INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from 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 affect 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 corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. 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PUNK, ART AND EDUCATION by Cherl Theresa Harrison A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School at The University of North Carolina in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Greensboro 1990 Appproved by Dissertation Aaviser APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of the Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dissertation Adviser Committee Members Date of Acceptance by Committee " UI t ° Date of Final Oral Examination ii HARRISON, CHERL THERESA, ED.D. Punk, Art and Education. (1990) Directed by Dr. David Purpel. 150 pp. This research correlates the three seemingly separate areas of Punk culture, visual art and education. The connections made between these three areas are intended to provide insight about problems within the larger culture. The basic conclusion is that these problems, such as unequal opportunity or poverty, are not limited to the larger culture, but are the same problems that are often addressed by Punks, artists and students. The procedures used for this study were readings from books and magazines along with personal experiences and interviews. The personal experiences included attending Punk concerts, photographing Punks and art shows, and teaching Punk students. The photograph section at the end of Chapter One adds information and humor to the text. The section on education was derived almost wholly from my experiences of teaching art in college since 1976 when Punk culture was beginning. My intentions throughout the research were to provide the reader with carefully gathered information that does not claim absolute knowledge and, therefore, invites further research or differing opinions. <C), 1990, by Cherl Theresa Harrison ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation was possible because numerous people contributed in various ways. To my parents, I offer thanks for financial and emotional support. The members of my dissertation committee patiently gave their time, advice and encouragement. The chairman, Dr. David Purpel, is the most compassionate teacher that I have known. He provided a caring environment which caused me to persevere during my frequent episodes of distress. Among the many students who helped with this research is Candice Langston, who made major contributions with information on Punks from her experiences and personal contacts. Brooks Lockey, a current student, gave numerous books, recordings, information, and inspiration. Former students, Kent Thompson and Jackie Jasper were also influential. Technical assistance acknowledgements go to Donna Sanders and Bill Beil who spent many days helping with computer problems and the task of laser printing. A. Doren, photographer, helped advise on the limited possibilities of printing photographs in an unpublished document. His advice and encouragement led to photographs of much better quality than were submitted in the first draft. The final acknowledgement is the dedication of this work to my grandmother whose life exemplified to me the beauty of a strong feminine consciousness with joyfulness, wholeness and unconditional love. She taught me to see or search for goodness in situations that seemed overwhelmingly negative. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page APPROVAL PAGE ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER I. Punk Culture: Values, Practices and Style ... 5 Endnotes for Chapter One 51 Photograph Section 53 II. Punk's Relationship to Visual Art 67 Punk Culture and Pop Art 67 Current Visual Art and Punk 78 Endnotes for Chapter Two 108 III. Punk's Relationship to Mass Culture 110 Endnotes for Chapter Three 134 IV. Personal Reflections 135 BIBLIOGRAPHY 145 iv 1 INTRODUCTION When Punk was emerging I was teaching in the art department of a college in western North Carolina. The art world of the seventies was relatively quiet due to the lack of a dominant style. There was a multitude of styles including Minimalism, Photo Realism, Pop Art and Conceptualism that affected my graduate school work and my early teaching. In spite of those influences, my concepts of art and culture were somewhat shallow because I had a tendency to isolate art from culture. In the early eighties, I saw my first Punk on the streets of Soho, but it was my N.C. students who introduced me to Punk ideas and practices. Repeatedly, I heard Punks affirm the necessity for aggressive behavior as both a way of surviving in a vicious world and as a method of affecting the evils of the world. Punk practices, like slam dancing, provided opportunities to release the anger and frustration that caused Punks to form. Initially, it was the appearance of my Punk students that attracted my attention. The look was and still is creative, untraditional, and sometimes ugly. Some of the males students would shave a fellow student's head while he slept. Other students elected to wear this bold and shocking hair style along with the ripped and torn style of Punk clothing. Some of my female students wore very short hair 2 that was dyed black to match their black clothing. My attraction to Punk culture extended to involvement in the early eighties when I began wearing black clothing, cut off half of my thirty inch long hair and began listening to Punk music. Although I never became a Punk, my involvement with them continued to grow as I learned more about Punk music and style. I compared them to other students from various youth cultures like the deadheads, metalheads or reggaes and found a common trait in rebelliousness against authority. I love the spirit of resistance that is often found in youth because it is healthy to be critical and to ask questions. I was a rebellious student and I suppose I admire my own kind. A major part of this study deals with definitional questions. Chapter One is a description and analysis of Punk culture's values, practices and styles according to my readings and personal experiences. The personal experiences include interviews with Punks, attendance at Punk concerts and teaching Punk students. The literature on Punk culture is more plentiful and scholarly than I anticipated. I am particularly impressed with the writings of Caroline Coon, Dave Laing and Tricia Henry. The video, "Another State of Mind" is an informative and entertaining documentary of the Punk band, Social Distortion, whose beliefs are characteristic of Punk culture. Chapter One is focused on two Punk bands, The Sex Pistols and the Ramones which were chosen because of their fame and because of their influence on Punk culture. The issues of gender, class, race, violence, sexuality and education are presented in relation to the beliefs expressed by Punk musicians and Punk fans. 3 Using the viewpoints of specific yet varied individuals in Punk culture provides a pluralistic definition rather than a restricted or singular one. Between Chapters One and Two, is a section of photographs that I took between 1987 and 1990. There are two photographs by friends and one page of xeroxed souvenirs from the concerts. Taking the photographs was an enjoyable and informative experience that introduced me to several Punks. Using some of the photographs as xeroxed images suits the crude and unpolished nature of Punk culture better than if they were well crafted prints. The purpose of the photographs is to add information and uniqueness to my research. Chapter Two relates Punk culture to Pop art and contemporary art of the 1980s. Relating Punk to art provides another way of understanding Punk and an opportunity to see how Punk is connected to the culture. Illustrations of several art works are included in this chapter, since copyright laws allow the use of illustrations without copyrights in unpublished dissertations. All illustrations are documented with the same form that I used for quotations. Chapter Three involves Punk culture's relationship to issues of gender, class, and race. Readings on gender differences, feminist theology, and feminist psychology are used to support my conclusions that Punk reflects the larger patriarchal society. Punk's relation to gender, class, and race is explained further by examples from Punk music.