Blog 4: Empowered Experience & Making

Have you ever thought of art education as "dangerous"? From my recent experience taking graduate art education courses, I have come to realize how exactly art can be considered dangerous by both policymakers and state officials.

For the unit plan I have been creating and updating, I am basing it around the concept of cultural hegemony. Through my research, I have come to find that society, through dominant ways of thinking, tends to repress minority groups who differ in beliefs, values, perceptions, and ideologies. From this imposing condition, art can help repressed groups find their voice, advocate for themselves, develop a cultural identity, and feel social inclusion. Though I am not there yet, I plan to teach students a little about cultural hegemony and how they can prosper in a world that manipulates social constructs.

Overall, a crucial part of everyone's identity is to feel empowered by their own beliefs and values. Where art has the power to come to the aid of those under the ruling class influence is where those in power find art to be dangerous. As Connie Stewart states about art teachers, "We have the freedom to question, critique, and reevaluate pedagogical assumptions" (Stewart, 2019, p. 25). Being entirely different from any other school subject, especially those the policymakers favor, art allows students to express themselves, ask questions, and apply meaning to their everyday lives.

To many, all of this may seem a little too theatrical. When I was in art classes during my k-12 years, all I remember is copying what the teacher wanted from us onto paper so that I could receive a simple passing grade. However, a teacher is who decides the lessons of the class. A skilled art teacher is someone who finds meaning in the subject rather than instructing the student to merely download information (Stewart, 2019, p. 27). As I take my graduate classes and go through my coursework to become a certified k-12 art teacher, I want to become one of those skilled people. My goal is to show students how they can become empowered by art and that they can also create something that proves this.

Citation:

Connie Stewart (2019) The Dangerous Power of Art Education, Art Education, 72:6, 25-29, DOI: 10.1080/00043125.2019.1648144