Categories for Discussion

Exploring bias and questioning canons

Avoiding the perpetuation of biases through selection
Acknowledgement and naming
Who is included in "the canon" and who is not

Yelimane Fall (Senegalese, 1953 – 2019), Sleep, 2008. Acrylic, Paper. Height x width: 62.4 × 83.6 cm (24 9/16 × 32 15/16 in.). Lee M. Freidman Fund. 2023.365. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. https://collections.mfa.org/objects/704620/

PROPOSED QUESTIONS FOR INTENTIONALITY: (See which questions feel relevant to each image)

Are we actively working to shift away from Eurocentric art history and center representation of those with identities that have been historically marginalized?

Are we inadvertently reinforcing stereotypes and potentially contributing to unconscious bias?

Are we being disrespectful of specific cultural/religious/historical meaning if we use this image for illustration of a different concept?

Are we attending to biases the artist may be bringing to their depiction of a place or community that isn’t their own?

Expanding narratives and fuller histories

Centering historically-marginalized stories
Looking beyond the "default" examples
Expanding the definition of what is "important" for students to learn about

Artist once known (Chinese), Female Polo Player, Tang dynasty, 8th century. Earthenware, reddish clay with remains of pigment. Gift of Keith McLeod 43.1344. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston https://collections.mfa.org/objects/19300/

SOME POSSIBLE QUESTIONS FOR INTENTIONALITY:

Are we bringing in perspectives beyond the “mainstream narrative”?

Are we balancing struggle with joy? (steering away from showing only stories of suffering, and instead aiming for fuller histories and lives)

Are we falling into tokenism?

Are we over-prioritizing artists of color and other artists with historically-marginalized identities for the surface level of inclusion?

Mirrors and windows

Importance of seeing oneself in the classroom
Value of gaining "windows" into experiences, worldviews, and identities beyond our own
Ensuring all students of all backgrounds in seeing a diversity of individuals in artwork, just as in literature,

Jeannie Simms (American, born in 1967), Arnie, Susan, & Elijah, Jamaica Plain, MA, 2015. Photograph, inkjet print. Museum purchase with funds donated by James N. Krebs. Copyright Jeannie Simms. 2017.4030 Museum of Fine Arts, https://collections.mfa.org/objects/651832/

SOME POSSIBLE QUESTIONS FOR INTENTIONALITY:

Are we showing works where students can recognize their own identities, family, and/or community in the narratives?

Are we making assumptions about students’ identities or providing authentic connections based on knowing our students? (Both?)

Are we selecting works of art that are likely to contribute to bias for the sake of "diversity"? Are we considering the impact of a given work?

Enabling grounded student interpretations

Offering relevant background context
Raising awareness around artist intention
Setting up students for understanding the larger picture

Will Wilson (Native American (Navajo Diné/Bilagáana), born in 1969), Nakotah LaRance, 2012. Platinum print, 1/20. (26/9278). Photograph, inkjet print. The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection, 2019.741. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. https://collections.mfa.org/objects/669106/

For related context, see for example Edward S. Curtis, Horse Capture-Atsina, 1908.

SOME POSSIBLE QUESTIONS FOR INTENTIONALITY:

Are we setting students up to successfully infer the artist’s intent?

To what extent is the artwork being used in a way that acknowledges and/or is

responsive to the possibility of reigniting trauma?

Are we ensuring that students have the reference points they need to understand any satire or “counter narratives” we are presenting?

ENCOURAGING CONNECTIONS TO THE LARGER WORLD

The world as a big place
Exposure to more artists (known and once known)
Looking through the lens of critical art education

Heitor dos Prazeres (Brazilian, 1898–1966), Frevo da Casa Verde, 1958. Oil on canvas. The John Axelrod Collection—Frank B. Bemis Fund and Charles H. Bayley Fund. 2011.1851. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. https://collections.mfa.org/objects/555170

SOME POSSIBLE QUESTIONS FOR INTENTIONALITY:

Through the entire selection, are we providing a 360 view so students can engage in richer and deeper conversations related to the subject/theme using the work?

Are there larger or essential questions being asked by the artist (and viewer) that connect disciplines and subject matter?

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