[gregchaffee]

There is an interesting paradigm when considering the history of art and the current contemporary culture that it occupies. Historically, art curriculum has been routed in masculine thought where race, gender, and economy had considerable weight as to who could become an artist and the content that these artists explored. White males from privileged circumstances had the greatest presence in the arts and as a result, a vein of thinking that reflects this culture had been promoted and perpetuated throughout art curriculum for some time. Now, what seems to be an eternity since the foundation of this thought, there are artists, critics, theorists, educators, and other thinkers who are liberating art from these circumstances that have been restrictive for so long. It is a curious thought to consider the rigidness of the arts when truly they are an area for exploration, discovery, and learning – and always have been in spite of biased ideals that have perhaps clouded arts purpose.
In an effort to change art curriculum so that it is more reflective of the changes in consciousness regarding gender, race, and other identities I believe that the opportunities significantly outweigh the challenges; however just as much of the thought that has influenced art for so long has endured, it undoubtedly still exists in social subconscious, posing difficulties. In this context, there seems to be opportunity in all of the challenges. The opportunities seen in this shift of consciousness are immense and before we make the call to attempt to educate individuals about others, I think it is imperative that we educate individuals about the self. In order to have understanding of others, self-awareness is integral. Through learning about the self, individuals come to recognize their relationships and interconnectedness between themselves and all that surrounds them. This is essential, so that people can find meaning in their experiences, thus having the ability to empathize with and understand others. Through this effort, greater understanding can be made of histories, associated ideals and beyond. With greater self-awareness in mind, individuals are prideful of who they are and recognize that their abilities and talents are maximized when living harmoniously and compassionately with others, because no man is greater than any woman and no woman is greater than any man. I think this is perhaps one of the greatest opportunities of transforming art curriculum so that it is in line with todays consciousness – the enormous positives associated with equality and true community.

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