental projects; the contemporary as expounded museographically; textiles; Roman fashion and jewelry; curatorial and archival projects; cinema and television; architectural projects in relation to art; or artisanal Rome: ironsmiths, glassworkers, binders, stucco and woodmakers, mosaicists, leatherworkers, shoemakers, basket weavers, gilders, upholsterers, or goldsmiths.