back to the basics: multicultural theories revisited and put into practice

National Art Education Association

Back to the Basics: Multicultural Theories Revisited and Put into PracticeAuthor(s): Deborah KusterSource: Art Education, Vol. 59, No. 5 (Sep., 2006), pp. 33-39Published by: National Art Education AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27696169 .

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Back to the

Multicultural

Theories

Revisited and

Put into Practice

B asics:

v

By its very nature, art offers a rich bounty

of cultural exchange. Cultural influences

guide expression in art, and art records

and influences culture. Helping students view the

world beyond their own cultural perspectives has

potential to enrich them as human beings. Students begin to recognize that there are

different people who have had different experi ences and that they express these experiences in different ways. Students begin to acknowledge that everyone has a role in the creation of culture

and each person's contribution is valuable. Ideally, we can get a fuller view of our own cultures and

behaviors by viewing them from the perspectives of other cultures (Banks, 1988; Cahan & Kocur,

1996; Cross, 2000; Radnor, 2001 ; Saravia-Shore &

Arvizu, 1992).The purpose of this article is to

summarize some earlier foundational theories

that address issues of cultural diversity for art

education and relate them to a curricular unit for

fifth graders.

The Complexity of Culture Nieto (1999) defines culture as the process, as

well as the product, of a group of people bound

together by some combination of common factors.

People are the authors of culture, as each interacts

and learns from one another. Culture is constantly

changing because it is influenced by factors that

are dynamic in nature. Social, economic, religious,

and political factors influence culture. Culture, in

this sense, is what guides how people act, think, and feel and is a creative process involving behav

iors, values, and substance shared by people as

they seek to give meaning and significance to their

lives.There can be no pure and simple culture, in

that culture is always multifaceted and complex

(Nieto, 1999;Saravia-Shore &Arvizu, 1992).

Each person comprises multiple cultural identi

ties, which include traditional ethnic and national

cultural identities as well as many sub-cultural

identities centered or related to such factors as

religious beliefs, social interests, or political parti

sanship. Cultural identities embody race, ethnicity,

language, social class, gender, sexual orientation, and other circumstances related to identity and

experience (Nieto, 1999; Eaton, 1991).

The implementation of multicultural art educa

tion in the United States from the 1970s until the

present has been strongly focused on generalized

explicit or overt cultural characteristics such as

dress, speech, and holiday or ceremonial behav

iors (Chalmers, 2002; Chanda, 1992; Eaton, 1991;

Garber, 1995; Grant, 1992; Hanna, 1994; Stuhr, 1994;

Zimmerman, 1990).Yet,multiculturalism is more

than adding on to the curriculum a conglomera tion of superficial aspects of cultural life. Multi

cultural competence causes students to better

understand how each person within a society affects and is influenced by others, thus contrib

uting to the on-going definition and the creation

of culture.

SEPTEMBER 2006 / ART EDUCATION 33



Earlier Foundational Theories To address cultural diversity and art,

McFee and Degge (1977) clarified the

belief that art is a universal language by

pointing out that all art forms contain

basic elements and principles of design;

however, we can understand the art of

others only to the degree we can learn

about their culture. When observing a

given work of art, we are limited by our

understandings of the cultural member

ships and the role(s) the artist plays in

that culture. When studying works of art

for understanding, McFee and Degge shift

the emphasis from the formal elements

and principles of design to an investiga tion of the artists' ethnic, social, political, and artistic cultural roles and member

ships. Providing the cultural contexts is

necessary for greater understanding.

Chalmers (1996) directs curriculum to

big themes, and stresses art production that encourages students to tell their own

important stories, noting the "functions"

of art within cultures. Some of the func

tions identified by Chalmers include:

"ascribers of meaning, ascribers of status,

catalysts of social change, enhancers

and decorators, interpreters, magicians,

mythmakers, propagandists, recorders of

history, sociotherapists, storytellers, and

teachers" (p. 297). As students take on the

roles of artists, they connect to the shared, universal cultural functions of art as the

context for greater appreciation and

understanding of cultural differences.

