[self] re-presentation & [self] reflection: a conversation about art making, teaching, and research

stacey:

Is crafting a digital slide presentation an art practice? For me, it is. In my role as an art educator, I make many presentations and always become completely immersed in the content and design. Which font? How to compose? Which build effects? How to communicate an idea and sustain the narrative? These questions are similar to those that emerge while creating paintings and drawings. Both are deeply immersive, immensely challenging, and conducive to discovery. The difference is the motivation: I do the presentations for others; the space I carve out for making is for me (Figure 1).

sarah:

I see the distinction between the art you are making when teaching and the work you do for yourself. Are there other ways your drawing and painting practices fulfill different purposes? Perhaps such reasons could be important even if they are not valued by the academy.

stacey:

Painting and drawing engage a mind-body connection, remind me of who I am, and make me feel alive. In addition, I become more empathically engaged with my students as makers. While the academy does not typically value qualities of alive-ness and empathy, there are spaces in postsecondary education where these are emerging, such as contemplative practices, inclusive pedagogies, indigenous ways of knowing, and so on. What about you, Sarah?

sarah:

Recently, I have started journaling related to my own life experiences. Previously, I had not allowed myself to do this because I felt that it was a waste of my time; it did not seem to be related to my scholarly work. And yet, in doing self-reflection through writing, I have stumbled back upon my identity as an artist and a quest to trace that path and to consider it in connection with my dissertation research. Ultimately, I have realized that this work is not a waste of time because it connects to my research. In addition, I have built my sense of well-being, self-confidence, and inner strength—things that are valuable to me, even if they are not necessarily of value to the academy.

Figure 1.

Stacey Salazar, 2014, La donna disegna (The woman draws) [Graphite on Fabriano paper. 16.5 × 11.5 in.].

Figure 2.

Stacey Salazar, 2018, Research sketchbook.

stacey:

Similarly, for me, sometimes drawing is my method of reflection on research, as when I make memory drawings of each participant in an interview study (Figure 2). I sketch them after we part, capturing the tilt of their head; the way they lean in or sit back; the expressivity of their hands; their hat, jewelry, or tattoos. The portraits help me retain a connection to the person later, when I’m analyzing. These are drawings, yet they are also research; they enrich my scholarship.

sarah:

It is interesting how we both use the portrait within research in different ways. I used portraiture methodology in my dissertation by creating metaphorical and narrative portraits. I also asked the participants to draw representations of themselves in two different ways: by drawing an object that represented them, and by drawing a portrait of themselves, encouraging them to think broadly about what that portrait might look like. Even with the portrait prompt, most did not draw realistic representations. . . . My interest in exploring the sociocultural aspects of artist identity formation in my dissertation research was informed by my years teaching art in pre- and post-Katrina New Orleans public schools. This inquiry further shaped my interest in in/equities around participation in creating “art,” especially art making that relies upon a “studio practice.”

stacey:

I also found that my dissertation research opened up new frameworks for considering (re-considering?) my experiences of diverse high school contexts and students’ access to quality studio art experiences. Could you say a bit more about the implied difference between “art” and “studio practice” in terms of equitable access?

sarah:

The term “studio practice” implies that one has access to an art studio and materials. Yet I have come...