TEACHING MORE OF THE STORY:
SEXUAL AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY
IN ART AND THE CLASSROOM
By Ed Check and Laurel Lampela
In 1996, a midwest elementary public school library displayed
a photo exhibit of gay and lesbian families entitled Love Makes
a Family (See Lyman, 1996/97). Second grade teacher Kate Lyman
stated that "she first became aware of gay and lesbian issues
through [her] involvement with the feminist movement in the 1970s,
[and] it wasn't until the 1980s that [she] began to make the connection
between multicultural education, gender equity, and [providing]
gay and lesbian inclusion" (p. 14). Lyman notes that addressing
homophobic name-calling and stereotypes about lesbians and gays
became a priority for her because she taught students who had
lesbian or gay parents. The exhibit dovetailed with her school's
improvement plan to focus on prejudice reduction and inclusion.
When local media coverage created a controversial and heated climate
about the planned exhibit, the school faculty responded with a
school/community letter stressing the importance of teaching about
homophobia as discrimination. After significant school and community
debate, the exhibit was shown in its entirety. Lyman describes
the entire process in her article. Her story illustrates the importance
of teaching about critical issues to students of all ages. While
such examples may seem rare, teachers and students in schools
across the United States face situations involving lesbian and
gay issues, homophobia and name-calling.
ART TEACHERS REQUEST INFORMATION ABOUT LGB ISSUES
As art teachers begin to address difficult social and political
issues, especially the inclusion of sexual identity, many have
asked for information and support. This was evidenced at several
Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Issues Caucus (LGBIC) workshops at 1997
and 1998 National Art Education Association (NAEA) annual conventions
in New Orleans and Chicago respectively. Elementary through secondary
teachers requested information to educate themselves about lesbian,
gay and bisexual (LGB) issues in art and education. One of the
goals of the LGBIC, an affiliate of the NAEA, is to promote quality
instruction in visual arts education that includes information
relating to the understanding of lesbian, gay and bisexual content
in artists' works and their lives.
WHO IS INTERESTED?
Many art teachers work alongside LGB colleagues, have LGB students
in their classrooms, have students with LGB parents, or have LGB
friends, neighbors, sons, daughters, etc. (Kuklin, 1993; Woog,
1995). Some teachers are gay and lesbian (Jennings, 1994). Some
teachers want to include LGB content in their classroom curriculum.
They feel comfortable addressing multiple and diverse multicultural
aspects (Harbeck, 1992). Others just want to be prepared "if"
the topic surfaces. And still others are interested in closing
the chasm between the "real world" contexts of making
art and what is included and excluded in teaching about art in
schools (Cahan and Kocur, 1996).
WHO ARE SOME OF THESE ARTISTS?
One need only to look at the multiple histories of art that reveal
rich and diverse pictures of creativity and imagination in the
twentieth century (Cotter, 1994). Take, for example, Bernice Abbott,
Sadie Benning, Romaine Brooks, Charles Demuth, Louise Fishman,
Laura Gilpin, Gluck (Hannah Gluckstein), Della Grace, Keith Haring,
Marsden Hartley, David Hockney, Holly Hughes, Jasper Johns, Sadie
Lee, Robert Rauschenberg, June Redfern, Andy Warhol, and David
Wojnarowicz. These are artists whose sexuality had an impact on
their art (Cooper, 1996). To totally disregard such a fundamental
part of one's life, often can reduce or misrepresent the artist's
intent (Clark, 1996; Katz, 1993). Though such material may be
considered controversial by many people, to ignore such valuable
information is to distort histories and deny educational opportunities
(Deitcher, 1990; Lampela, 1996).
LESSONS IN ACTION
What follows are several examples of teachers dealing with LGB
issues in the classrooms in a variety of settings.
