Multicultural Art Research Articles

Semiotic analysis of popular visual culture for multicultural art education a focus on the film <Rabbit-Proof Fence>

Semiotic analysis of popular visual culture for multicultural art education a focus on the film <Rabbit-Proof Fence>

Dis/locating Comfort Women Statues: Reflections on Colonialism and Implications for Global Art Education Critical Multicultural Art Education

In this paper, I discuss how comfort women statues can promote non-Western cultural mobilization and globalization as well as pedagogical implications. “Comfort women” is a euphemism for the girls and women who were forced into sexual servitude by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during WWII. By using Chandra Mohanty’s concept of the contextual understanding of cultures and Uma Narayan’s feminist methodology to dislocate cultures, I dis/locate comfort women statues in Atlanta, GA and San Francisco, CA as the grounds for a critical approach to global art education. I then suggest ways in which global art education can embody dis/located statues as renditions of counterhegemonic globalization.

The space of flow at Telperion Shelter: the rock art of a recycled, reused and reimagined place

ABSTRACTTelperion Shelter is a multi-component rock art site in western Mpumalanga, South Africa. The shelter’s back wall contains the artwork of Bushman foragers, Kheokhoe herders, Sotho-Tswana farmers and South African War-period (1899–1902) occupants, amongst more recent graffiti. Thus, the site was used by culturally disparate communities who left their mark on the wall. The site presents an interesting space to examine place-making over the last several thousand years. Referring to Manuel Castells (2000, The Rise of the Network Society. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers) and his ‘space of flow’ concept, we test his theoretical approach as a framework for examining place-making and archaeological palimpsests, which in Telperion’s case is a multi-cultural rock art panel. In this framework, space, defined as a material product in relation to other material products, is a changing variable with its significance determined by its connectivity and nodality, and the influence people with power placed upon it. We consider the landscape biography of Telperion and its immediate surroundings in a way that captures the shifting functions and roles of the site as it was used by culturally different groups over time. The site and its painted back wall becomes an articulatory channel through which the disparate, culturally dependent, shifting meaning of ‘place’ can be explored.

Menumbuhkan Karakter Peserta Didik melalui Pendidikan Multikultural Pada Pembelajaran Seni Budaya

In this era of globalization, education art and culture have an important role in the formation of the character of students. Therefore, it needs a learning-based multicultural art and culture as solutions in tackling the problem in the characters of adult learners. This is important as part of an effort to prevent menangulangi and radicalism, separatism, ethnic conflict to religion, and in an effort to cultivate an attitude of heterogeneity, plurality, appreciate cultural diversity and love of the motherland. In the study of art and culture-based multicultural education there are three aspects in it, the third aspect of this is that later will be able to successful multicultural education. In the absence of these three aspects is very unlikely to achieve the multicultural learning, the third aspect is the aesthetics, appreciation, and humanization. The existence of these three aspects will make it easier to maximize the development of the realm kognititf, psychomotor, affective and student as solution character education through multicultural education.