Art is created in a cultural environment

of giving and taking, influencing and being influenced. Studies reviewed by Mehan,

Lintz, Okamota, & Wills (2001) recom

mend that teachers focus on studying and

learning from their own students' dynamic cultures. Such a focus can provide teachers

with more effective and authentic means

for increasing cultural understanding. Students are much better served when

led to an awareness of the varying aspects of each other's cultures than with any

attempt by the teacher to standardize a

culture with generalized, static data.

Practicing teachers are in need of

specific curricular tools that help chal

lenge students to make meaningful connections that lead to a greater

understanding about the multifaceted

As students take on the roles of artists, they connect

to the shared, universal cultural functions of art as the

context for greater appreciation and understanding

of cultural differences.

and complex nature of culture.To address

this need, I turned to McFee and Degge

(1977), Chalmers (1996,2002), and Mehan,

Lintz, Okamota, and Willis (2001).These scholars suggest that teachers need to

guide students in an examination of works

of art to understand other people and

how art is an expression of their sense of

reality. When looking at and responding to works of art, students examine cultural

contexts, including the roles each artist

might have filled. Students' own stones

and their own created works of art involve

them in the making of meaning and the

sharing of specific cultural roles.They

partake in the various functions of art and

become players of the different roles of

artists as a holistic orientation, so that they can understand multicultural beliefs more

personally. As a result, teachers use art to

gain insights into and utilize their own

students' dynamic cultures.

My Curricular Unit I designed a curricular unit that

focused on selected works of art from

The Walter O. Evans Collection of African

American Art1 and presented it to three

5th-grade classes.2 The works of art I

selected were: Woman Worker, (1951)

by Charles White, The Black Man in the

Making of America, (I960) by Romare

Bearden, and Homage to Black Women

Poets, (1984) by Elizabeth Catlett.The student participants viewed the original artworks at a local art museum during the

implementation of my unit, which gave more weight and validity to the curric

ulum content.The field trip to the art

museum was a special, shared event and

a pivotal point of the unit. Utilizing the

art museum's exhibit, a cultural center in

the students' own community, is consis

tent with the goal of making cultural

connections with students' own personal cultures.

The selected artists held memberships in art-related subcultures that provided connections to each of the ethnic and

national cultures of the participating students.The ethnic population of the

participating school was one-third

European, one-third Mexican, and one

third African descent. Romare Bearden's

art subcultures included Paris in 1950, where he was influenced by the cubistic

and collage styles of the Spanish artists, Picasso and Braque and the French artist, Matisse. Elizabeth Catlett was a member

of the social realist movement, where she

studied under Grant Wood. She became

a Mexican citizen in 1962, with her

art bearing the influences from North

America and Africa. Charles White was a

member of the historic muralists during the 1930s and 1940s. His murals were

most influenced by such artists as Jose Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera, who

were members of the Mexican muralist

movement. When White shifted from large murals to drawings, he became interested

in and was influenced by the German

Expressionist artist, K?the Kollwitz.The

participating students learned of the art

subcultures of which the selected artists

were members through a dramatic reading after their museum visits early in the

implementation of the unit.

These three artists lived during and

were greatly influenced by the American

Civil Rights and Equal Rights Movements.

Because American history is taught in

the 5th grade, I used the students' social

studies textbook for information about

the social, political, and economic cultural

contexts in which the selected works

of art were created.The curricular unit

included interdisciplinary connections

with social studies and literature. One

lesson focused on students reading and

discussing the historical accounts of

the Civil Rights and Equal Rights Move

ments in America and the poem, "Alabama

Centennial" by Naomi Madgett as a

context for interpreting the works of art.

34 ART EDUCATION /SEPTEMBER 2006



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Woman Worker, 1951. Charles White, American (1918-1979). Oil on canvas, 30 inches by 24 inches. The Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art.

