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Relating Cultural Identity and Identity as Art Therapist

a
Chantel Laran Lumpkin PhD, CFLE
a
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
Published online: 22 Apr 2011.

To cite this article: Chantel Laran Lumpkin PhD, CFLE (2006) Relating Cultural Identity and Identity as Art Therapist, Art
Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 23:1, 34-38, DOI: 10.1080/07421656.2006.10129529

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 Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 23(1) pp. 34-38 © AATA, Inc. 2006
Relating Cultural Identity and Identity as Art Therapist
Chantel Laran Lumpkin, Kalamazoo, MI
When I first considered writing this article regarding
my being an African-American art therapist, I pondered
how I would approach the issue relevant to my current sit-
uation and position as a university professor teaching
courses in human development and family life education.
After completion of the graduate program in Marital and
Family Therapy/Clinical Art Therapy at Loyola Mary-
mount University, and an intense art therapy internship
working with abused children, I chose to switch focus from
therapeutic intervention to preventative education. I then
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sought a doctorate in Family and Child Ecology from
Michigan State University in the field of family studies and
child development, and now teach courses in the Family
and Consumer Sciences Department at Western Michigan
University. I would love to be able to say that I am a regis-
tered art therapist or at least teaching in an art therapy pro-
gram. However, neither is the case, and my formal art ther-
apy participation is limited to a few consultations per year
for social service agencies, intermediate school districts,
class presentations, and conference workshops. Therefore, I
feel placed in a quandary: How do I address my identity of
being an African-American art therapist when I have laid
aside part of that identity?
When I considered this question, it dawned on me that
society tends to expect culturally designated minorities to
lay aside their cultural identities in order to fit in with the
majority culture; in other words, to become assimilated. I
also considered that the nature of art therapy is to use
metaphors to illustrate issues in one’s life. Therefore, I chose
to write this article using the metaphor of cultural identity
to 1) address my occupational identity as an art therapist
and my ethnic identification as a Black-American, and 2)
use a culture identity model as a metaphor to examine my
ethnic identity in relation to my occupational identity.
Phinney and Devich-Navarro’s (1997) culture identity
model notes four categories of cultural identity to describe
how ethnic minorities correlate their ethnic identities with
their presumed roles in major society. The four categories
are integrated or bicultural, separated, assimilated, and mar-
ginal. Bicultural identity would indicate a high identifica-
tion with both one’s ethnic group and the majority culture.
A separated identity indicates a high identification with
one’s ethnic group, but a low identification with the major-
ity culture. An assimilated identity is achieved when one
Editor’s note: Chantel Laran Lumpkin, PhD, CFLE, is
Assistant Professor of Family and Consumer Sciences, Western
Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, and a Certified
Family Life Educator. All correspondence regarding this article
should be addressed to chantel.lumpkin@wmich.edu.
34
has a high identification with the majority culture but a
low identification with one’s ethnic group. Lastly, the cate-
gory of marginal identity indicates low identification with
both one’s ethnic group and the majority culture. I have
included the model in Figure 1, as a framework to illustrate
how I associate each of the cultural identity categories with
my art therapy identity. The rest of the article expounds on
each of the categories.
Bicultural — Playing the game
Identifying as bicultural, one could appreciate the
strengths necessary to successfully navigate in both worlds.
Describing myself as an African- or Black-American is a
prime example of being bicultural. I believe that I am pro-
ficient at navigating in the environments presented by
being an American of African ancestry, and capable as both
an educator and art therapist. In other words, I know how
to play the game necessary to succeed simultaneously in
two cultures.
Bicultural identification often places me as an ambas-
sador, representing my ethnic nation to the peoples of the
land I have been sent to as an emissary, while also becom-
ing versed in their ways, and having the expectation of
sharing what I discover when I return home. As ambassa-
dor, it is often expected that I represent my entire race to
dispel myths, identify cultural strengths, and explain cus-
toms to those of the other culture. This is especially true if
I am also the only African-American. This sense of power
as representative has both positives and negatives. The pos-
itive would include being in a position to share knowledge
and enable understanding of cultural norms to promote
effective treatment and education of clients and students.
