Episode 28: Recap

Cultural appropriation might seem like a touchy subject to some. It can stir up strong feelings and debated between people. You might think of it like a spectrum…some majority groups may be more aware of what’s okay and not, others are less aware. Educate yourself, do the research, etc. so you can feel comfortable with teaching about different cultures.

We talk in this episode about our own thoughts, perspectives and experiences. But we are also aware that people will have differing thoughts and opinions and that’s okay. We’ve done a lot of research over the last few years on what is appropriate. The more we do, the more comfortable we get. Even over the last few months, it seems like there are more resources available about this topic when you search online.

We found this quote we really like from the University of Wisconsin: 

 “An easy way to remember the difference between Cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation is to remember that cultural appreciation is about honoring a culture whereas cultural appropriation is dishonoring or demeaning a culture.” 

Some of our main thoughts we discuss in this episode include looking at this topic through an educational lense. It might look different than how society views things. We, as educators, have the responsibility to educate our students. If we don’t talk about it…who will? If we don’t teach students about different cultures…who will? We teach elementary, so this could be their first exposure to different cultures. They are following our example. We should show our students and teach them about different cultures so when they grow up, they will be more accepting towards others who are different from them.

We discuss the difference between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. In general, we talk about about appreciation is honoring the culture, building that culture up, and seeking to understand. Appropriation is when you dishonor or demean a culture. Focus on stereotypes instead of trying to understand the culture. Make sure you are not using the culture for personal gain. These are all things to keep in mind while planning your lessons. 

There are right ways and wrong ways to go about teaching cultures in your art classroom. We discuss some examples and talk about how improvements can be made. Focus on artists rather than a whole culture may be helpful. You are still exposing students to artists of various cultures. You can still teach “the greats” who are mostly “dead white guys.” However, consider adding in some minority artists who fit into the category or have pulled inspiration from these masters. Try not to just copy artwork from cultures and also try to sprinkle in culture throughout the whole school year rather than just during celebratory months honoring a culture. 

We also found a great resource at https://www.commisceo-global.com/blog/how-to-avoid-cultural-appropriation-promote-cultural-awareness-instead and pulled these 5 key points from it when thinking of how to avoid cultural appropriation. 

Finally, when teaching about different cultures in your art classroom, we think it’s important to get out of your comfort zone and do it! When in doubt, ask questions! Turn to colleagues, students, and organizations with connections to the culture in question and also, be honest with your students. Build a safe environment for them to feel comfortable enough to talk about things and help you learn from them as well. 

Listen to this episode in full, to hear our FULL thoughts with details, stories, and examples. 

Keep blending,

Laura and Hayley