Groundwork Books

WHEN THINKING OF San Diego, most people imagine palm trees, sand, and ocean breeze. Over thirty-five million tourists visit the city each year, and most come for the beachside relaxation and natural beauty that have made it world-famous. Lying just under the surface of this picturesque vacation destination, however, is a lively community of social and political activism. One prominent example of this culture is present in Groundwork Books. Located far from San Diego’s touristcentric areas, Groundwork Books makes its home in a student area on the University of California’s San Diego campus. It is a workers ’ cooperative run entirely by volunteers, consisting of both students and citizens from the nearby areas. With its commitment to community outreach and affordable material, Groundwork Books aims to take emphasis away from the business side of bookstores and place it back on books and the people who read them. According to its website, the store “serves as meeting space, social space, and infoshop for San Diego’s progressive, radical, and socialist community” and “provide[s] books at community events, political rallies, and punk rock shows.” At Groundwork Books, this dedication to public activism and involvement is observable even from outside the store. The front windows feature taped flyers and painted announcements offering public activities, including a movie night as well as insightful essays and articles on topics such as the military-industrial complex. Once inside, the unique philosophies of Groundwork Books are evident in the distinct style of the store. Unlike most bookstores, which standardize their layout and keep their image as neat as possible, Groundwork Books has a lived-in aesthetic . Many books sit on the shelves at odd angles, and there are boxes filled with flyers and magazines in several corners. At first glance, it looks more like a public library than a bookstore. While this lack of polish may seem like a negative aspect to some, it shows that Groundwork Books is a resource that exists to be used, not simply looked at. The books aren’t perfectly aligned because people have been reading them, and there are boxes of flyers and magazines because people have been distributing them. The store is aware of this homey appearance and embraces it, as shown by the painted ceiling areas, posters featuring multicultural art and messages, and blackboards filled with chalked quotes from important works. Groundwork Books also goes above and beyond simply selling reading material , often bringing its mantra of community activism out of the store and into the broader world. One of the best examples of this community engagement and charitable work is shown in its affiliated nonprofit known as “Books for Prisoners.” This outreach program is focused on ensuring that inmates in the US prison system are able to educate themselves and utilize their time behind bars to the fullest potential. The organization collects donated books and sends them to prisoners all over the country, allowing them to request the titles that they want most. This process is a two-way street, as prisoners often respond with letters and artwork of their own. By keeping this avenue of dialogue open, Books for Prisoners hopes to bring attention to aspects of the American prison system that need reform. Groundwork Books is a wonderful space to explore a type of literary culture that you won’t find at the average bookstore. It offers reading material for anyone interested in left-leaning political and social movements and is a great starting point for local activism and discussion. If you ever find yourself in San Diego with some spare time and the desire to broaden your horizons, Groundwork Books comes highly recommended. Tyler McElroy is a WLT intern majoring in English writing at the University of Oklahoma. He enjoys reading, writing, and traveling in his spare time. He intends to become an author and see as much of the world as possible. PHOTO: TYLER MCELROY Outpost Groundwork Books by Tyler McElroy 96 WLT NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2018 ...

Beyond Identity Politics: The New Culture Wars and Art Education

With the surprise election of Donald J. Trump as the 45th president of the United States and the subsequent resurgence of conservative social policies, this article situates the culture wars - the mini theme of this issue - within art education’s focus on multicultural and social justice initiatives. Harkening back to the battle between conservative republican moralist legislative policy and liberal values, we situate our work in the populist political landscape of Trump’s victory, which has re-inscribed difference marked by geography, race, class, gender, and religion while simultaneously engendering hostility towards the liberal values that seek to build inclusiveness and political agency for marginalized and oppressed peoples. Addressing rhetorical pastiche, we focus on how the identity politics of postmodern, multicultural art education have failed to give adequate consideration to the material systems of power and production. We then introduce the idea of new material precarity as a way to think about the entanglements of discourse and matter to suggest a more inclusive and intersectional approach to art education.

Visual immersion for cultural understanding and multimodal literacy

ABSTRACTWhen considering inclusive art curriculum that accommodates all learners, including English language learners, two distinct yet inseparable issues come to mind. The first is that English language learner students can use visual language and visual literacy skills inherent in visual arts curriculum to scaffold learning in and through the arts. Second, in facilitating a sense of belonging for students whose home language and cultural aesthetic may be different from those of the dominant school culture, an authentically developed multicultural art curriculum can guide self-efficacy and inclusiveness. Both aspects of teaching art for English language learners can have the added benefits of facilitating collaborative learning opportunities and increasing worldviews for all students.

A Case Analysis on the Management Plans for Multi-cultural Arts Education: Focusing on a making a cultural city, Cheonan, without borders

A Case Analysis on the Management Plans for Multi-cultural Arts Education: Focusing on a making a cultural city, Cheonan, without borders

The effects of a multicultural art class applying the GI model on the multicultural attitude of students in the first year of middle school

The effects of a multicultural art class applying the GI model on the multicultural attitude of students in the first year of middle school

A case study: Issues of culture, diversity and difference in art education in New Zealand

This paper reports on case study research conducted in five Auckland secondary school art departments in 2005. Positioned within the reality of New Zealand’s increasingly multicultural society and progressively diverse school population, the study was underpinned by a critique of interpretations of culture, diversity and difference, an examination of claims by cultural theorists that schooling has a responsibility to educate for an equitable democratic society, and arguments by multicultural art education theorists that art education can make a significant contribution towards a democratic society. The study also involved an interrogation of pedagogical approaches for culturally inclusive art education and a critique of educational policy which raises issues of the subject’s position and value in the contemporary age of globalisation. This paper offers insights into the research participants’ schools and pedagogical practices. The findings are intended to inform rofessional judgements about the shape and role of art education in a diversified society which, in an era of economic and cultural globalisation, has a historically contingent commitment to biculturalism.

