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INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly fi'om the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter 6ce, while others may be fi’om any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely afifect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing fi'om left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 Noith Zed) Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 A FEMINIST STUDIO ART CRITIQUE: A CLASSROOM STUDY DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State Universitv By .Anne L. Burkhart, B.F..A., M.A. ***** The Ohio State Universitv 1997 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Terry Barrett, Advisor Professor Patricia Stuhr — Advisor Professor Sydney Walker Art Education ÜMI Number: 9801654 UMI Microform 9801654 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate whether feminist ideas can be used to structure studio art critiques in ways that significantly contribute to students' sociopolitical understandings of their own and their peers’ artw'orks during studio art critiques. The two primary components of this feminist- based critique are a set of critical strategies and the sequence and structure of classroom activities. During the studio art critiques in an introductory black and white photography class, students used a set of critical strategies derived mostly from feminist theories. The critical strategies were embodied primarily in a set of questions written on a sheet of paper that students were frequently asked to refer to during the critiques. Classroom sequence and structure were arranged to gradually give students more responsibilit>- for leading critical discussions about artworks during critiques as the quarter progressed. This action research-based classroom study took place during one quarter in an introductory black and white photography class. Dialogue from the studio art critiques was audio taped and transcribed. A coding system for analyzing primarih' the sociopolitical content was constructed and used to analyze the transcript. An important set of findings is that feminist theories can significantly contribute to students' sociopolitical art imderstandings, and that students are ii capable of discussing sociopolitical aspects of images, and of doing so with sensitivity, depth and thoroughness. Another important finding is that the continual reinforcment of and emphasis on sociopolitical art understandings helps students retain that emphasis to the extent that students can initiate questions of a sociopolitical nature. .Another finding is that an instrument such as the Guide Sheet of Questions can aid in focusing students' attention to sociopolitical meanings of artworks. An important finding is that students are capable of leading sustained discussions about the meanings of artworks, and that they tend to discount descriptive activities. Another finding is that students value the variety of interpretations and world views shared by classmates during critiques. Recommendations include allowing more time for critiques, perhaps by reserving less in-class time to work on art projects or reducing the number of artworks a student produce; exploring ways to facilitate descriptive activities during studio art critiques; and determining a number of ways to counter ideas associated with studio art critiques that oppose the goals of a feminist studio art critique. Recommendations for future studies include the need to further explore feminist ideas to determine a variety of ways to apply of feminist ideas to the studio art classroom, and especially to studio art critiques. Further studies that investigate different ways to reinforce an emphasis on sociopolitical aspects of artworks are also recommended. Further studies are needed to explore ways in which different kinds of classroom structure can affect sociopolitical art understandings. Ill Dedicated to my parents IV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank my adviser, Terry Barren, for his longtime support and encouragement. I thank Sydney Walker for her insightful encouragement. I also thank Pat Stuhr for her support and faith. I am grateful for my colleagues who have provided not only friendship but inv aluable intellectual insight and encouragement. Those I refer to are many, but especially Janette Knowles, Kim Finley-Stansbuiy, Rina Kundu, and Jane Gooding-Brown. 1 thank Ann Henderson for her support and assistance with this manuscript. Keith Brooks has provided invaluable encouragement and friendship. I thank the Art Education Department for its support. I thank Leslie Simon, Holly Longfellow, and Savenda Newell for their continued assistance and patience in helping me through this process. Finally, I thank my parents for their unwaivering support. \axA September 22. 1958.................................. Bom - Sumter, South Carolina. U.SA. 1981............................................................ B.F.A. Drawing/Painting, The Ohio State Universit}'. 1992 ............................................................ M.A. Art Education. The Ohio State U niversity 1992 - present........................................... Graduate Teaching, Administrative, and Research .Associate, The Ohio State Univesity PUBUC.ATIONS 1. A. Burkhart, "Review," Columbus Art, 11(4), 6 (1990). 2. A. Burkhart, "Review," Columbus .Art, 10(4), 4 (1990). 3. A. Burkhart, "Review," Columbus .Art, 9 (6), 12-13 (1988). FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Art Education Other Areas of Study: Photography and Photographic Criticism; Ethnic Art VI TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract..............................................................................................................................ii Dedication.......................................................................................................................jv Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................... v Vita.....................................................................................................................................vi Chapters: 1. Introduction...........................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem........................................................................ 3 Overview....................................................................................................4 2. Theoretical frameworks ....................................................................................... 5 Part one: Many feminisms..................................................................... 5 Liberal feminism...........................................................................8 Radical feminism........................................................................ 10 Psychoanalytic feminism.........................................................14 Lesbian feminism........................................................................15 Marxist feminism.........................................................................16 Socialist feminism.....................................................................27 Materialist feminism.................................................................30 Feminist standpoint theory.....................................................32 Women of color and feminism............................................... 33 Postmodern feminism...............................................................37 Summmary .................................................................................40 Part two: A feminist studio art critique:...........................................41 Out with the old and in with the new: Re-imagining the studio art critique..................................................................... 43 Out with the old: The typical studio art critique..................44 In with the new: A feminist studio art critique.................. 46 General goals and characteristics of the feminist studio art critique ....................................................................................... 48 A feminist studio art critique: Two primary components.SO Guiding feminist ideas for criticising and interpreting