The Glenn Brothers, Art Education, and Tallahasseeâ•Žs Frenchtown 1957

Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2013 Constructing Community: The Glenn Brothers, Art Education, and Tallahassee's Frenchtown 1957-1967 Donald Sheppard Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF VISUAL ARTS, THEATRE & DANCE CONSTRUCTING COMMUNITY: THE GLENN BROTHERS, ART EDUCATION, AND TALLAHASSEE’S FRENCHTOWN 1957 -1967 By DONALD SHEPPARD A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Art Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2013 Donald Sheppard defended this dissertation on October 7, 2013. The members of the supervisory committee were: Tom Anderson Professor Directing Dissertation Maxine Montgomery University Representative David Gussak Committee Member Pat Villeneuve Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii This dissertation is dedicated to my wife, Sarah and daughter, Donarah. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to acknowledge my committee members who gave me valuable feedback and support. I especially want to thank Tom Anderson for going the extra mile to see me through, for staying late on Thursdays to accommodate my work hours, and for meeting me in Barnes and Noble during the holidays because the school was closed. You have been more than a director, you have been a friend. I want to thank David Gussak for his always positive attitude and for stepping in to lend a hand when I needed him most. I want to thank Pat Villeneuve, who I am knitted to because of her teaching style, sense of humor, and the work we’ve done together. I want to thank Maxine Montgomery, who has been so encouraging and has brought many ideas to the table about which I would never have thought. I would like to thank the Ivan and Inez Johnson Award in Art Education for its encouragement and support. I would like to thank my church family, Watson Temple Church of God in Christ where I have served as pastor for almost 15 years, for its prayerful support. I would like to thank administrations, colleagues, and students of Griffin Middle School and Montford Middle School who have kept me hooked on art education. I would like to also thank my siblings: Elbert, Elliott, Elaine, and twin brother Ronald. We did it! I would like to thank my parents: my Mom who enrolled me into Mr. Harris’ art classes when the county took art out of the schools, and my father (posthumously) who is still my greatest mentor. And lastly, I want to thank Grandma Bessie (also posthumously), who got only as far as eighth grade, wrote letters to me while I was in undergraduate school, and wanted to be a teacher. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. viii Abstract ............................................................................................................................................x 1. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ...........................................................................................................2 The Research Questions .............................................................................................................5 Rationale ....................................................................................................................................6 Theoretical Perspectives ............................................................................................................8 Theoretical Framework of Choice ...........................................................................................11 Definition of Terms..................................................................................................................12 Summary ..................................................................................................................................13 2. METHODOLOGY AND THEORETICAL FOUNDATION FOR THIS HISTORICAL RESEARCH .............................................................................................................................14 The Research Question ............................................................................................................14 Methodology: Historiography ..................................................................................................14 Two Basic Approaches in Historiography ...................................................................15 Steps in Historical Research ........................................................................................18 History and Historiography in Art Education ..........................................................................24 Historical Research on African Americans and Art Education ...............................................27 Historical Research Process and Art Educators Hodges and Rogers Glenn ............................28 The Use of Oral Reports and Interviews..................................................................................29 Supporting Sources, Perspectives, and Questions of Verity ....................................................32 Writing the Study .....................................................................................................................34 Summary of Methodology .......................................................................................................35 3. DEFINING COMMUNITY.....................................................................................................36 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................36 What is Community? ...............................................................................................................36 Socialization in Community Construction ...............................................................................39 Constructing Community .........................................................................................................47 The Marginalization of the African-American Community ....................................................58 African American Teachers and Education .................................................................61 v African American Male Teachers ................................................................................63 Community Based Art Education (CBAE) ..............................................................................66 Material Culture, Community, and Art Education...................................................................70 4. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT FOR THE STUDY ...............................73 Discovering the Glenn Brothers: Some Personal Context .......................................................73 The Community of Frenchtown ...............................................................................................75 Hodges and Rogers Glenn .......................................................................................................79 In Their Own Words ................................................................................................................82 The Black Art Movement of the 60s and 70s ..........................................................................85 The Glenn Brothers and the Practical Arts ..............................................................................87 Signage and Lettering in the 60s ..............................................................................................89 5. THE FRENCHTOWN COMMUNITY AND THE GLENN TWINS ....................................91 The Frenchtown Community as a Mecca ................................................................................91 A Mecca for African American Living ........................................................................92 A Mecca for African American Businesses .................................................................94 A Mecca for African American Entertainment ............................................................96 A Mecca for African American Education ..................................................................98 A Mecca for African American Dignity ....................................................................101 Training in the Community ....................................................................................................102 Beginning Teachers in the Community .................................................................................104 The Journey from Birth to Teaching Art in the Community .................................................106 Providing an Art Connection for the Community..................................................................112 Mentoring in the Community.................................................................................................120 Bridging the African American Community with the Total Community ..............................126

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