gender issues for art educators

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				"I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat, or a prostitute." -Rebecca West Feminism is a complex topic, and much can--and has--been written about it. This page aims to provide a short, basic guide for thinking about feminism and the potential for its use in art education.







"Isn't good art just good art? Why should I worry about who made it?" The definition of "good" art usually depends on who's doing the defining. Is all the "good" artwork you include in your classes by male artists? Are the only female artists you discuss Mary Cassatt and Georgia O'Keeffe? You might be inadvertently sending your students the message that the only "good" art is male art. If your exemplars are mostly male, do you know about a variety of female artists that you can include? Look at the artworks you include in your curriculum and lessons, and ask these questions: How many are by male artists? How many are by female artists? How many are collaborative works? How many were made in the 19th century or earlier? How many were made in the 20th or 21st century? How many were made in 1970 or later? How many were made in the last ten years? How many are paintings? How many are sculptures? How many are textile arts such as weaving, embroidery, crochet, or quilting? How many are ceramics? How many are photographs? How many are digital artworks such as interactive websites or digitally created images? How many are performance art pieces? How many are installations? How many are ecological artworks? How many are examples of visual culture or popular culture, such as magazine ads or cereal boxes? Of those artworks representing figures: How many figures are men? How many figures are women? How are the male figures dressed? How are the female figures dressed? If there are nudes, how many are male nudes vs. female nudes? What are the male figures doing? What are the female figures doing? A balanced art curriculum should include artistic exemplars from a wide variety of artists, artist genders, media, and time periods. Also, it is important to notice, acknowledge, and even question how male and female figures are represented in an artwork. It's important for you, as a professional, to present a variety of artworks and exemplars to your students. It's important for your students to have a vareity of artist exemplars and artworks to help them think about artmaking. "How can feminism be applied to teaching?" One of the best ways to apply feminism to your teaching is to try to be fair and equitable in the way you treat all of your students, as well as being attentive to the kinds of artists, artworks, and artmaking practices you include in your lessons. When studying a particular artwork, a valuable way to apply feminist concepts to art teaching is to discuss with your students the social and cultural context in which the artist was working at the time that the work was made. Talk about how ideas of culture, politics, class systems, race, and gender formed the world in which the artist worked, and how they may have impacted the work. Encourage your students to talk about how these same ideas impact their interpretation of artworks as well as their own artmaking. Also consider how and when you talk about women artists. Are you (perhaps inadvertently) presenting them as exceptions to the rule, and thus equating "artist" with "usually male" in the minds of your students? Are you presenting them all in one unit rather than acknowledging their presence across the art curriculum? Do you only look at female artists during Women's History Month? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, you should re-examine your curriculum to find ways to include female artists throughout. Not only does this present women's art in a more equitable and accurate way, this also helps you avoid creating an "us vs. them" environment in regards to gender in your classroom. "How can I bring feminism into the classroom without alienating male students?" Bringing feminism and feminist teaching practices into the classroom does not and should not create an "us vs. them" environment. Here are some ways to be a feminist in your classroom without creating false gender conflicts: Be open about your wish to treat everyone fairly. Allow students to question whether certain learning situations are fair, and address their concerns. Be just as critical of bias against male students as you are about bias against female students. If you decide to focus on gender stereotypes in art, for example, discuss stereotypes of masculinity along with stereotypes of femininity. If you choose to focus a lesson or a unit on female artists, consider how you frame it. Are you presenting a unit on women's art history to make up for the omissions in the curriculum or in the textbook? Then say so. Better yet, be an advocate for including women's work and issues throughout the art curriculum. Acknowledge where your textbook falls short (if it does) and ask your students to write letters to the publisher and textbook adoption decision-makers arguing for more equitable treatment of women artists. Make your classroom a safe space for the open discussion of gender issues. Make your classroom a safe space for feminist students. Make your classroom an unsafe space for hate speech of any kind. "Where do I find support for feminist teaching practices?" If you live near a college or university, see if it has a Women's Studies program. Many do, and they can provide a network of support and dialogue for teaching with and about feminism. You might also look into the groups and organizations listed in the "Websites with ways to take action" section of the resource links page of this site. If a group you're interested in doesn't have a local chapter in your area, they may have online forums and listservs that can help you connect with supportive voices. Also, look around you. Are there other teachers in your school who might be supportive? Parents? Friends? Community members? There may be people right under your nose that you can connect with to find support.