Post Stereotypes: Deconstructing Racial Assumptions and Biases through Visual Culture and Confrontational Pedagogy

In 2007, a controversial incident occurred in an art studio of the University of Georgia's (UGA) Lamar Dodd School of Art. An apparently well-trained, anonymous artist/vandal drew an image of Sambo-an infamous Black stereotypical caricature from the minstrel era-in the middle of a previously vacant white wall, creating a strong visual impact (Siegesmund, 2007). While most students did not understand the history or meaning behind the Sambo image, senior faculty members recognized it immediately. While the image could have been an artistic appropriation or a meaningless and naive creation, most considered it to be an intentionally offensive act. The university's criminal investigation department handled it as a hate crime (Siegesmund, 2007).The incident was not immediately or appropriately seized as a teachable moment-a spontaneous and powerful opportunity to engage the university community in an important discussion of racial issues (Siegesmund, 2007). We will never know how the mindset of the community could have been enriched if alternative interpretations of the art/vandalism had been brought to light for public contemplation. Instead, the incident was treated as something "bad" that had to be addressed by institutional measures. These events reflect the perspective that revealing one's racial prejudice is an aggressive act worthy of criminal proceedings-but we can use them to thoughtfully consider whether it is more beneficial for racial stereotypes to remain silent in people's minds or to be spoken about only behind closed doors or among people with shared views.Art educators and art education curricula often omit controversial cultural, racial, and ethnic issues (Cohen-Evron, 2005; Milbrandt, 2002). Adopting the null curriculum that fails to include certain social issues and content is a political decision-it sends a subliminal message that masks and devalues alternative views and reinforces existing social norms (Cohen-Evron, 2005; Eisner, 1994; Nieto, 2000). This article explores an alternative perspective-one that boldly acknowledges the existence of racial, cultural, and ethnic stereotypes. Acknowledging one's stereotypes and assumptions about racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds is a first step to critically addressing and dismantling the socially and institutionally constructed practices of racism and discrimination, leading to possible meaningful action and, ideally, solidarity and coalition (Cohen-Evron, 2005; Knight, 2006b; Lee, 2013). I theorize this approach to teaching as confrontational pedagogy, based on critical race pedagogy, which will be further discussed. This article comprises critical reflections of my pedagogy and my students' participation in class activities that involved the use of visual culture in the form of postcard images and written reflection papers. I consider my students'artmaking process and their reflections to be visual culture because their images and words are historically, politically, and culturally constructed (Berger, 1977; Carter, 2008).Emerging MethodologyMy need to write this research article emerged organically as I started teaching at UGA, having relocated to the southern United States. While I experienced subtle racial prejudice in the northeastern US prior to my move to Georgia, I met with hostile comments from people I came across in the south. For instance, a White male professor who has been working at UGA for over 20 years asked me, "China?" when first we encountered. When I said, "no," he quickly responded, "oh I know, Seoul, South Korea!" He did not ask my name or where I was from; he just assumed, solely based on my looks, that I was from China and, if not, then I was from Seoul. Racism is not just a problem of one university or of the south. Rather, it is a problem that is deeply embedded in the history, culture, and institution of U.S. society. After personally experiencing more obvious racism, I started to investigate the question: How can I help make these problems visible and tackle them through critical pedagogies? …