Teaching Art History (2)

In the 1920s, there was a Black man named Alain Locke, born in Philadelphia who was an American writer, philosopher, educator, and patron of the arts. Alain Locke, who taught at Howard University in Washington D.C., cultivated a rich environment of Black creatives to ignite the movement of the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theatre, and politics, that was centered in Harlem, Manhattan, but had a significant influence in all realms of American art and elsewhere. The Harlem Renaissance and Alain Locke are critical aspects of history that created the cultural landscape of modern American art. However, if asked what they know about these figures, students in American high schools would likely not know much. 

Discussing the significance of the Harlem Renaissance compared to the focus it is given in schools, leads to the question of why students are not taught about this rich history, but more importantly, why is it important enough that they should be. Many high schools offer AP art history classes, but these curriculums are fairly limited to the guidelines of the College Board, which is extremely Eurocentric. Instead of this, schools should offer a comparative global art history class, which looks at art from the perspective of regions across the globe, rather than from the perspective of colonizers and Westerners on those regions. Art in itself encompasses a wide range of ideas and teaching, and could thus be utilized across many different subject areas that are required in the American public school system. We must get more creative in the ways we think about teaching different subjects because by not doing so, we are holding students back from the possibility to explore their potential and expand their learning in diverse ways. For example, art encompasses architecture, literature, music, design, communication, and so much more, so if a class was created with an interdisciplinary teaching style in mind, it could be used to teach students about any subject from geography or foreign language, to math or science. Furthermore, by expanding the possibilities for how we teach, it opens up room for increased representation and therefore increased student engagement in the classes. 


Gabriella S. Hoard

Comments

  1. Ms. DunleyMay 20, 2021 at 8:16 AM

    Where else in the curriculum, classes age levels, do you believe we need to add discussing the significance of the Harlem Renaissance?

    Do you think more inclusive art courses should be created too?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. gabriella hoardMay 23, 2021 at 3:25 PM

      I think besides history and social studies, it could definitely be implemented in English classes and even math as well. The reason I say math is particularly because of the more dimensional art. The math needed to be something like an architect could be used in "real world application" by connecting it to pieces of revolutionary art such as pottery or geometric pieces. The Harlem Renaissance was rich in literature and cultivating a community of intellects and academics as well, so studying works from that era would be a real turning point for students and our learning. Yes, I think there should definitely be more inclusive art courses. Not only in what is being taught, but also in accessibility and freedom for students. The Urban Leadership classes at Central Campus I think are a fantastic model for different ways that art can be used in the classroom or for new art classes to be created.

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