Trigger warning: this blog post contains topics of racism, white supremacy and white fragility

It is important to contextualise this blog post through my own positionality. I am a white person who has been brought up middle class (though my grandparents and parents were not) and I have inherited many privileges through the establishment of white culture as the powerful norm in this westernised society in which I live and operate. I am on an ongoing, life-long journey, I face my own white fragility, fear, pride, and shame towards my own ignorance about how much racism continues to dominate our society. I constantly have to check my own bias/ assumptions, and my privilege and experience will at points be a limiting factor in comprehending this. However, it is through this uneasy journey I begin to grasp my complicity, listening to marginalised voices, find ways to be accountable, become an ally, and realise that small accessible changes can contribute to big changes. I am continually exposing and interrogating more aspects of my privilege as I de-center ‘white culture’ and educate myself further, creating a deeper understanding through study of the oppressive structures within society and education and pedagogies of social justice.

‘Any classroom that employs a holistic model of learning will also be a place where teachers grow, and are empowered by the process. That empowerment cannot happen if we refuse to be vulnerable while encouraging students to take risks.’ (Hooks, 1994, p21)

Shades of Noir Resources

The shades resources have been invaluable in evolving my understanding of racism within myself/society/education, intersectionality, social justice pedagogy, my own positionality and where it sits within this. I will continue to use these rich resources, refer to them within my own practice and direct students to them. The creative database has also been of huge help to spotlight artists of colour and act as an additional catalyst for creating more diverse references for myself and students.

My continual engagement with these resources will help to keep my knowledge current, will continually build my confidence, and give me more language to articulate myself and facilitate others to have difficult and complex conversations with both staff and students. It is refreshing to see such stimulating student and graduate work that within the Shades publications and sites, and is a great point of reference. All too often as a technician I see the journey of making the artwork but not the joy of the finished article, so this is a great resource for looking at examples of alumni and artists work.

Through the crative database I found the artist Rayvenn. Their practice explores the digital hybridity of sculpture following the affirmation of media, exploring the nuances of identity that pivot between hyper-visibility and invisibility, offering (re-)imagined collective perspective. (SoN, Creative Database, Rayvenn Shaleigha D’clark) This conceptual work paired with the technical making side of the work, which is directly relevant to our processes used on the course, is a great reference point for me to direct students to and discuss with them.

I also looked at a review of the workshop given by Dr. Gurnham Singh, CBE on How to facilitate open discussions about racism, implicit bias and stereotypes in the workshop setting by Rayvenn Shaleigha D’Clark. They say:

‘In my opinion, it boils down to an issue of acceptance, as workshops such as this shows that there is learning to be done on all sides as there remains an important (cultural) exchange that needs to happen; where we all learn from one another – and together – about the myriad of ways we can help to tackle racism, implicit bias stereotypes and much more within the institution.

We all must accept that we have a role to play, and that there is a lot of learning to be fostered on both sides.’

I really identify with these words, especially acceptance, and also respect. Cultural exchange enriches everyone’s lives and world views. I totally agree that everyone needs to be accountable to contribute to this work within their own levels of influence and realise the level of critical questioning needed to move forward. I think it is the collaborative nature of teaching and both learning from and with staff and students that will be the success of dismantling the oppressive structures within the institution. Having said that this does not negate the institutions responsibility to do more- why do we all not receive Dr. Gurnham Singhs workshop?

 A Pedagogy of Social Justice Education: Social Identity Theory, Intersectionality and Empowerment, Aaron J Hahn Tapper

This journal examines the considerations of social justice education alongside the observation of power dynamics in social groups within classrooms.

Social Justice Education is hard to define as it has no single meaning or use, however the journal suggests one understanding is that it ‘explicitly recognizes the disparities in social opportunities, resources and long-term outcomes among marginalized groups’ (p. 412) The article goes on to examine the way it manifests itself through ideology and application.

Social Identity is a person’s sense of who they are based on their group membership(s). Tajfel (1979) proposed that the groups (e.g. social class, family etc.) which people belonged to were an important source of pride and self-esteem. Groups give us a sense of social identity: a sense of belonging to the social world. Tajfel and Turner (1979) suggested that there are three cognitive processes involved in evaluating others as “us” or “them”. These are: social categorisation>social identification>social comparison. It helps me to understand this in terms of forming group dynamics, but it is also important to consider peoples assumptions when they attempt to categorise traits in order to group themselves and others.

Social Identity Theory (SIT) suggests that, ‘intergroup encounters’ within education must be approached in and around students’ ‘larger social identities.’ This is significant due to the objectives and practice of an inclusive pedagogy inspired by Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed (2006). Freire explains the importance of thinking critically and “the role that identity plays in the shaping and implementation of education. One of his most important arguments is that students’ identities need to be taken into account in all educational settings.”(p.414)

SIT presents a significant problem with groups preferring ‘their own’ at the expense of ‘the Other’: “social identities are one of the primary criteria through which power is enacted” (p. 418)

It reminded me of this quote:

‘Dominator culture has tried to keep us all afraid, to make us choose safety instead of risk, sameness instead of diversity. Moving through that fear, finding out what connects us, revelling in our differences; this is the process that brings us closer, that gives us a world of shared values, of meaningful community.’ (Hooks, 2003, p197)

In the classroom, ways to push through ‘Dominator culture’ could take the form of:

Considering group dynamics when forming groups in classrooms

Acknowledging that systems of oppression will appear inside the classroom as well as outside when facilitating group activities, and in my interactions with students

Embedding resources that discuss identity and social justice

Critically evaluate resources and make sure they are diverse, featuring artists from a variety of positionalities

Embodying compassionate pedagogy by modelling empathy, acceptance, love and respect in the classroom

Retention and attainment in the disciplines: Art and Design, Finnigan and Richards

This paper was an extremely informative read and highlighted many important explanations for a 33% attainment upper degree awarding gap between white students and Black British Caribbean and Black British African students. It also highlighted the need for more nuanced raw data for the full range of achievement levels to further understand retention and attainment.

Obstacles to achievement were identified as:

A lack of cultural capital within institutions- arts education being both ‘conservative, repetitive and exclusive and ‘Euro-centric, racist and imperialist’

Relationships with course tutors and the (e)quality of feedback coupled with a misalignment of students’ expectations transitioning from a school setting to a university setting  

The perception that tutors preferences directly affect grades, a lack of encouragement to explore personal identity and the departure of original ideas to conform to that of the tutors forming a dis-association with their practice

A lack of diversity within teaching staff leading to a lack of diverse perspectives and role models

While I cannot address all these obstacles in my teaching role, I can:

‘take a more inclusive approach to the curriculum by identifying more diverse reading lists and key visual references and more inclusive pedagogies, review and/or audit the inclusion of embedded diversity and student-centred learning in the curriculum and create greater opportunities for students to have a sense of ownership over their environment’ (Finnigan and Richards, 2015, p. 19)

Examples of this within my lessons are widening the scope of the references I refer to in my workshops and 1 to 1s with students. Instead of giving students objects to work on within the workshops I deliver, I invite students to bring in things that interest them (if they want to) to open discussion and learn more about students’ backgrounds and interests and create a more collaborative working space. Within my painting class I cover a spectrum of skin tones (before I took over the class only lighter skin tones were demonstrated by the teacher) and I started to create a diverse image bank for references. I continue to seek opportunities to give students grater agency within the workshops we do together and invite their valuable feedback as to how we can do better. During my conversations with students to try and eliminate inequality within formative feedback, I analyse and evaluate from a technical point of view what they have done or what they want to do, I try and be very specific and pinpoint processes with my observations. I question the students whether I have interpreted this correctly and ask them to explain their/the process back to me and if this was their intention, to check we are both on the same page. If it is something they wish to make in the future, we discuss different methodologies and construct a plan of action/timeline together in a collaborative manner. If it is something they have already made, we discuss the success of the process, I ask the students to reflect on what they did and what might improve their work going forward? What worked well, what did not and what the reason for that might be? I suggest possible routes of enquiry, try to include a range of references/resources, and processes to move the work forward to the next stage. I try to be aware of creating a delicate balance of providing enough information to keep students engaged to stimulate discussion and self-reflection, whilst leaving room for autonomy. If a student presents me with a topic I am unfamiliar with I take time to research it in order to have richer discussions in the future.