I selected the theme of "Respect and

Homage," for the unit by interpreting roles

the selected artists assumed within the

various cultures and subcultures of which

they were members.The chosen works

of art are engaging images that exemplify the curricular theme. Paying respect and

homage is a theme that all human cultures

share, thus providing a cross-culture

commonality. Participating students

analyzed and interpreted the selected

works of art and then assumed the role

of paying homage to important people,

places, and events in their own lives

through their personal artmaking. Finally, students wrote their artists' statements

and applied their own understanding of the functions of art to their personal artistic expression.

Implementation To encourage personal inquiry in

the pre-museum visit with participating

students, I divided each class into three

cooperative groups. Each group received a

photocopy of one of the works of art that

would be the focus of this curricular unit.

Each group wrote down five questions

they would like answered in relation to

the work of art, with two of the ques tions about the artist and three about the

artwork. Upon completion, each group read their questions to the rest of the class.

The students' questions showed their

interest in aspects of the artists' lives

that most people would want to know

upon being introduced to someone new, such as:"When was the artist born?" and

"Where did the artist live?" Having person

ally created art using various media, the

students were also curious about how and

why each artist made his or her art as he

or she did. Students' questions became the

avenues to explore the ideas and values

of the cultures that supported, sustained, and influenced the artists (Erickson, 2002). Examination into artistic and aesthetic

influences ensued that reflected other

subcultures of the focused artists.The

subcultures included ethnic, social, artistic, and political memberships.

Through a final set of questions the

students sought to understand what the

artists were trying to communicate based

on the subject matter used in the works

of art, such as: "What is happening in the

picture?" and "Why does the man with the

white hat have a blue mask-like face?"

I directed students into ways of answering their own questions through presenting and discussing some of the important influences on the focused artists and by

guiding students to develop their own

personal interpretations of the meaning of the works of art.

The investigation of the cultural

contexts underlying the works of art

included the chapter in the students'

textbook on the Civil Rights and Equal Rights Movements in America. Class

discussions, a reading of the poem "Alabama Centennial" by Naomi Madgett, and interpretations of the poem as

students worked in cooperative groups were included. In the discussions, the

students examined ways the cultural

contexts, such as the social, political, and

biographical, influenced the art of Catlett,

Bearden, and White. Students' comments

during class discussions in association

with the historical accounts revealed

evidence of their ability to interpret works




The ?/ac/c Man in the Making of America, 1960. Romare Bearden, American (1912-1988). Mixed media, 31 inches by 47 inches.

The Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art. Art ? Romare Bearden Foundation, licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

Student comments bint to

their understanding how

artists within different

cultures have challenged and

made others reconsider who

deserves homage and respect

of art within various cultural contexts.

I re-directed students' attention to each

work of art, in reference to the unit theme

"Respect and Homage," and sought their

interpretations of what each artist was

communicating.

The students' interpretations expressed ideas about "power" in relation to Homage to Black Women Poets, by Catlett.

Following their investigation of the social,

political, and biographic context, I asked:

"What do you think the artist thinks about

Black women poets?" One student said, "She thinks they're powerful and their

words, they express themselves really

good."This statement is an example of a

direct connection of the artwork to the

poem, by Naomi Madgett, which was read

in class.

I asked students of what Charles White

was honoring or showing respect in

Woman Worker. One response was: "He is

saying,'like good job that women worked

for equality for all women.'They worked

hard because they wanted to be treated

like men?wanted to work the same jobs and stuff like that. So he is probably saying that they are very brave sacrifices." Other

student responses mentioned the fact that

White grew up with only his mother and

that White wanted "to show that women

work too." Student responses made

reference to the American Equal Rights Movement and to White's personal, family life history.

When interpreting the meaning of

Bearden's The Black Man in the Making

of America, one student made refer

ence toThurgood Marshall. I found this

comment extremely interesting, because

some of the imagery in the painting might

initially suggest "the making of America" in

a physical, constructing or building sense.

