Patty's Week 6 Reflection

My research topic will be visual culture and its influence on the perception of identity. I plan to use qualitative research methods and observe, interview, have casual conversation and document the work of students enrolled in a high school AP art studio program. The students are in the process of creating portfolios for an AP art concentration. It is my belief that the creation of art work is a deeply personal experience and is intrinsically tied to self identity. I wish to discover if the creation of these portfolios is influenced by visual culture and how visual culture influences the perception of identity.

The reading from this course that has been the most beneficial for me so far was, Using Participatory Visual Ethnography to Explore Young People's Use of Visual Material Culture in Place and Space, (Eglinton, K. A. 2008). Reading this article made me realize what my research needed to focus on; visual culture and identity. The blog prompt asks to mention at least two articles from the readings that have been helpful in my research, and I'd like to be able to credit another one, but I cannot. Each week we learn about another process, method, approach, etc., and each week more terms just combine in my head with no real understanding or connection to the big picture. This is not a good feeling for me. I suppose I need to create my own map of how these terms and methods fit together. I certainly need to research other articles on these topics.

Articles that have been helpful in my research topic such as Amburgy (2011), Freedman (2003), Chung (2007), Kiefer-Boyd, Amburgy & Knight (2003), have been excavated by me or suggested by Leslie, and include content that connects visual culture, deconstruction (a theory of criticism that seeks to uncover contradictions in a work by looking for meanings that lie beneath the surface), and identity. These articles provide me with reassurance that I am not exploring an entirely new territory with little hope for survival, but rather making my own route on an existing one.

Amburgy, P. (2011). Diversity, pedagogy, and visual culture. Art Education, 64(5), 6-11.

Chung, S. K. (2007). Media/visual literacy art education; Sexism in Hip-hop music videos. Art Education, 60(3), 33-38.

Elington, K. A. (2008). Using participatory visual ethnography to explore young people's use of visual material culture in place and space. In R. Hickman (Ed.). Research in Art and Design Education (51-66). Chicago, IL; Intellect Books. Retrieved from http://issuu.com/eliffa/docs/research_art_and_design_education

Freedman, K. (2003). The importance of student artistic production to teaching visual culture. Art Education, 56(2), 38-43.

Keifer_Boyd, K., Amburgy, P. M. & Knight, W. B. (2003). Three approaches to teaching visual culture in k-12 school contexts. Art Education, 56(2), 44.51