Room of Silence

What stands out to me is the importance of classrooms being safe spaces, and a need for compassionate pedagogy. What these students have experienced is horrible and can have such a detrimental effect on their work, grades and their education as a whole. I remember when I was at art school the academic tutors held so much power, and because art is such a subjective subject, if they did not like/get your work they were totally discouraging and that was 16 years ago without discussing any issues dealing with social justice or race. I also remember crits being difficult spaces to really be open and the fear of saying something that someone may not like or not even feeling like I had the vocabulary to discuss my own work, never mind anyone else’s. We received absolutely no coaching on the ‘crit-space’. Given that this still is a widespread issue across UAL (as evidenced in the many case studies on SoN) this is something that is still missing within arts education, especially with regards to race, identity, understanding privilege and power.

It reflects Finnigan and Richards findings on attainment, where ‘If there were no real spaces to explore identity within their work, this could cause confusion and separation from the work’ and ‘Art and Design educators need to be aware of the power they have in encouraging or discouraging their students to develop their own practice’(Finnigan and Richards, 2015, p8)

I believe this is something that should be developed and delivered via training for all staff and students. For students this could take the shape of both staff and students co-creating rules for safe crit spaces at the beginning of each year, with the understanding that any staff present were there to facilitate and not make negative judgment about work. Social justice education embedded within the curriculum would also help facilitate student and staff confidence to have this discourse. For staff it could be made mandatory that everyone must complete the inclusive teaching and learning course (or a form of it), the engagement with Shades resources around their material on creating safe spaces and training on how to facilitate challenging conversations. 

As a member of technical teaching staff I am acutely aware of the internal hierarchy of UAL, we are all often reminded we are not ‘academics’ but ‘support staff’, and as such do not make many important decisions that can create big changes- on who is offered a place on to the course, curriculum content, marking etc. and are left out of a lot of important meetings and communications, ‘othered’ from the academic team. Sometimes I feel a bit powerless to make change and feel a bit disconnected to statistics within the institution as they only seem to deal with the ‘academic’ and ‘student’ experience. Having said that I feel very lucky that as technical staff, in my experience, students tend to be very open and happy to discuss their work, aspects of their identity and personal life outside the studios, and this increases with amount of time spent with students who come into the studios each year. Perhaps this is because as we do not mark their work, we are seen to hold less power and are therefore more approachable/relatable as there is less fear of judgment. However, the key to students engaging with the course and attending the studios in the first place is establishing that trust from the beginning. Within my own work I can practice compassionate pedagogy by:

staying present and being authentic

listening with curiosity and an openness to learning with and from students

communicating back to students to check my understanding of what they are communicating to me

creating/seeking connections and validating others experiences by recognising my own privileges and power

fostering all students sense of belonging throughout their university experience

challenging persistent binaries within education/social structures and silence/a lack of contribution towards this/the risks of inaction

Whiteness and un-conscious bias

Josephine Kwhali clearly points out that institutions have made ‘conscious’ efforts to make steps towards equality for women in the workplace (however only to benefit white middle-class women), even if the gender bias was ‘un-conscious’. She leaves us questioning, is it possible to be ‘un-conscious’ but ‘consciously’ take actions? Therefore why are we still where we are in society?

I found myself reflecting on our seminar and listening to Shirley Anne Tate speak about un-conscious bias and who benefits from being un-conscious. How un-conscious bias is a palatable word for racism, with a no-blame message.