Multicultural Arts and Integrative Medicine: Empowering Refugees in the Healing Process

Refugees are people who move involuntarily from their country of residence often witnessing disasters, wars and the deaths of immediate family members prior to fleeing. In each of these instances, refugees experience traumatic situations that provoke strong reactions and emotions. This is often exacerbated by difficult refugee processing systems, detention and waiting in refugee camps, all of which make migration patterns and settlement processes for refugees are very different from those of other migrants. The psychological effects of the trauma experienced by refugees tend to be enduring and long-lasting. This paper explores the link between refugee mental health and wellbeing and multicultural arts in the tropics. The contention of the paper is that multicultural arts allows for sensitivity to a person’s identity, heritage and experience and is an important component of healing and well-being. The paper uncovers how multicultural arts enable a dialogue around issues with forced migration, powerlessness, humiliation and anger and promotes social inclusion and belonging. The paper concludes by arguing that multicultural and multidimensional approaches are needed to achieve an integrated approach to the mental health of refugees.

Migration, Continuity and Creativity in the Tropics

Tropical Australia is a multicultural mosaic fashioned by various waves of migration and ancient Indigenous cultures. Migration, cultural diversity and multiculturalism have been at the heart of nation building in Australia. Tropical Australia represents a unique blend of cultures, landscapes and traditions. Stories of migration, by the host society and by the immigrants, themselves are embedded with celebratory and fearful narratives. Immigrants to Tropical Australia have used their culture, arts, food and handcrafts as the initial point of building bridges with the society they found themselves transposed into. The early policies of multiculturalism were founded on recognition of cultural practice. This paper explores the role of creativity and multicultural arts in contemporary Tropical Australia from an enriching or a critical perspective. It is argued that the role of multicultural arts has been under-estimated in Australia generally. The building of a pluralistic and inclusive society requires genuine representation (and voice) of all groups, shared experiences and a narrative that supports a deeper understanding of diversity. Using examples from tropical Australia, the paper posits that multicultural arts and creativity are important elements of identity development across generations of immigrant families and communities, legacy transmission and cultural preservation, social cohesion, social inclusion and citizenship and civic participation.

A study on the research trends of multicultural art education using the text mining technique

Recently, there has been an increasing need for the discourse of multiculturalism to reflect on the Korean situation of multicultural education without the notion of assimilating specific minority groups. In this respect, this research attempts to analyze the research trends of multicultural art education for the purpose of providing an overview on how the discourse of multicultural art education has evolved and drawn on the implications for future research. In order to take on a more objective and statistical approach to the meta analysis of literature, this study uses the text mining technique, one of the big data analysis techniques which provides a framework for understanding and visualizing research trends based on the social network analysis of keywords appeared in research articles over time. The total number of 80 articles and doctoral dissertations published throughout 2000～2015 were collected and analyzed. The result can be summarized in two aspects. First, the keywords with high correlations show that there is a lack of research that investigates the underlying circumstances regarding Korean multicultural situations. Second, it is time to re-conceptualize multicultural art education based on the fundamental issues confronting Korean society. Future research should be geared more towards the inquiry of the primary concepts and values of art in multicultural education. This study will broaden our understanding of the research trends of multicultural art education and establish the ground on which future research agendas can be developed.

