Socially Just Artmaking: a Practitioner's Inquiry of Passionate
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Socially Just Artmaking: A Practitioner’s Inquiry of Passionate Teaching for Compassionate Action __________________________________________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Education Doctorate in Transformational Teaching Learning Program of Kutztown University of Pennsylvania ____________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Education Doctorate ______________________________________________ by Jaime Linn Brown May 2020 SOCIALLY JUST ARTMAKING © 2020 Jaime Linn Brown ALL RIGHTS RESERVED This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative works 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. ii SOCIALLY JUST ARTMAKING This Dissertation for the Education Doctorate in Transformational Teaching and Learning Degree By Jaime Linn Brown as been approved on behalf of the College of Education Dissertation Committee: Dr. Helen S. Hamlet, Committee Chair Dr. Amber Jean-Marie Pabon, Committee Member Brian Lehman, Committee Member April 13, 2020 iii SOCIALLY JUST ARTMAKING Abstract The arts serve as a vehicle to activate imagination of students in developing a broader understanding of injustice, its consequences, and the range of alternative possibilities (Bell & Desai, 2011). As more young artists engage in this dialogue, we must investigate how young people themselves make sense of and experience the transformative power of the arts (Dewhurst, 2014). Activist art can communicate ideas about individual and community experiences to a wider audience; it can make public that which has been ignored, silenced, or kept from public conscience (Dewhurst, 2014). Visual expression allows one to increase their understandings beyond the limitations of words and artmaking provides an often-overlooked means of knowing and infrequently used research avenue for exploring a phenomenon (Lee, 2013). The primary purpose of this study gives students the opportunity to explore ways in which they can foment change in the world around them through self-expression. A secondary purpose intends to add to existing dialogue about the transformative power of the arts. This mixed-methods research study was designed to address the following questions: (1) How do students perceive and respond to injustices in their world using meaning-making through the visual arts? (2) What methods do student participants find successful in engaging in dialogue about and creation of social justice activist art? (3) Does an activist art project or program impact a student’s level of comfort in social situations? Keywords: social justice, education, art education, activist art, Critical Race Theory, visual arts, Mixed Grounded Theory Signature of Investigator: _______________________________ Date: __________________ iv SOCIALLY JUST ARTMAKING Acknowledgements “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy Helen Hamlet, PhD Committee Chair, Clinical Coordinator, School Counseling Program Your support and sage advice have been a ray of sunshine throughout the past three years. Amber Jean-Marie Pabon, PhD Dissertation Committee, Department of Secondary Education Your class was my first experience in the EdD Transformational Teaching and Learning program, and it has lit a fire in me that continues to burn. Brian Lehman Dissertation Committee, Art Department Supervisor, [Pennsylvania] School District Your leadership and enthusiasm inspired me to be the teacher I am today in the classroom. Dan Brown My husband, you have always listened patiently to all of my crazy ideas, served as my most frequently used critical friend, had have always believed in me – even when I faltered. Thank you. Archer Hawking Brown My son, you were born during my second year of this three-year EdD program. You have opened my heart to more compassion than I ever dreamed of. You taught me effective time management strategies and that even when things are difficult, you can do anything that you set your mind to. Members of my cohort: Lisa M. Skiadas, Phillip Specht, Erin Brown, Emily Pisco, Patricia Tinsman-Schaeffer, Marlene Fares, Leila Little, Anthony Tartaglia, and Andrew Healey We have been there to lift each other up on this journey and I am forever grateful that our paths have crossed through engaging in research and scholarship. My students: Aria, Riley, Sarah, Nicole, Lauren, Noah, Marla, and Tabby This success is as much yours as it is mine. You are valued, respected, and will forever hold a special piece of my heart. You have made a difference in my life so that I can make a difference in the lives of others! v SOCIALLY JUST ARTMAKING Table of Contents Page LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 A Concern in Practice ..............................................................................................1 Call to Action ..........................................................................................................2 Researcher Positionality Framed by Theory ................................................3 Arts-based Research: Social Justice in the Middle School Art Room ........7 Definition of Terms................................................................................................12 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................ 13 Social Justice Education ........................................................................................13 Fostering Social Justice Through the Arts .............................................................15 Frameworks for Arts-Based Participatory Research..............................................20 3. DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................... 27 Sample and Population ..........................................................................................27 In the Art Room .........................................................................................28 Sample Selection ....................................................................................................28 Research Method Design ......................................................................................29 Instrumentation ......................................................................................................30 vi SOCIALLY JUST ARTMAKING Data Collection Over Curricular Time ..................................................................31 Data Analysis .........................................................................................................35 4. RESULTS ............................................................................................................................... 39 Sample....................................................................................................................40 Data Collection .....................................................................................................41 Data and Analysis ..................................................................................................41 Defining Injustice.......................................................................................41 Personal Connections .................................................................................48 Creating Activist Art ..................................................................................62 Pep Talk .........................................................................................62 LGBTQ+ and Gender Identity .......................................................64 Body Image and Perception ...........................................................72 Racism............................................................................................77 (Dis)ability vs Ability ....................................................................78 Impact of Program on Student Dispositions ..............................................81 5. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS ................................................................................................. 83 Summary of Study .................................................................................................83 Limitations .............................................................................................................94 Implications for Future Actions .............................................................................94 Conclusion .............................................................................................................95 vii SOCIALLY JUST ARTMAKING REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 96 Appendix A: Comfort in Social Situations Survey ..........................................................101 Appendix B: Consent .......................................................................................................106 Appendix C: