Running Head: LITERATURE REVIEW

Literature Review

Cicely Mason

University of Florida

Literature Review

Abstract

This is a literature review that discusses some works that have helped to shape my own Capstone project for the University of Florida. My project centers around multicultural art education and culture based studies. My thoughts on how such studies should be incorporated into the contemporary elementary art classroom have been greatly shaped by such authors as James Bequette, who focuses his own writings on culture based studies and the positive effects of having Native American artists to come in to the art classroom to lead students in authentic art experiences. Other authors have also shaped my thoughts on this subject matter, and have helped to shape the direction of my project. Those authors and works are mentioned in this review.

Literature Review

Introduction Multicultural arts education has of long been a research interest of mine. As an art educator in a predominately white area, I view the teaching of multicultural art as a necessity in my own classroom, especially because of the need for my own students to better understand and respect cultures different from their own. However, my own views on what multicultural education entails, why it should be taught, and the best ways to teach it have drastically changed since I began researching this topic. My thoughts have been informed by several readings on this topic, especially several dealing with a newer term to me, one that I have adopted as a new direction for my own research and studies, culture-based art education. Problem In September of 2013 I chose multicultural art education as a research topic. When I began to explain to an advisor why I believed that this topic was of great importance in the classroom I was quickly questioned about my methods and desire for educating my own students on this topic. She posed the question to me; how can your students possibly relate to art from different cultures? She further prodded by asking what importance they would find in those studies, and how those studies could be meaningful to me. In her own article, Dr. Elizabeth Delacruz states that Nothing could be more irrelevant, even racist, than asking a group of little

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white kids to make African masks or Indian sand paintings (Delacruz, 1995, p.105). Delacruz suggests that art educators instead should focus each child on the richness of her or his family heritage, the wonders of the neighborhood, and the many kinds of people who live there (Delacruz, 1995, p.105). Looking back on my own past style of teaching cultures different from my own, I would asks students to create work in the likeness of the art from other cultures, with little or no regard to my students own culture or their own interests. I would teach multicultural education in the clich way. I would introduce another culture, like Ancient Greece, and their art. My students would then create art in that likeness. I always thought that my students were learning a lot about art of different cultures and were creating nice art in the process. C.O. Adejumo states in Considering Multicultural Art Education that art educators often confuse the concept of multicultural education with global education (Adejumo, 2002, pp.2-3). After my advisor challenged me on my own multicultural teaching methods, I realized that I was one of these teachers that was confused on the definition of multicultural art education. I began to contemplate what my students were truly getting out of this style of teaching. What deeper meaning or understandings were they getting from those studies and how did it relate to them personally? Adejumo writes that in order to understand and maximize the benefits of

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multicultural art education, art educators of today must engage in a critical and honest dialogue about its potentials and limitations (Adejumo, 2002, p.1). We must force ourselves to weigh the benefits of what we are teaching our students and strive to devise the best ways to teach it. Research Questions My research questions center around the best way to deliver a meaningful and personal culture based art experience to students. I feel that one good way to deliver a politically correct culture based art unit would be to be sensitive and knowledgeable about the culture that will be introduced. In Constructing Identity and The Case of Taiwanese Festivals in Canada, art educator Patricia Yuen-Wan Lin describes her experiences as being a Taiwanese immigrant to Canada. She found that the Chinese are categorized as a single ethnicity by the Western world and that the differences between the cultural heritage which influences Chinese students while engaging in art making and appreciation and the cultural tradition that art educators derived from reading instructional packages and visiting Chinatown, need to be examined (Yuen-Wan Lin, 1999, pp.111-112). This statement upholds the need for art educators to be careful to not categorize different cultures into one lump sum. Doing so can confuse and mislead students. Before teaching a unit we should be aware of our own biases and educate ourselves on the

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chosen culture of study in order to counteract that bias. My problem, as described by E.M. Delacruz, is that art educators must strive to explore the difficult task of teaching art wisely, sensitively, with great regard for the grand multicultural experiment that is America(Delacruz, 2012, p.234). In my research I am also considering how art educators can best develop a multicultural art unit that is meaningful and personal to students. In a day and age where students come from a variety of backgrounds and family types, teachers must be careful when striving to put together a multicultural lesson. We must take into consideration that some lessons that have a goal of celebrating family connections and showcasing childrens multicultural identities can instead be perceived to dramatize some childrens sense of inadequacy and family circumstances over which these children have no control and spotlight their inability to recreate desired cultural narratives (Delacruz, 2012, p.234). What used to be accepted as the right way to teach multicultural issues in art, should be examined with a fine tooth comb before being taught in todays diverse schools. In Multicultural Art and Visual Cultural Education in a Changing World, Ballengee-Morris and Stuhr state that a recognition of our own sociocultural identity and our biases make it easier to understand the multi-faceted cultural identities of others (Ballengee-

Literature Review Morris & Stuhr, 2001, p.7).