1. Name-Calling Homophobic name-calling is pervasive throughout all levels of education and the culture. Homophobic name-calling creates hostile environments for all people. Creating safer educational environments and classrooms for all students means confronting difficult issues. Lenore Gordon (1994) states that "[t]eaching children to be critical of oppression is teaching true morality, and teachers have the right, indeed the obligation, to alert their students to all forms of oppression" (p. 86). She describes elementary and middle/junior high school situations (adaptable for high school) focusing on homophobic name-calling. She specifies ways to confront, combat and educate students about homophobia.
2. Teaching about Controversial Subjects T. Barrett
and S. Rab (1990) explored cultural differences, censorship and
controversy through the art of Robert Mapplethorpe. The article
describes their painstaking process to prepare students to view
a Mapplethorpe exhibit as an after school project. As Barrett
wrote, "it provides a real, public school example of addressing
controversial differences of groups of people through sensitive
teaching about controversial art" (p. 17). The authors describe
in detail reasons for the trip, preparation prior to the visit,
their personal fears and concerns, and individual student reactions
to the exhibit. It showcases the power of art to "increase
understanding of differences among people" (p. 16). Complex
issues such as controversial art, censorship, personal fears,
and ignorance are addressed by focusing on the contexts of the
controversy, the museum visit, and various individual's reactions
to the event. This study provides an example of how one teacher
and one professor handled controversial material within a public
high school setting.
3. High School Lessons Simon Leung (Cahan and Kocur, 1996)
provides ample context for a discussion of AIDS and related social
issues (homosexuality and homophobia). In his chapter entitled
"AIDS and Its Representation," each lesson focuses on
aspects of oppression, identity and social change. He encourages
critical thinking, personal reflection and analysis throughout
his chapter. Included in each lesson are ways to make difficult
issues accessible through contemporary art examples. Teachers
are left to consider individually how to approach such issues
and implement from within a classroom setting. Thought-provoking
and innovative lessons are offered that challenge normative practices
with a focus of critical analysis and inclusion. Specific lessons
(Lessons 23 and 24) address the topics of homophobia and related
social and cultural issues. Also included in the book are over
fifty contemporary artists (beautiful color reproductions) with
a section devoted to artist statements in English and Spanish.
CONCLUSION
Many art teachers are addressing LGB issues in their classrooms
in a variety of ways. Providing teachers with accurate information
and curricular resources is just one facet of the LGBIC.
For more information about LGB art and educational issues write
c/o: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Issues Caucus, an affiliate of the
National Art Education Association. Co-Coordinators: Anne M. Manning,
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755
and Ruth Slotnick, 602 South Pugh Street, State College, PA 16801
References
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Cahan, S. and Kocur, Z. (Eds.). (1996) Contemporary art and multicultural education. New York: Routledge.
Clark, R. (1996). Art education: Issues in postmodernist pedagogy. Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
Cooper, E. (1994) (2nd ed.). The sexual perspective: Homosexuality and art in the last 100 years in the west. New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Cotter, H. (1994, June). Art after Stonewall: 12 artists interviewed.
Art in America, 82(6), 56-65+.
Deitcher, D. (1990, May 15). Crossover dreams: Sexuality, politics
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Gordon, L. (1994). What do we say when we hear 'faggot'? In B. Bigelow, L. Christensen, S. Karp, B. Miner and B. Perterson (Eds.), Rethinking Schools: Teaching for Equity and Justice (pp. 86-87). Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Rethinking Schools.
Harbeck, K. (1992). Coming out of the classroom closet: Gay and lesbian students, teachers and curricula. New York: Hayworth Press.
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Katz, J. (1993). The art of code: Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg. In W. Chadwick and I. de Courtivron (Eds.), Significant others: Creativity and intimate partnership (pp. 88-207). New York: Thames and Hudson.
Kuklin, S. (1993). Speaking out: Teenagers take on race, sex, and identity. New York: Putnam's Sons.
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Lyman, K. (1996/97, Winter). Teaching the whole story: One school's struggle toward gay and lesbian inclusion. Rethinking Schools, 11(2), 14-17.
Woog, D. (1995) School's out: The impact of gay and lesbian
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