Art as Critical Public Pedagogy

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the connection between art and adult education for critical consciousness from the perspective and work of conceptual artist, Luis Camnitzer. The theoretical framework is grounded in the critical public pedagogy literature. Data collection methods included interviews with conceptual artist Luis Camnitzer and with others familiar with his work, as well as textual analysis of his writing and visual art. The findings focus on the theme of exile in the life of the artist, his thoughts on the relation of art, politics, and education, and the role of conceptual art's potential for creating "dialogue" in the mind of the viewer by representing reality in unexpected ways. The discussion of the findings focuses on reexamining and redefining the concept of "dialogue" for art and adult education for critical consciousness in nonformal settings.

“The Scream”: Using the Visual Critical Pedagogy of Subversive Indigenous Art in the Elementary Classroom to Discomfort the Comforted and Activate the Empathic, Ethical, and Relational Dimensions of Reconciliation

“…For students and practitioners, "subversive art" can hermeneutically induce the wide-awakeness needed to understand emotive and ethical truths about Residential Schools. "Subversive art" is a form of "visual critical pedagogy" that seeks to increase our critical consciousness about issues of social injustice (Gil-Glazer, 2015;Naidus, 2005;Peters, 2016;Zorilla & Tisdell, 2016). I become aware that this usage of the term subversive derives from a colonial perspective, even as Education, 2023, 18(2), pp.…”

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This paper uncovers my journey as K-12 practitioner in British Columbia towards exploring the use of "subversive art" as a "visual critical pedagogy" (Gil-Glazier,2015;Naidus, 2005;Peters, 2016;Zorilla & Tisdell, 2016) to advance my students and myself towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada. I use the powerfully unsettling painting done by Cree artist, Kent Monkman, titled "The Scream," as a springboard for this inquiry.

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Navigating Everyday Multiculturalism in the Culture Chats Writing Program

“…The recent research trend of public pedagogy is focused on the pedagogical potential of media, popular culture, arts, and even everyday life to articulate and (re)construct knowledge, discourses, images, and values (see as examples, Hoechsmann & Poyntz, 2012;Giroux, 1998Giroux, , 2001Giroux, , 2003Giroux, , 2004Ito et al, 2015;Jocson, 2015;Zorrila & Tisdell, 2016). The idea exemplified in these studies is that new media and popular culture are important pedagogical sites to "facilitate transformative learning around diversity and equity issues" (Tisdell, 2008, p. 48) and to prepare citizens with critical and civic consciousness.…”