Art + Social Justice
I had my first experience teaching at the university level working un fellow arts organizer Alaura Seidl of the ArtWrite Collective. They had formulated a course revolving around teaching art education through a social justice lens, and I couldn’t resists the opportunity to apply and share the techniques and strategies I had developed working with youth over the past few years.
To quote the university:
‘Art 448 Lab 009: Art + Social Justice was a UW-Madison Art Department course in creative grassroots activism. Art + Social Justice was open to undergraduate or graduate students of any discipline and explored counter storytelling as a tool for social change, developed students’ narrative aesthetic for anti-oppression work, and engaged them in community-based projects.’
As the Teaching Assistant, I facilitated the course as well as provided primary support for the groups working at Middleton Middle School, Teresa Terrace Community Center and the Meadowridge Library. I would hop around between groups every week and make sure that both undergraduates and youth felt supported in a comfortable learning environment. While the course only lasted one semester, participating students undoubtedly developed some serious workshop organizing skills as well as the flexibility necessary to operate in the non-profit sector.
Challenging Gender Stereotypes
One student’s work challenging gender stereotypes.
Making Tye Dye Shirts
Making tye dye shirts to connect youth with the process and history of making clothing.
Making Tye Dye Shirts 2
Making tye dye shirts to connect youth with the process and history of making clothing.
Melting Crayons 2
Melting crayons to teach that diverse colors, when put together, create beauty
Melting Crayons
Melting crayons to teach that diverse colors, when put together, create beauty
Self Image tiles
Making tiles about the positive and negative words used to describe you. We then erased the negatives and made a design
Self Image Tiles 2
Making tiles about the positive and negative words used to describe you. We then erased the negatives and made a design
Compliment doodles
Kids took taking turns drawing creatures and filling in their speech bubbles with a compliment