Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Mary Sikkes
digital literacy, and to encourage students to make meaningful connections between the images
and art around them and the lives they lead in the physical world. As Kiran Subhani (2015)
points out, media literacy is a critical skill for future global citizens trying to make sense of the
images representing the current and ever-changing state of society (p. 35). It is equally
important that the histories of cultural artwork are taught and the message of each is
acknowledged and understood without prejudice. In Art, Culture, Identity and Representation:
A Conversation with Three Art Educators (n.d.), Sylvia Kind acknowledges art as the central
Exploration of Identity, Racism, and Responsibility begins with the essential question: Should
artists be able to represent the stories or the experiences of other cultures (cultures other than
their own)? As one student points out, writers may write from the perspective of a character
other than themselves. While writers may choose to show acceptance, indifference, even racism
depending on the character, the reader recognizes that the character does not represent who the
writer is, but rather the story they are attempting to tell or the history they are attempting to
share. The same is not always true for art. Both collaborative videos acknowledge the fact that
representing culture and identity, as well as opening a discussion about history and conflict, can
be very difficult through art. However, art provides us with something tangible and allows us the
opportunity to bring dialogue and experience into the idea of culture and what culture means.
Art is a tool, but how do we navigate the willingness or unwillingness of each student to
share their own cultural experiences, and give all students a feeling of inclusion and comfort in
the classroom? As asked in Friedmans documentary, how do we decide whose voice will be
heard? Educators may shy away from teaching about certain cultures in their classrooms for
other cultures themselves. As a teacher of European descent with 80% First Nations students the
past two years, I have questioned how much depth I should go into when teaching First Nations
culture and history because I was afraid of inadvertently doing or saying something seen as
not to teach about a certain culture, we will not learn anything about it.
The message I am left with is that art cannot only broaden our minds, but encourage
social action. Art is a connection between identity and culture, and through art perhaps we can
truly broaden our ideas and identities to better understand ourselves, each other, and cultures
Friedman, Sylvia Kind and Roger Dane [Adobe Flash video]. (no date). Retrieved 1
https://connect.ubc.ca/webapps/blackboard/execute/displayLearningUnit?course_id=_787
85_1&content_id=_3433216_1&framesetWrapped=true
Friedman, S. (no date). Art education culture: A puppet-based exploration of identity, racism,
https://connect.ubc.ca/webapps/blackboard/execute/displayLearningUnit?course_id=_787
85_1&content_id=_3433216_1&framesetWrapped=true
Subhani, K. (2015). Photos as witness: Teaching visual literacy for research and social action.
What Canadian identity? Which Canadian values? Retrieved 1 June, 2016, from:
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud/foundation_gr9/blms/9-1-3b.pdf