Decolonization Through Artistic Self-Expression

Addressing Racism in the Secondary Art and Design Classroom with Fanon and Pinar

Abstract

The authors outline their approach towards addressing topics of race and racism in the visual arts classroom. They use the psychotherapeutic and decolonial theory of Frantz Fanon and William Pinar’s explorations of study to extend conventional models of self-reflection and self-expression in art education. The authors find that conventional approaches are insufficient for providing a basis for students to grapple with and redress racist social realities. Specifically, they often fail to “consciousnessize,” to use Fanon’s language, the social-structural nature, sources and workings of racial oppression. In their collaborative work within high school Art and Design classes, the authors provide a basis for consciousnessizing racial oppression by defining race conceptually, tracing its historical construction and contemporary legacies, exploring the psychology of racism and the violence undergirding white privilege, centering marginalized voices, and working to acknowledge and safely hold racialized defenses. We find that this functions to deepen the self-reflective artmaking experience.