Min Gu

4.18 Cultivating Inclusive Arts Practices: A Transnational Study of Arts, Disability, and Race (Paper) – virtual

Min Gu – California State University Long Beach, USA – virtual

Abstract:

The field of arts education has long been dominated by Eurocentric understandings of culture and arts, perpetuating racist assumptions and logics. For example, many artists introduced in K-12 classrooms are white males, reinforcing narrow representations of cultures and arts. Art teaching and art learning cannot be inclusive if most of the artists or dance practices introduced to k-12 classrooms are Eurocentric. The representation of artists from Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPINH) and African American communities in k-12 classrooms is limited. 

Additionally, disabled artists’ voices remain largely absent in K-12 classrooms. Art educational practices have been dominated by able-bodied and able-minded pedagogical approaches. Consequently, disability experiences in art classrooms are often overlooked. To address the existing segregations and gaps, collaboration among arts disciplines and educators from diverse cultural and geographical backgrounds is essential. This presentation will share the findings from a transnational collaborative study conducted by an art educator and a dance educator, focusing on the intersection of arts, disability, and race. Specifically, this paper presentation will: 1) Introduce the research background and theoretical framework of the transnational study conducted in the United States and China, exploring the themes of arts, disability, and race; 2) Explain the interdisciplinary research design developed by educators from dance and visual arts; and 3) Present the research findings based on interviews with disabled students, museum educators, and in-service and pre-service educators from both the United States and China who participated in the study.