The student's interpretation was contex

tually based on his understanding of the

Civil Rights Movement. He suggested "The

Black Man," such asThurgood Marshall, contributed to the fight for freedom and

equal rights for all Americans, or "the

making of America" into the democratic

36 ART EDUCATION / SEPTEMBER 2006



nation it should be.The student's

comment directed me to note much of

the physical construction of the buildings and the strong American economy was a

result of "The Black Man," but, also, and as

pointed out, the quest for equal rights for

all Americans was a result of "The Black

Man in the Making of America."

Based on their understanding of some

of the cultural contexts of the works of

art, the students' comments are evidence

of steps toward understanding ways art

can reflect cultural values and interests.

Students expressed ideas about these

artists paying homage to people such as

women workers, poets, and civil rights leaders with a greater understanding of why such people would be heroes.

Student comments hint to their under

standing how artists within different

cultures have challenged and made others

reconsider who deserves homage and

respect.

The studio project was a mixed-media, two-dimensional work that paid respect or homage to important people, activities,

and/or places in each student's life.The

media included students' digital photo

graphs of selves, friends, and teachers. I

chose the use of digital photography for

students to gain new technical skills and

to avoid frustrating students. As a visiting

teacher, I had no personal knowledge of

their skills in drawing the figure and did

not wish for their lack of drawing skills

to impede their visual communication. I

suggested the use of symbols and some

limited written text. Other media included

drawing in crayons, oil pastel, color

pencils, and markers.The students added

watercolor paint into larger background areas of their pictures which provided a

unifying component to the compositions.

Technical instruction in the use of

digital cameras was necessary. A guest instructor from the school district's tech

nology administrative staff came into the

classroom and conducted a hands-on mini

workshop with students on how to use

and care for digital cameras. During this

lesson students observed and interpreted the facial features and bodily gestures of

the figures in the selected works of art.

Students set up their classmates in various

poses that communicated different ideas

and to practice taking at least two pictures

using the digital cameras.

Homage to Black Women Poets, 1984. Elizabeth Catlett, American (b. 1915). Mahogany, 69 inches by 15 inches by 13 inches. The Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art. Art ? Elizabeth Catlett, licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

I redistributed students' preliminary sketches made in early class sessions

on the same day that the students took

their final digital photographs. During instructional time, students held up some

of their earlier sketches and discussed

compositional ideas, such as placement of

images, color, and value. I demonstrated

some watercolor techniques and possible

ways to include the printed digital photos.

I encouraged students to put the photos in more than one section of their artwork

and to utilize other cut-outs to aid in

balancing and unifying their compositions.

Finally, students wrote artists' statements

identifying the functions of their art

within their personal cultures.




By partaking in various functions of art, students become players of the different

roles of artists and become involved in

the making of meaning. Accordingly, I

reminded students of how the focused

artists made their art to honor certain

people and activities that they thought were important. Some artists created art

as a form of protest and other artists gave honor to contributors to our nation and/ or their personal lives. Most of the subject matter in the participating students' art

and in their statements was very personal, and honored people they love and who

care for them, as well as their favorite

things. Some examples included:

My dad being brave enough to go to

Kuwait.

I am honoring my friends, Jesus,

God, and family because they all help me especially through rough times.

That Serena won the championship in tennis and Michelle won the cham

pionship in ice-skating. Of the total 58 completed works of

art, 42 pictures contained images, words, or symbols about their friends. Another

16 pictures contained images, words, or symbols related to students' teachers

or school. Other major categories that

appeared in the artworks were pictures, words or symbols related to: family, home,

and/or pet; sports and other pastimes; church or faith; and heroes or famous/ historical people.

I provided a form for students to write

their artist statements.The students

were required to provide a title for their

work and to answer at least three of the

following questions:

1. What is the function of your art?

2. What or who has influenced how you make your art?

3. Why is your art important?

4. Describe the value-orientations that

are important to you in your art (time,

activity, relational).