Through my studies I am seeking to define why authentic materials and traditional or ceremonial objects can be studied and presented as art in the classroom. In The Core of Art: Making Special author Ellen Dissanayake states that the similarities between ceremonial ritual and art are quite provocative in that both ritual and art are compelling(Dissanyake, 2003, p.20). Such art is of importance when participating in culture-based study because one of the primary concerns of multicultural art education is to provide accurate and authentic representations of the art of racially and ethnically marginalized groups ( Desai, 2000, p.114). Another question that I have chosen to lead my research will be what are ways that an art educator can integrate the use of authentic materials into multicultural studies in the classroom? A beneficial way is to incorporate the use of guest teachers, storytellers, and local artists and crafters into the unit (Bequette & Hrenko, 2011, p.105). Author Graeme Chalmers believes that educators should teach for those forms of artistic imagination that problematize cultural formation and acknowledge that a politics of difference involves a dialogue with others who speak from different traditions (Chalmers, 2002). Having such dialogue with others from different culture bases can result a better understanding and in more meaningful and authentic

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study in the classroom. In A Post Colonial Communitys Cultural Capital, James Bequette states that indigenous artists clearly possess traditional cultural knowledge that white and other nonnative teachers do not have. This traditional artistic capital is of value to students, and given the opportunity, native artists can offer it to them (Bequette, 2009, p.77). Bequette further posits that when cultural assets are valued and ways are found to distribute these resources equitably in classroom settings, this process can lead to better student learning and school-Indian community relations(Bequette, 2009, p.77). I also seek to understand how contemporary art and artists can play into the teachings of culture based art education. It is my stance that students need to learn about the present as much as the past. The present, and art of the present contemporary culture should be intertwined in with culture art studies so that students can see that there is a relevance to what they are doing in todays day and time. Argumentative Thesis My topic has been most informed by the writing of James Bequette and his culture-based art education studies. To me, my topic has evolved from a multicultural study to a study of culture-based art education and how it can be incorporated in to the classroom for a positive

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learning experience for students. In Culture-Based Arts Education, authors James W. Bequette and Kelly Hrenko describe Project Intersect, an arts in education demonstration project that promotes sensitivity and cultural awareness of American Indian societies through a culturebased curriculum that helped students respect and appreciate their own and others cultures (Bequette & Hrenko, 2011, p.97). Bequette and Hrenko state that this program encouraged teachers to develop critically charged arts lessons and pedagogy that gave children the confidence to eschew dominant culture perspectives when studying cultures; and when those cultures varied from their own, to accept that they are merely different-neither superior nor inferior (Bequette & Hrenko, 2011, p.99). Although I do have in my Cherokee heritage, I am classified as a caucasion art educator. Because of this, I have to ask myself how I can possibly teach the art of other cultures to my classroom? I would state that by utilizing these local cultural artisans who have a certain understanding of their own cultures traditions, my students can benefit greatly. I also believe that teachers can maximize student learning by importing the culture and everyday experiences of the students (Milner, 2005, p.392). I can utilize my own students culture and experiences when developing a multicultural unit. In Curriculum Guidelines for the Multicultural Art Classroom, authors Stuhr, Petrovich-Mwaniki, and Wasson

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state that effective multicultural curricula utilize the students knowledge, experiences, skills, and values in the formation of learning and teaching activities and that students participation in this process is critical because students bring with them to the classroom prior learning from outside the school, motives, goals, insights, strategies for learning, or personal identities that give direction to their growth (Stuhr, Petrovich-Mwaniki, & Wasson, 1992, p.16). Research Methods My research methods will center around a small fifth grade class of twelve students and their participation in an authentic Native American unit taught by local Native American Artists. My unit will model that of Bequette and Hrenkos Project Intersect that was discussed in Culture-Based Arts Education. I will develop and implement curriculum that mapped where teaching about American Indian art and culture could meaningfully intersect with the subjects and interests of my students (Bequette & Hrenko, 2011, p.97). In Multiculturalism in arts education: Engaging schools in effective and authentic pedagogies, Dr. Dawn Joseph and Dr. Jane Southcott posit that materials should be prepared with the involvement of someone within the culture and include cultural context (Joseph & Southcott, n.d., p.1). It is my goal to have a traditional Cherokee artist come into my classroom to lead my students in an authentic culture based lesson and experience. The artist will discuss context behind the art, the tradition, and