The negative would include expectations to be an expert
on all issues concerning persons of color, regardless of their
ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation or socioe-
conomic status. These expectations become more notable
in combination with my academic achievement and
knowledge of art therapy.
Because of being an African-American art therapist
with doctoral-based knowledge of children, youth, and
families, I was approached to provide art therapy work-
shops and trainings to social workers working with
Sudanese refugees, Head Start personnel, and troubled
youth. Expectations were that I would incorporate the
three issues—art therapy, child/youth development, and
cultural understanding—to develop curricula and strate-
gies for working effectively with these multicultural popu-
lations. According to Wiley and Ebata (2004), culturally
appropriate curricula has either a) content designed for and
 LUMPKIN
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Figure 1 Cultural Identity Chart Adapted to
My Life as an Art Therapist, adapted from Phinney
& Devich-Navarro (1997)
by the majority culture but adapted for use with ethnic
minorities, b) ethnic specific content and paradigms of
delivery particular to a specific cultural group, or c) ethno-
national curricula designed to address diverse cultures and
for use within multicultural settings. A person must also be
aware of his or her own cultural biases and understanding
to be culturally cognizant of the appropriateness of the
content and media and its delivery to the intended audi-
ence (Wiley & Ebata, 2004). Therefore, in providing art
therapy consultation to the social workers working with
the Sudanese refugees, the Head Start personnel, and the
troubled youth, my focus was placed on first identifying
cultural norms of the targeted population, and then deter-
mining the cultural appropriateness of the media and
directives provided in light of their presenting issues.
Sudanese Lost Boys
In the last few years, a number of Sudanese refugees
immigrated to the United States. A large number were
young males between the ages of 12-18, known as “Lost
Boys” due to their orphan status in regards to losing parents,
family, and homeland. I was approached to provide a work-
shop and train counseling social workers to use art therapy
strategies when traditional therapies failed to assess and pro-
vide catharsis for the expected psychological problems of
posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. By choosing
to explore creative therapies, the counselors decided to try
an approach that would allow for more cultural relevance.
My more ethnocentric/ethno-national intervention led to
an awareness of cultural norms and underlying issues asso-
ciated with adolescent and emerging adulthood develop-
ment and acculturation. As a result, the one workshop
became extended on-going supervision of art therapy strate-
35
gies and consultation of the art process, media, and prod-
uct. During this extended relationship with the social work-
ers, I was able to “normalize” the recurrence of cattle and
huts in the boys’ artwork as being culturally appropriate
symbols, and to teach how to respect artmaking processes
that diverted from majority culture standards. For example,
when building in clay or drawing, the Lost Boys tended to
start either from the bottom and build up, or from the back
of the animal and work towards the front. Western expecta-
tion is top down, for one starts drawing or forming the head
first and then building from there. Another example was the
Sudanese’s use of one block of clay to mold their shapes.
Consistently, each boy would mold his animals from the
single intact block, whereas American youth tend to sepa-
rate the whole into different pieces, shape the varying parts,
and then join them together to create the finished piece. I
commented that this focus on the whole was representative
of the African’s cultural emphasis on the intact collective
versus the Western emphasis on the separateness of being.
This cultural concept of the collective consistently present-
ed itself in the boys’ behaviors and attitudes.
Head Start
I was asked to conduct a workshop with Head Start
staff on using art to promote the social-emotional develop-
ment of young children and adult-child relationships.
Head Start programs are federally funded to provide edu-
cational, social, and health services to low income children
in the community, for the purpose of promoting school-
readiness and academic achievement. This newly funded
site of training was located in a multicultural community
and expected to serve a significant number of low-income
white and ethnic minority children. The workshop was
designed to introduce the Head Start teachers to art thera-
py strategies that incorporate cultural awareness and allow
for diversity in creative expression.
