1. How can art educators encourage critical thinking and affirm the development of identity and voice in youth? Jessica Leimone Professor Ann Wettrich Art Education: Teaching as a Creative Practice 10 October 2011

2. Resources

3. Resources Continued Teacher Education Quarterly, “Presence of Mind in the Process of Learning and Knowing: A Dialogue with Paulo Freire” http://www.teqjournal.org/TEQ%20Website/Back%20Issues/Volume%2031/VOL31% 20PDFS/31_1/leistyna.pmd-31_1.pdf Harrell Fletcher personal website http://www.harrellfletcher.com/# Suzanne Lacy’s Artist Statement http://www.teqjournal.org/TEQ%20Website/Back%20Issues/Volume%2031/VOL31% 20PDFS/31_1/leistyna.pmd-31_1.pdf Code 33 Performance – video excerpt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irMSzhaYYN8 Engaging Adolescents: Building Youth Participation in the Arts http://www.nationalguild.org/ngCorporate/MediaLibrary/Publications/EngagingAdol escentsGuide.pdf?ext=.pdf

4. Opinions Before Research A constant: slowly connecting love, gender identity, film, performance, collaboration, art education, spirituality, and human wholeness – Social interactions are not separate from my art practice Views on topic: – theory and art cannot be separated – concepts are often more important than artworks alone – the youth is easily moldable

5. Questions Before Research Is critical thought strictly informative? Are there limitations of critical thought? How can an arts educational system keep the youth engaged? How can the voice of the youth be applied outside of the classroom? How can public art become more approachable for the youth?

6. Teaching to Trangress bell hooks “To educate as the practice of freedom is a way of teaching that anyone can learn” (Hooks, 13) Conscientization (coined by Paulo Preire) Engaged Pedagogy: progressive, holistic ed Children create the best theories Critical thinking “lived” (Hooks, 61) Eros in the classroom: passion, not sex False assumption: education is neutral

7. Conscientization “…is the ability to analyze, pose questions, and affect the sociopolitical, economic, and cultural realities that shape our lives” (Pepi Leistyna) Rejection of strict methodology of teaching Understanding cultural difference Unifying diversity with political tolerance (not homogenization) Love + anger = joy

8. The Practice of Public Art edited by Cameron Cartiere and Shelly Willis SW: Does public art or social practice art need to accomplish something? In the spirit of new genre public art does it need to be meaningful? “…Instead of going out and finding something I can offer a community, I search for the things I can get from a community. I believe a community has something to offer me. I’m not going to teach them – they are going to teach me. In that sense, I’ve always thought of my practice as selfish. I’m getting to go out and learn things from people who know things that I don’t know. I have this minimal thing to offer, which is art. I never have a predetermined sense of what the content should be and because of that I end up working on projects whose subjects have nothing to do with my personal interests. What I really have is an interest in people who have (an interest of their own), and then I find a forum for that content” (Harrell Fletcher, 124).

9. Harrell Fletcher

10. TEAM (Teens + Educators + Artist + Media Makers) “The mission of TEAM is to produce socially oriented public performance and multimedia installation art that develops inner-city youth participation in public policy, has a direct and positive impact on mass media images of urban young people, and promotes theory and practice demonstrating how art affects social change. We implement our mission by producing performances and installations that function as public hearings to advance policy impacting young people; by training adolescents in media literacy and art production that contradicts mass media stereotypes; by forming collaborations between youth, artists, policy makers, and workers in the justice, health, and education systems; and by documenting and distributing our work on television, through public lectures, in galleries, on videotape, and in articles and books.” - Excerpt from Suzanne Lacy’s Artist Statement i.e. Code 33http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irMSzhaYYN8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irMSzhaYYN8

11. Engaging Adolescents: Buliding Youth Participation in the Arts National Guild For Community Arts Education “Our goal is to increase teen participation in arts education by enhancing the effectiveness and scope of existing programs and catalyzing the development of new programs. The initiative sought answers to these questions: What do adolescents want? What do they need? How do we reach them? How do we sustain their involvement so they remain engaged in the arts?” (1) Short-term goals for youth art program participants – Builds artistic, problem solving, and expressive skills – Strengthens Identity – Develops Community

12. Engaging Adolescents, Con’t National Guild For Community Arts Education Key guildlines: meet the need, clarify goals, empower, organize youth leadership, boost interactivity, share responsibilities, encourage risk taking, create comfortable spaces, celebrate accomplishment, promote honest communication and establish purpose Most importantly: guide (not rule) students, respond to youth feedback by making proper adjustments, and enjoy working with youth General goal: “ understanding of the arts as a tool for civic dialogue, social change, and community development” (32) Reoccuring themes: simplicity, collaborative efforts, self- understanding

13. Questions After Research Is it possible that public/community art is for everyone? Are youth programs a suitable outlet for non-traditional public art? What is my distinction between public art, community art and social practice? How can I begin to encourage youth to make art outside of their comfort zones emotionally and physically? How can I affectively instill the myth of authorship/ownership?