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Home » News » 9th Annual Art and Education for Social Justice Symposium – Recap

9th Annual Art and Education for Social Justice Symposium – Recap

Published February 16, 2018

On January 27th and 28th, 2018, the Department of Art Education and Art and Education for Social Justice, in collaboration with the Lamar Dodd School of Art and the School of Social Work, University of Georgia, hosted the 9th annual Art and Design Education for Social Justice Symposium.

 

Conceptualizing that social justice is a broad objective that inspires an interdisciplinary approach, Art and Education for Social Justice encourages exploration of how art and design can support such initiatives. The goal of the symposium was to share the methodologies and results of practices that strive to have a direct public impact. The encounter focused on the guiding question: How are art and design inspiring, affecting, and promoting social change?

 

The 9th annual Art and Design Education for Social Justice Symposium provided an opportunity to gain insight into a range of practices aligned with social justice, and aimed to start a conversation across disciplinary areas. It embraced a perspective informed broadly by the notion of cultural pedagogies and looked forward to contributions from both in and outside the field of education.

The 9th annual Art and Design Education for Social Justice Symposium focused on multiple thematic areas that include the power of imagination (Strategies for re-envisioning, re-imagining, or re-conceptualizing our past, present and future), Ethics/aesthetics (projects that develop and contextualize art making as praxis), communities, coalitions and collaboration (critical approaches to participatory projects) and the political now (emergent practices of resistance, resilience and solidarity in the current political climate).

 

 

 

Dr. Amber Johnson gave the keynote address on “The Revolution Requires Imagination, Forgiveness, and Fun” and Dr. Flavia Bastos’ presented on “Critical Digital Citizenship with High School Students.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art Education Dr. Jeff Broome stated the following in response to the symposium:

The “Art and Education for Social Justice Symposium” hosted by the Department of Art Education on the campus of Florida State University on January 27th and 28th (https://art4socialjustice.wordpress.com) was an inspiring success! The conference chair, Dr. Rachel Fendler– along with our co-sponsors from the University of Georgia- organized an amazing line-up that featured a keynote address by Dr. Amber Johnson (St. Louis University) entitled, “The Revolution Requires Imagination, Forgiveness, and Fun”. Leading scholars and practitioners invested in art and education for social justice from Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas, South Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, North Carolina, Utah, and Indiana shared their work and ideas. We were honored to host our presenters from Florida State University, University of Georgia, St. Louis University, University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton, the Art Institute of Chicago, University of Arizona, University of North Texas, Kent State University, University of Kentucky, University of Memphis, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Humboldt State University, Millersville University, Valdosta State University, University of Utah, University of South Carolina, Indiana University, University of Notre Dame, Michigan, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. We hope to see you at the next symposium in 2020.

 

Keyser High School (Keyser, WV) alumnus -Laura Amtower- and her colleague Kathryn Williams presented on their community-based after-school art program in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Let’s hear it for Keyser High School.

Thank you Dr. Sunny Spillane (UNC Greensboro), Hamida Khatri (Baltimore, MD presenting on “Project Kali: A Celebration of Womanhood”), Dr. Libba Wilcox (Valdosta State University), Dr. Amber Johnson (Keynote Speaker, St. Louis University), Dr. Sara Scott Shields (FSU), and Christopher Carpenter Darling (Kent State University).

Thanks to Dr. Michelle Tillander (University of Florida), Dr. R. Darden Bradshaw (University of Dayton), Alexandra Allen (FSU), Dr. Lynn Sanders-Bustle (co-organizer, University of Georgia), Dr. Yuha Jung (University of Kentucky), Jaye McNair Obaseki (Philadelphia Schools/FSU,) Matt Adelberg (Baltimore City Schools), and Dr. Leslie Hoffer Gates (Millersville University).