I start off trainings that incorporate cultural under-
standing and art therapy with strategies that ask partici-
pants to examine their own cultural beliefs, identities,
experiences, or backgrounds, for the purpose of identifying
perspectives and developing perspective taking, pedagogy
of empathy, and positive social cognition (Howard, 1999;
Selman, 1980; Thompson, 1995; Wiley & Ebata, 2004). I
explained that better relationships would occur with chil-
dren and parents if staff sought first to understand the cul-
tural nuances of ethnicity and social status underlying their
own beliefs and behaviors.
Next we explored ethno-national activities and media
that focused on promoting the children’s creative expression
and motor skill ability. Suggestions included providing sup-
plies such as multicultural crayons and markers, clay, tissue,
sticks, and other manipulatives. The Head Start personnel
were also instructed to use terms such as “make art” rather
than “draw a picture” of a specific item, to encourage cre-
ative expression in any form; to observe and respectfully ask
children about their artmaking process and products; and to
respect that not all of the art created by children is intend-
ed to be displayed for public viewing. Workshop partici-
 36 RELATING CULTURAL IDENTITY AND IDENTITY AS ART THERAPIST
pants were also provided with warning signs of possible
problems common to the socio-economic environments
and cultures, but cautioned to consider the context when
assessing problems. Finally resources for follow-up with
other social service professionals were provided.
Troubled youth
Last year, I was asked to conduct a workshop with
troubled youth enrolled in an alternative education pro-
gram. Of the six youth in attendance, four were white
males, one was a black male, and the last youth was a white
female. Using art therapy strategies promoted by Land-
garten (1981), Linesch (1988), and Riley (1999), I provid-
ed collage materials, having separate boxes filled with
words, objects, and culturally representative images. The
youth were asked to select pictures and words and apply
them to manila folders to denote their inside and outside
personas, as symbolism for their self-esteem and what they
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present to others. Ethnic issues were not presented as a
problem by the youth as they were very free about selecting
varying multicultural images to represent self and family.
However, they did question me about being a black profes-
sor and art therapist. Based on the process and finished
product, I assessed developmental and behavioral concerns
and then shared my findings with staff. The staff members
were surprised at the insight provided by art therapy and
my knowledge of the adolescent culture, as I correctly iden-
tified issues of self-mutilation, attention-deficit disorder,
and sexual abuse.
Separated — Brown Skin
Phinney (1996) designates the second cultural identi-
ty as being separated, or distinguishing the self as having
low identification with the majority culture. In this catego-
ry, one would be totally immersed in one’s culture, to the
point of being referred to as ethnocentric. Some would say
that by identifying myself as a Black (rather than African-
American) art therapist, I am noting a separated identity.
Ironically, I believe that when I identify as Black, rather
than designating my separateness, I am claiming my glob-
al connectedness with others of African ancestry who
might not be Americans. This separateness from the larger
society, but ethnocentric focus and connectedness with
other Blacks, allows me the comfort of immersion and rest
within the characteristics of my visible culture without
apology or concern for how these traits might be viewed by
the majority culture. This is a state of mind I find necessary
to allow for stress management and spiritual restoration as
little effort is necessary to adapt (Tatum, 1997).
As a Black art therapist, I tend to focus my research on
Black populations and issues influencing them. My gradu-
ate research in the Marital and Family Therapy (Clinical
Art Therapy) program at Loyola Marymount University
was a national study of Black art therapy students enrolled
in American Art Therapy Association (AATA) Approved
programs. At the time of my study there were 18 Black
(African-American, Haitian-Canadian, and African) stu-
dents enrolled in 27 approved graduate degree and institute
programs. Except for two, all students were the only Blacks
in their specific program. Including myself, eight students
were included in the study, which was presented later at the
1996 AATA national conference and included as a chapter
in the Hiscox and Calisch (1998) text on cultural issues in
art therapy (Lumpkin, 1997). The study was intended to
discover if other Black graduate students shared my experi-
ences of loneliness as a visible minority in an area of study
focused on the visual. They did.
