Resource: Contemporary Art + Critical Dialogues II
Created in collaboration w/ teaching artists across the country.
Context: Contemporary Art as a Site for Critical Dialogue
This month’s resource is one in a series of “Contemporary Art + Critical Dialogues” that emerge during my guest lectures and workshops at different museums and organizations. Check out the previous four image resources from DAM that I shared in January here.
Contemporary art is an ideal site for *critical dialogue* and consciousness raising. Artists observe our world closely, make novel observations, and expertly craft images and experiences that allow us to consider their perspectives.
One of my favorite parts of the workshops I lead is the opportunity to “activate” issue-oriented artworks for classroom use. I collect artworks which make a statement or ask a question about social justice or liberation, and I support workshop participants in approaching those artworks as opportunities for our students to have brave conversations around essential topics. Together, we create guided inquiry questions and art making prompts to accompany each image.
If this is a new approach to art education for you, I strongly recommend reading my February article on practical strategies for scaffolding inquiry-based, critical dialogue in the arts classroom.
Setting yourself up for Success
Asking students to explore social justice topics without first establishing a safe and respectful class community can inadvertently cause more harm than good. Have you contracted classroom norms? Have you revisited these norms recently? Have you created enough space for joy before diving into ‘difficult conversations’? Are you and your students prepared to respond to problematic statements or biased thought?
Have students seen positive and joyful representations of people of the global majority, before engaging in conversations about our oppression?
Artworks + Teaching Resources
Here are four of the resources I created this spring in partnership with art educators at our AmplifyRJ virtual workshop.
Glenn Ligon – Double America, 2012, neon and paint
Grade Level:
6-12, Higher Ed
Historical/Cultural Context:
“Created in 2006, the Double America work is a metaphor that defines the modern political landscape. Polls in America indicate a society that has been torn down into two halves. One side appreciates the times and thinks that they are better than they were eight years ago, while the other is desperate. Basing the symbolism on the work of Charles Dickens, this is Ligon’s way of saying that society is ailing.” - publicdelivery.org
Guided Inquiry:
List the similarities and differences between the two words. (Follow Up: Why is one word lit, and the other dark? Why is one upside down?)
Where is the power in this piece? (Literal and metaphorical) Describe the power cords. Why are they shown this way? What might this symbolize?
What might the title mean? How are there two americas? (Follow up: What connections can you draw to current events or society today?)
Glenn Ligon was inspired by “A Tale of Two Cities” to create this artwork. Has anyone read that story in another class? What can you tell us about it? How might these themes relate to America?
Art-Making Prompts:
9-12: Create a piece of Text Art inspired by a word or a concept that has multiple meanings, or means different things to different people.
9-16: Create an artwork about duality and division. What visual symbols or formal elements would you use?
6-12: Create an artwork about “America” that incorporates text. What would you try to communicate or express through the artwork?
Mickalene Thomas’ 2010 Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe: Les trois femmes noires
Grade Level:
k-12, Higher Ed
Historical/Cultural Context:
“Over the past decade, African-American artist, photographer, and filmmaker Mickalene Thomas has experienced tremendous success. Her collage-like paintings include such materials as rhinestones, enamel, sequins, and glitter, and have been very desirable to both museums and collectors. Her subjects are almost always black women, and her compositions are inspired by the works of classical European artists such as Edouard Manet, Gustave Courbet, and Francisco de Goya. This ironic appropriation could be her way of rewriting the so-called white-male–dominated history of art. Thomas’ portraits empower black women and celebrate their culture and beauty. The assertive and unapologetic poses of her subjects also exaggerate the female gaze.” - galeriemagazine.com
Guided Inquiry:
Who are these figures looking at? How does their gaze make you feel?
What does their posture evoke? Why might the artist have chosen these poses?
Does this composition remind you of anything? Why might the artist have used this arrangement? (Hint - you could project this image alongside Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe, by Édouard Manet)
Why do you think the artist made this image? What opinions, ideas, or beliefs were they trying to express?
Art-Making Prompts:
K-5: Collage/ art piece representing your community/chosen family, people or figures you connect to.
6-12: Create a self portrait that mimics the pose and composition of another classical, canonical, famous artwork.
6-12: Create a digital world/background/ environment you feel comfortable and belong to. Place yourself in the image.
9-16: Create a "counter-narrative" self portrait that utilizes ‘the gaze’ to confront the viewer.
James Luna, All Indian All the Time (detail from performance), 2006.
Photo: William Gullette.
Grade Level:
9-12th, Higher Ed
Historical/Cultural Context:
“James Luna’s work famously called attention to the way the largely white art world and historical narrative excludes, ignores, and re-imagines Native culture.” - daily.jstor.org
“In the beginning, he says he created his artwork as a form of public therapy. He focused on his Native background, his community and his own personal issues. And he recalls that he often made Native people uncomfortable. “[The art] was scripted for Indian people, dealing with our ideas about identity, blood quantum, the cultural police,” he says. “It was like airing our dirty laundry… I have a master’s degree in counseling, so I know that the first step in recovery is speaking directly to those issues… Luna primarily works in two mediums, performance and short- and long-term multimedia installations, and his subject matter has run the gamut. In All Indian All The Time, (Luna) blends his music with that of rock-and-roll icons such as Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Springsteen, singing, “Now it’s time to let things out… we got it all right here.” His electric guitar doubles as a traditional dance stick. - indiancountrytoday.com
Guided Inquiry:
What details do you notice about this figure? Describe his hair, skin, accessories, clothing, and pose. What might these clues tell you about the figure?
Why do you think the jacket says ‘All Indian All the Time’? How would the message change if it said ‘Indian All the Time’?
What is a stereotype? How do you think James Luna is thinking about or responding to stereotypes here?
What is the overall mood or feeling evoked by the place? How does the artist achieve this? Why do you think he made he did this?
Art-Making Prompts:
9-12: How is your identity perceived? Is it accurate? Create a self-portrait that affirms a truth about your identity.
3-12: Create a piece of clothing that makes a statement or asks a question about your identity.
3-12: Photograph an elder or mentor in your community. Choose clothing, lighting, and posing that conveys strength.
Alejandro Macias, “American (II)” 2022
Grade Level:
9-12th, Higher Ed
Historical/Cultural Context:
“Artist Alejandro Macias is deeply concerned with issues surrounding belonging and place in the Mexican-American experience. Born and raised in Brownsville, Texas, he speaks to physical and cultural divides. Identifying at once with U.S. popular culture and with the deeply rooted Latinx culture of Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, Macias’ paintings are structured by dualisms: naturalistic and stylized, grounded in white and rich color, and at once deeply personal and broadly iconic.” - tucsonmuseumofart.org
Guided Inquiry:
What do you see? What do you think? What do you wonder? (See, Think, Wonder)
Who is this individual? What might you guess or assume about them? What visual clues makes you say that?
What do the colors and patterns remind you of? What do you think the artist is referencing?
The red hat in the image says “Immigrants Make America Great.” How does this text impact your interpretation of the image?
Art-Making Prompts:
k-6: Create a self portrait that incorporates a pattern, design, or fabric that is significant to your identity or heritage.
3-12: Take a selfie in an outfit that communicates or represents something about you/ your beliefs/ your opinions.
9-12: Create a digital collage portrait that juxtaposes two symbolic design elements.
Reflective Praxis
If you notice any errors or gaps in understanding in this article, please call me in over email to help me grow! And as always, if you pilot any of these resources in your classroom, I would LOVE to hear about your experience! Reflective praxis requires collaboration, communication, and community.
Comment below with any questions, comments, or suggestions!
Great list of artists. Lots to ponder. Thank you!