Running Head: Vignette #1 Analysis

Analysis of Vignette #1: Culture, Identity, and Representation Claire Burgoyne ETEC 532 - University of British Columbia

Vignette #1 Analysis

How refreshing to listen to Stacy Freidman and Sylvia Kind as they provide explanations

regarding both the ability of art to represent thoughts and the function of art in working through issues. I too consider expression through art, and viewing and discussing art, to be vehicles for learning about myself, others, and culture. The idea that art brings a language to abstract concepts and makes these concepts manageable by informing the senses, inviting discussion, and encouraging the viewer to derive meaning through participation in discussion is one that I value.

Throughout Friedmans (2004) vignette "Art education culture: A puppet based

exploration of identity, racism, and responsibility" the students in Friedmans class approach the challenge of creating ancestor puppets. In acting as producers of both content and characters students gain an understanding of how meaning is produced through discourse. They discuss the implications of borrowing images from a culture and recognize that sensitivity and awareness are required to ensure that misconceptions arent created. These students advance beyond existing contributions to the topic and the limits of their own perspective by imagining experiences of their ancestors and speaking their imagined thoughts through the puppets they have created. They maintain an awareness of how current day values differ from those of the past and possess a sensitivity that determines judgement is not appropriate.
Friedman speaks about how the vignette becomes biassed as a result of her assuming

responsibility for the editing and nal production. Her decisions to eliminate sections of lm she viewed as less valuable required her to rely on her values and judgement and led to the creation of a piece that represents her personal thoughts and beliefs. In addition, during the editing process Friedman observed that it was the participants of European decent who dominated the discussion.

Vignette #1 Analysis

Educators have a responsibility to ensure that the voices of all participants in the group

are heard. Equal opportunities for all to participate need to be provided so that introverts or those less condent that their ideas are worthwhile are not silenced. Sharing should not be limited to addressing the entire class or the equivalent to public speaking or performance. Separating the participants into small groups or pairs is less intimidating than whole class discussion and inviting written comments or visual contributions provides additional opportunity for student participation.
Sometimes during collaborative art projects a misunderstanding occurs that there is a

need for one set of eyes to make the nal editing decisions. There is an assumption that numerous parties are incapable of completing the project in a timely fashion. Students are silenced when the teacher or one or two participants play the role of nal authority rather than continuing in roles of mentor and contributor. When maintaining a learner-centered approach where all contributions are represented technology provides opportunities for all group members to be heard and for their voices to be preserved without the initial content becoming distorted or the soft spoken being silenced.

Vignette #1 Analysis

References Dane, R. (2004) Art Credo text for project: Responsibility and re/presentation: Reection on digital video and puppet-based inquiry. Friedman, S. (2004) Documentary: Art education culture: A puppet based exploration of identity, racism, and responsibility. Retrieved from https://www.vista.ubc.ca/webct/ RelativeResourceManager/Template/VideoLinks/ETEC532comboT1.html Friedman, S. (2004). Responsibility and re/presentation: Reection on digital video and puppetbased inquiry. Friedman, S., Kind, S., & Dane, R. (2004) Vignette: Art, Culture, Identity and Representation: A Conversation with Three Art Educators - Stacy Friedman, Sylvia Kind and Roger Dane. Retrieved from https://www.vista.ubc.ca/webct/urw/tp8402964918231.lc8402964895231/ displayContentPageTargetedResource.dowebct? tocID=-1&tocLinkID=-1&pageID=-1&newWindow=true&relativePath=/VideoLinks/ ETEC532threeT1.html Goldfarb, B. (2002). Students as producers. In Visual pedagogy: Media cultures in and beyond the classroom, 57-83. Durham: Duke University Press. Kind. S. (n.d.) Textiles. Retrieved from https://www.vista.ubc.ca/webct/urw/ tp8402964918231.lc8402964895231/displayContentPageTargetedResource.dowebct? tocID=-1&tocLinkID=-1&pageID=-1&newWindow=true&relativePath=/VideoLinks/ ETEC532sweaterT1.html