A second research study was conducted while I was a
doctoral student at Michigan State University, to complete
requirements for a qualitative research course. In this study,
I facilitated an art therapy session with four African-
American graduate students; three female and one male, of
differing majors. They each completed two drawings: a
Hand Trace and a Bridge Drawing (Hays & Lyons, 1981).
This study was designed to provide opportunity for net-
working and discussion of issues related to Black American
graduate students attending predominantly white institu-
tions of higher education. I presented on this study at the
2001 AATA national conference (Lumpkin, 2001).
I relished these opportunities to focus on art therapy
issues pertaining to African-Americans and other Blacks, as
they helped to validate my experiences and provided
opportunities for self-understanding, support, connecting/
networking, and catharsis through the group process, shar-
ing, and artmaking. As India.Arie (2001) notes in her song,
“Brown skin, I need some every now and then.”
Assimilated — Visibly invisible
True assimilation requires one to abandon one’s minor-
ity identity in favor of being accepted by the majority cul-
ture: to become invisible within the group. Culturally, this
is a difficult category for most Blacks to fit into as American
society does not readily welcome me into the assimilated
melting pot, for my pigment would shift the color of con-
tent to a shade more in line with being designated as Black.
If assimilated, one has to deal with the psychosocial issues of
guilt over sacrificing one’s true self in favor of acceptance by
the majority, and, therefore, being visibly invisible.
Professionally, assimilation is also difficult as one may have
to sacrifice ideals and focus on a lesser-known or valued
field of study (i.e. art therapy) in order to gain tenure and
promotion in a more recognized field.
I find this dichotomy of being assimilated and visibly
invisible fascinating. As a Black person, I am visually visi-
ble by virtue of my pigmentation especially when viewed
among a group of the majority culture. Yet, at the same
time that I am visually noted I also tend to be psychologi-
cally dismissed, thus deemed invisible, as result of being
perceived as a minority. This is illustrated at group events
when among colleagues I am overlooked for consideration
of assignments or opinions, or presumed to be one of the
hired help rather than a member of the professional organ-
ization. One could say the dichotomy is one of being invis-
ibly visible: being accepted but, on the other hand, being
constantly reminded of my Blackness and separate identi-
 LUMPKIN
ty. As an assimilated college professor, I am invisible when
colleagues only consider my value or request my input on
issues pertinent to diversity or persons of color.
I wrestle with the concept of striving to become assim-
ilated as both a Black woman and an art therapist; accord-
ing to definition, I am required to give up the cultural
nuances that make me either in order to be accepted. I do
not relish being either invisibly visible or visibly invisible.
However, I do sadly acknowledge that professionally I have
assimilated to a point; I have forsaken a more traditional
art therapy path of clinical practice and teaching in a for-
mal art therapy program for acceptance as an academician
teaching mainstream subjects.
Marginal — On the Outside Looking In
The marginal category implies confusion about one’s
identity and failure to identify with either culture (Phinney
and Devich-Navarro, 1997). A second perspective denotes
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marginality as more of a social state of appearing to be a
part of the major culture but, in actuality, being relegated
to a position outside of the body due to ethnic minority
status (Thomas & Hollenshead, 2001). In other words,
the issue is not whether one is confused about cultural
identity; rather, others who do not allow the integration of
identity are denied participation and acceptance. Unlike
the assimilated group where one is highlighted and possi-
bly exploited while accepted within the group, the mar-
ginalized person is excluded from acceptance and in-
clusion in the group. For example, despite having attained
a level of power associated with being a professor, I am
often challenged by members of the majority culture —
regardless of their student status, younger age, or need for
helping services — on my right to be in a position of
authority over them. Their perceived entitlement to chal-
lenge me based on my ethnic minority status marginalizes
me culturally as it denigrates and undermines my position.
