The Mother's Day card. The Father's Day keychain. A group of motionless objects. The shape. The light. The shadow. The proportional ears. Landscapes defined by vanishing points ahead. 2B, 4B, 8B. The names of Van Gogh, Picasso, and Monet echo through the halls, inspiring “us teachers” to inspire “them students” to create works that can stand the test of time. Embossed pedagogical conventions and traditions that limit the potential of art education. Blind reproduction. Blind reproduction. Blind reproduction. Done.
(Three deep breaths)
(Three deep breaths)
As an art teacher in Peru, I am tasked with navigating the complex institutional discourses that shape the rules of the educational system. My work becomes obedient and polite, conforming to the norms of the art teaching traditions. But what if I were to challenge the status quo? What if I were to become disobedient, and let my discomfort drive my teaching transformation?Mixing overheard comments and memories of my own art education and teaching practice, my work highlights many everyday tropes that are normalised and overlooked in the art classroom. My teaching practice becomes silenced, trapped in pointless exercises that stifle creativity. This work seeks to question and speak back to prevailing attitudes and practices within the art education community.