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Remembering Others: Making Invisible Histories of Art Education Visible
"The primary goal of the book is to change and expand our understanding of history in the field of art education, plus to open up a dialog with individuals from other disciplines, especially folklorists. In doing so the goal is to further the kinds of educational partnerships that can and should take place when learning about the visual arts."
228 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2000
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February 16, 2016
REMEMBERING OTHERS: MAKING INVISIBLE HISTORIES OF ART EDUCATION VISIBLE
Editors: Paul E. Bolin, Doug Blandy, and Kristin G. Congdon
Publisher: National Art Education Association, 2000
Often history is presented to the greater population as a one sided account. However, it is now understood that there is more than one side to any story or history and it is this idea that is greatly supported by Remembering Others: Making Invisible Histories of Art Education Visible. This book is broken into three sections, that highlight different areas in which specific people or organizations have been overlooked in the big picture of art education history. The papers and personal accounts are written by authors who want forgotten teachers, artists, and programs brought to light. The twenty-one compelling stories require one to see differently and to expand their view on art education history.
The first section highlighted, exposes the life of Marguerite Wildenhain, Audrey Hesson, Helen Merritt, Irene Senécal, eight women of the 1942 graduating class of Moore Institute, and the importance of Alliance Art School. Marguerite Wildenhain was a world-renowned teacher and ceramist that challenged the American school system during her career as an educator. She believed that teachers were not adequately trained in the arts and that students were unable to hone their skills, due to lack of time to dedicate to their craft. This led to the development of Marguerite’s summer school, where she welcomed students every summer to pursue ceramics in a strict environment.
Audrey Hesson was the first Black graduate of Nova Scotia College of Art, in 1951. Her story ties in with an art show in Nova Scotia in 1998. It was through the process of getting local artists for this show, that Audrey was rediscovered. Helen Merritt harnessed the joy of art, when she was in high school. Though she did not pursue the arts again until after she was married and graduated from college, it remained a constant in her life. These and the other stories in the first section are a testament to the importance of formal art education. Through formal art education all of these women and the children and adults that they taught have formed a bond with the arts.
Section two brings attention to the community arts and museums. The Chautauquas in New York and their steady development across the rural towns of the northern United States were a needed and much appreciated training program. Art was taught in many locations. Additionally, there was always some sort of artistic entertainment for the community to enjoy. Many government programs such as Lyceum, the National Endowment for the Humanities, American Federation of the Arts, and the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) played a huge role in the arts coming to towns and reaching the everyday people, as well as giving jobs to out of work artists during the Great Depression. The Federal Art Project (FAP) brought art education to millions of people in a variety of ages. These community arts organizations, museums, and federal art programs brought opportunity to people across the nation, enriched their lives and set the tone for future art learning possibilities.
The mention of sculptor Augusta Savage is a prime example that art is a worthy subject to teach, learn, study, and perfect. Some may pursue art and have to fight for their right to partake in their passion and their craft and it will be a struggle to make something of themselves. It may be tough, but it is a worthy pursuit. Sailor Bob a TV personality reached young children that practiced his step-by-step drawing and reminds us that something so simple as learning how to draw a cartoon can be a catalyst for our futures.
The final section is dedicated to the folk arts, the arts of small communities and native people of the United States of America. The folk arts are often a communal undertaking. Many people are involved in the process, as folk arts are often passed on from one generation to another. This section illuminates the importance of learning from elders in our community and practicing crafts that take place in the home, such as quilting. Joe Sanders was a cute old man who turned to quilting and other fabric arts, after he retired from the US Postal Service. As a kid, he not only witnessed his mom and sister create quilts but also a group of women from his family and town. They joined together to help create quilts that were not a luxury, but a necessity.
This book informs the reader that arts create opportunity and forms connections. When the arts fail to reach a young person in school, and misses them in adolescence and adulthood through community outreaches and adult programs, it is a hope that they are being exposed to the arts within their own home. Folk arts bridge gaps from one generation to the next and allow stories of families, tribes, and communities to be told.
The overarching concept of this book, is that there are parts of art education History that have been neglected, but these missing parts are home to many wonderful and meaningful experiences that should be noted. Most of the stories told were touching, inspiring, and informative. However, the selection of a few stories, such as, Reminiscences from the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, should have been skipped altogether as they did not offer much to the overall commentary of the history of art education. If you are an art teacher or an educator in general, this book would be a great asset to the way you approach teaching in your classroom. By exposing invisible histories, you will be accessing stories that can help your students form a stronger connection to the work that they are creating in your classrooms and perhaps you will be inspired to become a strong part of the art history that is being formed today. Remembering Others: Making Invisible Histories of Art Education Visible is proof that there are people all around us who are doing amazing things on a daily basis, that help inspire young people and dare I say their teachers, in the world of art. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the untold stories of the people who have dedicated their lives and professions to art.