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provide authentic materials for my students to use. I believe that this will be a meaningful experience for my students. To document this I will be creating a four minute photo slide presentation including pictures of my students interacting with the visiting artist, and the creation process of the authentic Cherokee art and a unit booklet with provided lesson plans and photos that will be self-published on ISSUU. It is also my plan to stretch the unit further by doing another lesson centered around contemporary Native American art that centers around my students and their own personal likes, dislikes, and creativity. I believe that allowing for this art
making opportunity will help the art be even more meaningful to the student.

Conclusion In conclusion, my readings and research has led me to have a better understanding of what multicultural education is. My own research has evolved to include that of culture-based art education and the need to authentically incorporate it into the class curriculum by reaching out to local cultural artists. Through my readings I have also developed some strategies on how to best teach such a topic to my students in a beneficial way. It is of the uttermost importance to teach culture based art education in an authentic, meaningful way so students can best benefit from their time spent learning.

Literature Review References Adejumo, C. O. (2002). Considering multicultural art education. National Art Education Association. High Beam Research [Web site]. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-109931838.html#

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Ballengee-Morris, C. & Stuhr, P.L. (2001). Multicultural art and visual cultural education in a changing world. Art Education, 54(4), 6-13. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/ discover/10.2307/3193897?uid=3739840&uid=2134&uid=377586863&uid=2&uid= 70&uid=3&uid=377586853&uid=3739256&60&sid=21102860325317 Bequette, J., & Hrenko, K. (2011). Culture-based art education. In J. Reyhner, W. S. Gilbert, & L. Lockard (Eds.),Honoring our heritage: Culturally appropriate approaches for teaching Indigenous students (pp. 97-113). Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University Press. Bequette, J.W. (2009). Tapping a postcolonial communitys cultural capital: Empowering native artist to engage more fully with traditional culture and their childrens art education. Visual Arts Research, 35(1), 78-92. Chalmers, F.G. (2002). Celebrating pluralism six years later: Visual transculture/s, education, and critical multiculturalism. National Art Education Association, 43(4), 293-306.

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Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1320979?=3739840&uid =2134uid=377586863&uid=2&uid=70&uid=3&uid=377586853&uid=3739256&uid=60 &sid=21102859356447 Delacruz, E. M. (1995). Multiculturalism and the tender years: Big and little questions. In C. Thompson (Ed.), Visual arts and early childhood learning (pp. 101-106). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association Delacruz, E. M. (1995). Multiculturalism: Myths, misconceptions, and misdirections. Art Education, 48(3), 57- 61. Delacruz, E. M. (2012). What Asian American artists teach us about the complicated nature of 21st century Americans multilayered, transcultural, and hybridized identities and art practices: Implications for an intercultural and social justice oriented approach to teaching art. In S. K. Chung (Ed.), Teaching Asian art (pp. 234-240). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association. Desai, Dipti. (2000). Imaging difference: The politics of representation in multicultural art education. Studies in Art Education, 41(2), 114-129. Retrieved from http://www.jstor .org/discover/10.2307/1320658?uid=2134&uid=3775863&uid=2&uid=70&uid=3&uid =377586853&uid=3739256&uid=60&sid=21102859356447

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Dissanayake, E. (2003). The core of art: Making special. Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies, 1(2), 13-38. Garcia, R., & Ahler J.G. (1992). Indian education: Assumptions, ideologies, strategies. In J. Reyhner, (Ed.), Teaching American Indian students (pp. 13-32). Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. Joseph, D. & Southcott, J. (n.d.). Multiculturalism in arts education: Engaging schools in effective and authentic pedagogies. Slideshare [Web site]. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/missgrice/multiculturalism-in-art-education. Milner, R. H.(2005). Developing a multicultural curriculum in a predominantly white teaching context: lessons from an african american teacher in a suburban english classroom. Curriculum Inquiry 35(4), 391-427. Stuhr, P. L., Petrovich-Mwaniki, & Wasson, R. (1992). Curriculum guidelines for the multicultural art classroom. Art Education, 45(1), 16-24. Yuen-Wan Lin, P. (1999). Constructing ideantity and multicultural art education: The case of taiwanese festivals in canada. Working Papers in Art Education. 110-120.