5. Who or what events are you honoring in your art? Why?

6. What would you like people to think

about when they see your art?

One student wrote, "When

other people see my art,

I would like them to be

inspired so that they will

appreciate their own life.

I am telling people that

don't let anyone let you

down because you know

who you are"

Through their artist statements, the

students expressed a desire to please and

impress the viewer with the quality of

their art.The 5th-grade students wrote

how their artmaking functioned as

personal expressions and they wished to

inspire, impact, and please others through it. One student wrote,"When other

people see my art, I would like them to be

inspired so that they will appreciate their

own life. I am telling people that don't let

anyone let you down because you know

who you are ."Another student's statement

read: "They should think that I need to

quit letting people upset me and make a

change in my life. Because people should

follow their hearts and mind and not what

other people say."

Conclusions This art unit utilized and supported

specific curricular tools from earlier, foundational multicultural art education

theories. I chose to introduce cultural

contexts through interdisciplinary connections with social studies and litera

ture and the biographical information that

included the artists' sub-cultural member

ships.The theme, "Respect and Homage," allowed an umbrella by which to investi

gate some functions of the artists. I guided students into making thoughtful interpre tations of the focused works of art and

the roles the artists played within their

cultures under the theme.As the focus of

students' artmaking corresponded more to

the theme of paying respect and homage than to a specific form or style they told

their own stories, thus identifying and

reflecting their personal cultural values.

In this role, the emphasis is placed on the

why of art, providing reference points, such as students'personal cultural associa

tions, to be made within the ideas of the

larger, culturally universal theme. I sought to focus on learning from the culturally diverse memberships within each class

room by encouraging students' personal

inquiry in the pre-museum visit, utilizing students' community museum, as well as

through the student-created artwork and

artists' statements.

The unit described in this article is one

example of the designing and implemen tation processes that I used for cultural

inquiry and appreciation with elementary school children. Although my unit was

limited to the work of only three artists, I believe we gained steps toward helping the students understand some of the roles

these artists played and how they func

tioned within their cultures. As a partici

pant observer, I experienced first hand

the importance of students in the roles of

artists and their personal reflection and

identification of how their art fits together in their lives and in their cultures.Though teachers should continually pursue new

curricular tools to advance the practice of

multicultural art education, effective tools

and strategies such as the ones used in

this unit have already been identified.The

challenge is for art educators to employ them.

Deborah K?ster is Assistant Professor

of Art at the University of Central

Arkansas, Conway E-mail: dkuster?

uca. edu

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Erickson, M. (2002). What are artworlds and

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McFeeJ.K., & Degge, R.M. (\91T).Art, culture, and environment: A catalyst for teaching. Belmont, CA:Wadsworth Publishing

Company, Inc.

Mehan, H., Lintz,A., Okamota, D., & Wills, J. S.

(2001). Ethnographic studies of multicul tural education in classrooms and schools. In J.A. Banks (Ed.) & C.A.M.Banks (Associate Ed.). Handbook of research on multi cultural education (pp. 129-144). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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Radnor, H. (2001). Researching your profes sional practice. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Saravia-Shore, M. & Arvizu, S.F. (Eds.) (1992). Cross-cultural literacy: Ethnographies of communication in multiethnic classrooms. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc.

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ENDNOTES !ln an effort to share the African-American

cultural legacy, Walter and Linda Evans have

loaned approximately 80 works of art from

their collection for an ongoing traveling exhibi

tion throughout the United States. For more

information on this collection refer to Barnwell, A.D. (1999), The Walter O. Evans Collection of

African American Art. Seattle, WA: University of

Washington Press or

www.walteroevansfoundation.org. 2 For the entire curricular unit refer to K?ster, D.A. (2004) Critical cultural consciousness in the classroom through an art-centered curric

ular unit, respect and homage, Appendix A.

(Unpublished Dissertation). University of North Texas.

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