InSEA World Congress 2019, Vancouver Brittish Columbia
Colors of Connection’s Co-Founders, Laurie Reyman and Christina Mallie, recently had the opportunity to present, together with CC Board of Directors member Dr. Lynn Sanders-Bustle, an associate professor of art education at the University of Georgia, the work of Colors of Connection at the International Society for Education through Art (InSEA) World Congress in Vancouver, Canada.
Laurie and Lynn were able to attend the congress in person, while Christina joined the presentation remotely.
“throughout the development and implementation of Colors of Connection’s projects, we have grappled with, and continue to consider several questions related to the topic of indigenization. ”
In line with the theme of the conference, “Making,” and the sub-theme, “indigenization of art education”, the purpose of the presentation was to consider the indigenization of art education in the context of Colors of Connection, which we describe as a kind of socially engaged art that is transpedegogical in nature. Lynn presented the theoretical framework through which we were considering Colors of Connection’s work, while Laurie and Christina presented two concrete examples from the work that demonstrate this kind of contribution. These two examples included activities that create a platform for reciprocity and emancipatory education, that is, where knowledge is co-created, and an approach that actively seeks to provide space for all voices within a specific context, and collaboratively challenge power structures that prevent equal representation and self-determination of all groups.
Throughout the process of developing the presentation, and indeed throughout the development and implementation of Colors of Connection’s projects, we have grappled with, and continue to consider several questions related to the topic of indigenization.
These include
Lynn and Laurie at the InSEA Conference in Vancouver
What role is appropriate for a person not part of an indigenous group to take on in the role of indigenizing art education and practice within a specific indigenous context?
How do we ensure that efforts to indigenize art education and practice do not perpetuate harmful power dynamics within an indigenous culture?
How can we effectively and safely create space within an art education and practice setting for individuals and communities to incorporate all of the narratives, indigenous and otherwise, that define them in a world where identities have become so intertwined, layered and complex?
How do we ensure that, in the effort to indigenize art education and practice, we use indigenous materials: (1) responsibly, taking into consideration their history, and ways in which specific materials are used in a context, and (2) effectively, opening up space for knowledge sharing and creativity?
Presenting at the conference was a very valuable experience and we very much appreciated the opportunity. As an organization, we strive to stay connected to the world of academia so that our work can be grounded in best practices as formulated by relevant research, and so that our work can also contribute to the world of academia by providing knowledge derived from practice.
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