Editors: Paul E. Bolin, Doug Blandy, and Kristin G. Congdon
Publisher: National Art Education Association, 2000
Often history is presented to the greater population as a one sided account. However, it is now understood that there is more than one side to any story or history and it is this idea that is greatly supported by Remembering Others: Making Invisible Histories of Art Education Visible. This book is broken into three sections, that highlight different areas in which specific people or organizations have been overlooked in the big picture of art education history. The papers and personal accounts are written by authors who want forgotten teachers, artists, and programs brought to light. The twenty-one compelling stories require one to see differently and to expand their view on art education history.
The first section highlighted, exposes the life of Marguerite Wildenhain, Audrey Hesson, Helen Merritt, Irene Senécal, eight women of the 1942 graduating class of Moore Institute, and the importance of Alliance Art School. Marguerite Wildenhain was a world-renowned teacher and ceramist that challenged the American school system during her career as an educator. She believed that teachers were not adequately trained in the arts and that students were unable to hone their skills, due to lack of time to dedicate to their craft. This led to the development of Marguerite’s summer school, where she welcomed students every summer to pursue ceramics in a strict environment.
Audrey Hesson was the first Black graduate of Nova Scotia College of Art, in 1951. Her story ties in with an art show in Nova Scotia in 1998. It was through the process of getting local artists for this show, that Audrey was rediscovered. Helen Merritt harnessed the joy of art, when she was in high school. Though she did not pursue the arts again until after she was married and graduated from college, it remained a constant in her life. These and the other stories in the first section are a testament to the importance of formal art education. Through formal art education all of these women and the children and adults that they taught have formed a bond with the arts.
Section two brings attention to the community arts and museums. The Chautauquas in New York and their steady development across the rural towns of the northern United States were a needed and much appreciated training program. Art was taught in many locations. Additionally, there was always some sort of artistic entertainment for the community to enjoy. Many government programs such as Lyceum, the National Endowment for the Humanities, American Federation of the Arts, and the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) played a huge role in the arts coming to towns and reaching the everyday people, as well as giving jobs to out of work artists during the Great Depression. The Federal Art Project (FAP) brought art education to millions of people in a variety of ages. These community arts organizations, museums, and federal art programs brought opportunity to people across the nation, enriched their lives and set the tone for future art learning possibilities.
The mention of sculptor Augusta Savage is a prime example that art is a worthy subject to teach, learn, study, and perfect. Some may pursue art and have to fight for their right to partake in their passion and their craft and it will be a struggle to make something of themselves. It may be tough, but it is a worthy pursuit. Sailor Bob a TV personality reached young children that practiced his step-by-step drawing and reminds us that something so simple as learning how to draw a cartoon can be a catalyst for our futures.
The final section is dedicated to the folk arts, the arts of small communities and native people of the United States of America. The folk arts are often a communal undertaking. Many people are involved in the process, as folk arts are often passed on from one generation to another. This section illuminates the importance of learning from elders in our community and practicing crafts that take place in the home, such as quilting. Joe Sanders was a cute old man who turned to quilting and other fabric arts, after he retired from the US Postal Service. As a kid, he not only witnessed his mom and sister create quilts but also a group of women from his family and town. They joined together to help create quilts that were not a luxury, but a necessity.
This book informs the reader that arts create opportunity and forms connections. When the arts fail to reach a young person in school, and misses them in adolescence and adulthood through community outreaches and adult programs, it is a hope that they are being exposed to the arts within their own home. Folk arts bridge gaps from one generation to the next and allow stories of families, tribes, and communities to be told.
The overarching concept of this book, is that there are parts of art education History that have been neglected, but these missing parts are home to many wonderful and meaningful experiences that should be noted. Most of the stories told were touching, inspiring, and informative. However, the selection of a few stories, such as, Reminiscences from the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, should have been skipped altogether as they did not offer much to the overall commentary of the history of art education. If you are an art teacher or an educator in general, this book would be a great asset to the way you approach teaching in your classroom. By exposing invisible histories, you will be accessing stories that can help your students form a stronger connection to the work that they are creating in your classrooms and perhaps you will be inspired to become a strong part of the art history that is being formed today. Remembering Others: Making Invisible Histories of Art Education Visible is proof that there are people all around us who are doing amazing things on a daily basis, that help inspire young people and dare I say their teachers, in the world of art. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the untold stories of the people who have dedicated their lives and professions to art.
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