CULTURE, IDENTITY AND THE NET GENERATION 1

Analysis of Vignette #1

Evelyn Welsh

University of British Columbia

For

Dr. Alexander De Cosson

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Analysis of Vignette #1

After viewing the Vignette entitled Art, culture, identity and representation: A

conversation with three art educators, each artist situates the art as a tool to highlight issues

surrounding culture, identity and representation. By simply allowing the art to act as a function

of change and not the change itself the challenges surrounding culture, identity and

representation are addressed in a way that leaves the viewer to make assumptions and to ask

questions afterwards. There is a distancing effect that lets both the viewer and artist enter into a

conversation in a non-confrontational space. By allowing the art to act as a tool that connects the

invisible and intangible qualities of impression, the message never has to be forced. Instead, it

leads to natural questioning and conversation. The art doesnt necessarily depict or speak about

the topic rather it highlights, and opens up an arena for questioning and understanding or as

Stacy Friedman suggests in her essay that the impression leaves the viewer somewhere between

discomfort and debate (Friedman, 2008). Roger Danes example of his puppet discussing why

we cant learn anything from art, is an example of this intangible quality and the distance his

character provides for the artist. The distancing of the character and the fact that he situates the

back-story of his ancestor allows both the viewer and artist to discover the process in a safe

environment (Dane, n.d.).

After viewing Stacy Friedmans film entitled "Art education culture: A puppet based

exploration of identity, racism, and responsibility," the emphasis on the process and hard skills of

the video making process is an example of understanding how meaning is produced (Goldfarb,

2002). The act of not only compiling, and editing the images but also the ability of video to be

manipulated to emphasize the story the student wants to tell. It puts them in control of their

learning in a deeper and much more meaningful way. As educators, instructing students to
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identify differences between our virtual lives and real lives and the consequences those two

worlds can have is a very important part of the digital curriculum. However, equally important is

recognizing the strengths that the Net Generations have, such as their ability to multi-task, and

disseminate necessary from unnecessary information allowing them to create their own story

rather than rely on what has been laid out for them (Tapscott, 2008).

Overall, the work of all three artists, in particular Stacy Friedman and Roger Dane,

emphasize the role representation can play when dealing with issues of culture and identity. In a

way, representation becomes the instrument of delivery, which can safely navigate the student

around tough issues. Using representation within the classroom, the educator has greater

responsibility to create a safe environment for issues of culture and identity to be explored.
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References

Dane, R. (n.d.). Rogers Art Credo. The text of the Puppet [Video podcast]. .

Friedman, S. (2008). Responsibility and Representation: Reflection on digital video and puppet

based inquiry. Retrieved June 2, 2014, from

http://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/SIS.UBC.ETEC.532.66A.2014S1-2.32386

Goldfarb, B. (2002). Visual Pedagogy: Media Cultures in and beyond the Classroom. : Duke

University Press. doi:10.1215/9780822384052

Tapscott, D. (2008). Net Geners Relate to News in New Ways. Communication & Mass Media

Complete, 62(4), 18-19.

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