‘Being’ a critical multicultural pedagogue in the art education classroom

ABSTRACTArt educators continuously struggle to understand what multiculturalism ‘looks like’ in the art classroom. This has resulted in multicultural art education becoming superficial, in which art teachers guide students through art projects like creating African masks, Native American dream catchers, Aboriginal totems, and sand paintings, all without communicating the context of the art. This type of multiculturalism essentializes cultures, and builds Western, myopic narratives about groups of people, specifically about their ‘Art’. Critical multiculturalism is a power-focused upgrade of multiculturalism that calls for a critique of power and demands recognition that racism and other discriminations are enmeshed in the fabric of our social order. Teaching through a critical multiculturalism framework helps teachers dismantle Western, normalized narratives and produce counter-hegemonic curriculum that contextualizes culture and reveals its fluidity. In this article, the author shares a teacher action research study in which she describes what critical multiculturalism looks like in her art education classroom. The study focuses on ‘being’ a critically multicultural educator versus ‘doing’ critical multiculturalism. Such a position counters the idea that critical multiculturalism is a thing to complete, but instead is an ongoing process that rests on specific ways of thinking and considering the classroom, curriculum, and students.

The development and Effect of the Multicultural art program through using the Masterpieces

The development and Effect of the Multicultural art program through using the Masterpieces

Viewing Sub-Saharan African Art with Western Eyes: A Question of Aesthetics in the Context of Another Culture and Time

In this article I explore the aesthetic value of sub-Saharan African ritual masks in the context of modern African art as part of the global fine art world (Desai, 2005; Kasfir, 1992). This discussion of sub-Saharan African ritual masks examines the role of carver and the dichotomy of past “traditional” art and contemporary “modern” art of sub-Saharan Africa (Hassan, 1999). The challenges of responding to ritual objects of aesthetic merit that are outside of the Western cultural framework are discussed. The dynamic roles of museums that exhibit African art are explored as well. Elizabeth Garber (1995) cautions art educators who are outside of the culture discussed need to be aware of the temptations to “exoticize” these original artifacts when designing curriculum. All these issues of postmodern multicultural art education (Ballengee Morris & Stuhr, 2001; Chin, 2011) are important considerations when designing an art lesson using African ritual masks as a source of inspiration for students’ artwork.

Grammar School Students’ Opinions on the Art Curriculum: An Estonian, Portuguese and Slovenian Comparative Study

The article presents the attitude of grammar school students towards the art curriculum. It first provides an overview of the characteristics of contemporary art education, with an emphasis on the postmodern art curriculum and on linking course content with students’ interests. The study is based on the descriptive and causal non-experimental method,with a sample comprising 387 Slovenian, Estonian and Portuguese students. It was established that the students place the highest value on developing creativity, and are less interested in art history content and learning about the basics of the formal art language. They are attracted to contemporary topics, such as graffiti, multicultural art, the use of new media, and digital technologies. The results of the study provide opportunities for future comparative analyses and starting points for updating art curricula.

Multiculturalism and the Global Art World: The Policies of Large Scale Art Exhibitions

This paper sheds some light on two problems affiliated with large-scale art exhibitions and multiculturalism. The first problem encompasses the claim that these exhibitions contribute to the formation of a homogeneous culture by promoting a few artists and concepts. The second problem is related to the issue of Western dominance of the art world through the exhibitions. A large database (more than 14,000 entries) was created with the names, nationalities, and so on of the artists who have attended perennial exhibitions, such as the Documenta, Havana Biennial, Istanbul Biennial, and Gwangju Biennale. The discussion of the first problem examines the artists who appear in the history of a particular biennial revealing whether the majority of the artists are the same or not and if there is a tendency towards a mono-culture. The data are also applied to the second problem by asking whether only biennials in the Western hemisphere “ignore” artists from other regions. The findings show that both assumptions cannot be supported by the data. International exhibitions contribute to a multicultural art world and substantially challenge Western dominance. The paper’s final section engages with additional, more theoretical considerations and formulates some tentative answers that can explain these findings.

Multicultural family art therapy

Multicultural family art therapy

(Re)Constructing Cultural Conceptions and Practices in Art Education: An Action Research Study

Abstract It is heavily argued that art educators should consider the various ways racism, classism, and heterosexism work to shape consciousness and produce identity, as these constructions shape what content is privileged in the art classroom. This examination of power and privilege is what critical multicultural art education calls for. Unfortunately, K-12 art teachers continue to struggle to enact critical multicultural art education curriculum. This paper seeks to identify what personal pedagogical changes I can make to help pre-service and practicing art teachers transfer concepts and practices derived from social justiceoriented teacher education into their art classrooms. I assert that art teachers, practicing and prospective, must first establish positionality and recognize the implications of their position in order to facilitate equitable educational experiences for all their students.