[ekk5079]

Over the past thirty years there have of course been many changes with regard to diversity and diversity awareness which are all fairly obvious. But not so obvious and, in my opinion, possibly more interesting, is the societal awareness of communities and sub communities through the use of social media. Regardless of which one you subscribe to, if any, “Fandom” has become a word that connotes community and belonging in the online world. This new branch of diversity is something that I think should not be overlooked in the realm of art education. If our goal is to make each student feel that their viewpoints and experiences are valid, there has to be some room for fan art in the art classroom. Many students these days feel strong emotional connections to television, book series, movies, and other forms of pop culture, and eventually that is going to reflect in their art. I think that allowing fan art is simply an extension of post modern principles of art. Diversity awareness should include the students who engage in the world of fandoms. If we bring that world into the real world and turn it into an art making experience, the student will be able to feel validated by his or her physical society, not just the online society.

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