I remember doing the ‘Breaking Bias’ training when I started at UAL, and that it was a new addition to staff training. I remember doing it alongside fire safety training and it very much felt like a box ticking assignment for your PRA. I remember feeling confused and wondering how on earth this was supposed to combat bias or assumptions from a very diluted, short-lived task. I feel ashamed that my thoughts never ventured further, I did not sit with, speak about or question my discomfort. Perhaps it was because I was a new member of staff and didn’t feel comfortable challenging the institution, perhaps I didn’t feel qualified, perhaps because it was easier to say nothing. I appreciate now that my silence is complicity within a racist society/institution.

I failed to examine the language and unpack its problematic nature. Listening to Professor Tait and Josephine Kwhali has made me realise that I need to be so much more critical with the status-quo and interrogate, and not just accept, without question, and be more present about the structures and policies within the institution, as well as daily life too.

I realise how the term ‘un-conscious bias’ forgets institutional racism, as well as white supremacy and actually prevents anti-racist work being done because it promotes an active un-knowing and perpetuates white fragility within our institution. It keeps the structures of oppression firmly in place, benefiting those who fit into that system, under the guise of appearing to do something about it.

Both women highlight the need for normative white/eurocentric disruption. How can we teach students to be critical thinkers when the institution is not?

Throughout this course I have realised that small actions can make all the difference, and that through critical reflection on what we teach, why we teach it, what voices are heard, and what voices are missing are small changes for me to make that can have a big impact on the students I work with.

Kwhali’s words really stuck with me:

 ‘What else do we have to do, say, write about, talk about, present on in order for supposedly intelligent people who are educating the next generation (…) to get any degree of consciousness’

Progress is painfully slow, and while we wait for the institution to become conscious, both academic and technical staff must work together to take collective agency in our teaching work to overcome barriers.

I found this talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about the danger of a single story, very thought provoking. She takes us through a journey of her education and how her life experiences shaped her views and how her own assumptions and the assumptions of others affected her. It is a stark reminder of the importance of thinking against the grain, de-colonising thinking, and how assumptions and positionality affect our views.

I have also enjoyed UAL blog on de-colonising the curriculum, and have recently joined the Technical Decolonisation Network within LCF where we meet every other week to discuss topics around de-colonising the curriculum, chat and connect over this and think about how to feed this into our practice. It is really inspiring to hear from a whole body of technical staff over all of LCF and hearing the group’s thoughts and concrete examples of practice. It also helps keep us accountable and keeps the conversations going.

This unit has given me the knowledge, language and confidence to contribute to these meaningful discussions and carry them on into the classroom. I am incredibly grateful to have been able to participate and experience this course. I am incredibly grateful for the emotional labour undertaken by staff to create/run this course and all of the SoN resources. The shift in my thinking has been transformational, the tools I have gained have been invaluable for carrying on this important work.

Bibliography

Hooks, Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope, Routledge, 2003

Rayvenn Shaleigha – Creatives Database (shadesofnoir.org.uk)

New Page — RAYVENN SHALEIGHA D’CLARK (rayvenn-dclark.com)

http://shadesofnoir.org.uk/how-to-facilitate-open-discussions-about-racism-implicit-bias-and-stereotypes-in-the-workshop-setting-by-dr-gurnam-singh-cbe/

https://www.simplypsychology.org/social-identity-theory.html

Hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom, Routledge, 1994

https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/1101489/mod_folder/content/0/ug_retention_and_attainment_in_art_and_design2_1568037344%20%281%29.pdf?forcedownload=1

https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/1101489/mod_folder/content/0/A%20Pedagogy%20of%20Social%20Justice%20Education%20Social%20Identity%20Theory%2C%20Intersectionality%2C%20and%20Empowerment.pdf?forcedownload=1

Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Penguin Classics, 2017.

Sabri, D. Eliminating Inequality in Formative Assessment, Academic Enhancement Model Team, UAL Resource, accessed here: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/190153/AEM-Eliminating-Inequality-Formative-Assessment-PDF-288KB.pdf

London College of Fashion | Decolonising the Arts Curriculum: Perspectives on Higher Education

Saad, Me and White Supremacy: How to Recognise Your Privilege, Combat Racism and Change the World, Quercus, 2020.

https://janeelliott.com/learning-materials-1