However, as an art therapist I feel that I marginalized
myself by choosing to pursue teaching of more traditional
subjects over art therapy.
Marginalized persons consistently feel they do not truly
belong in any group. This can be due to attempting and
failing to relegate the two groups, address multicultural
concepts, or successfully introduce nontraditional strategies.
As a marginalized person, I am constantly reminded of
being different from the group and thinking “outside the
box.” This is why I chose to equate the marginal cultural
status with using art therapy strategies to teach, as they tend
to reflect my nontraditional approaches to thinking. In my
position as college professor, I try to incorporate creative
strategies to promote self-reflection, insight and critical
thinking, with content that is culturally appropriate for the
students and population studied. Critics of my teaching
style attribute it to art therapy, and some—students, facul-
ty, and art therapists—question its necessity and appropri-
ateness in the traditional teaching and learning process.
One of the “art therapy” techniques I use in my under-
graduate adolescent development course is the creation of
a Self-Reflective CD and Jacket. Students select three songs
37
Figure 2 This is the image currently on my Western
Michigan University faculty homepage. I created
it using Adobe Photoshop. It is intended to show me
in the midst of those areas of importance to me:
art and being an art therapist, students, academia,
family, and Christianity.
http://homepages.wmich.edu/~clumpkin
popular during their youth to represent their parents, peer,
and private perceptions of their adolescence. These songs
are burned onto a single CD, and the lyrics are included on
a self-designed jacket. They are also instructed to include
on the jacket a gratitude section thanking those persons
who helped them navigate through their adolescence.
Lastly, they submit the CD and jacket in a case along with
a typed narrative explaining their song selections, and what
they learned from this assignment about themselves, ado-
lescence as a whole, and the power of music. Many report
understanding the symbolism of the music as communica-
tion of feelings and thoughts. Others have noted the heal-
ing involved in the process of self-reflection and creating
the jacket. As the instructor, I am always intrigued with
how much I learn about the students from examining their
finished products and reading their narratives. The latter
take on the form of being journal entries, as students will
often share private and painful information. I use the infor-
mation learned about the students to counsel and advise
them on further studies, research projects, and career paths,
and to inform my continuing education about teaching
and human development. Interestingly, many students
indicate with their song selections, typed narratives, or
cover design that they felt marginalized as adolescents, a
time when they are expected to explore their identities.
Conclusion
This cultural exploration of my identity as an art ther-
apist revealed a few things. For one, I learned that I readi-
ly identify with the left side of the cultural model (bicultur-
al and separated), as I acknowledge, respect, and seeming-
ly accept my cultural heritage and placement in art thera-
py. However, I more often find myself in professional
placement on the right side (assimilated and marginalized),
either sacrificing parts of myself or questioning my identi-
ty and belonging. Another thing I have learned is that my
path as an art therapist has been detoured as result of my
culture, rather than closed as suggested at the beginning of
this article. Being Black, I have often been faced with hav-
 38 RELATING CULTURAL IDENTITY AND IDENTITY AS ART THERAPIST
ing to prove my worth before I am acknowledged or
accepted. This has led to charging less straightforward
paths than perhaps those journeyed by art therapists
belonging to the majority culture. As my goals include set-
ting up clinical practice providing art therapy to culturally
diverse children and families and teaching art therapy in a
public institution of higher education, I feel the need to
first gain academic footing in the latter to build a founda-
tion for the aforementioned goal. Lastly, I realize that being
an art therapist is not one-dimensional; nor does one size
fit all. In other words, there is no single definition that cap-
tures all that an art therapist is; nor does each art therapist
define him- or herself the same. In her book, I am an Artist
(1994) Collins notes that whenever an artist uses her sens-
es to perceive color, form, line, and texture, she is validat-
ed as being an artist. This helped me to understand that
whether I practice full-time, research, provide or use art
therapy related strategies, or teach art therapy in a formal
program, I am indeed an art therapist.
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