Bending the twig : Indigenous perspectives in tertiary art and design

Bending the twig : Indigenous perspectives in tertiary art and design

Title	Bending the twig : Indigenous perspectives in tertiary art and design
Authors/Contributors	Snepvangers, Kim (Author)
Publication Title	Australian Art Education
Date	2016
Abstract Note	This research traverses the 'cultural interface' from the perspective of a non-Indigenous art educator in order to propose a re-thinking of Indigenous Perspectives in the context of tertiary art and design education. It focuses on extending the capacity of educators to engage with contested areas of knowledge and ultimately to work with Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in creative fields of practice. The research has been framed around textual and visual metaphors, in particular the metaphor of 'Bending the Twig', an educational practice which emerged in interviews conducted in 2013 and 2014 with Indigenous Elder, Artist and Educator, Vic Chapman. As the first Indigenous Principal in a Primary School in New South Wales Chapman's educational practices, particularly his 'bending of the twig' are particularly interesting. Three encounters selected from educational moments in Vic Chapman's professional life show how he creatively and flexibly negotiates contested space and enculturates Indigenous Knowledge and perspectives with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. The case study methodology emerged from a larger series of intergenerational research interviews conducted with Indigenous educators about their engagement with Western education systems. Subsequent review of video and transcribed data from Chapman's interviews identified educational practices that challenge traditional forms of enculturation typically experienced in professional contexts. Indigenous Perspectives is acknowledged as a Western academic term used in institutional settings to describe practices and decolonising efforts in curriculum and pedagogy. Recognising new personalised spaces for teaching and learning Indigenous perspectives is a counterpoint to unreflective discursive practices and institutional curricula traditions. The findings indicate that the perceived naturalness of passing on ways of working, thinking and acting has alternative possibilities for diverse groups of staff and students. The selected encounters prioritise 'cognitive flexibility' in art and design education by acknowledging entanglement within everyday language use with implications for teacher case-based knowledge. Potentialities of engagement and new interfaces of connectivity are evoked by layering knowledge, bringing previously undisclosed Indigenous artworks and cultural memory into the educative space. [Author abstract, ed]
Resource Type	Journal Article
URL	https: search.informit.com.au/fullText;res=AEIPT;dn=215074
Citation	Snepvangers, K. (2016). Bending the twig : Indigenous perspectives in tertiary art and design. Australian Art Education, 37(2), 165–183. https: search.informit.com.au/fullText;res=AEIPT;dn=215074
Link to this record	http://ikbe-library.unimelb.edu.au/bibliography/YBL32SDV/

Title

Authors/Contributors

Snepvangers, Kim (Author)

Publication Title

Australian Art Education

Date

2016

Abstract Note

This research traverses the 'cultural interface' from the perspective of a non-Indigenous art educator in order to propose a re-thinking of Indigenous Perspectives in the context of tertiary art and design education. It focuses on extending the capacity of educators to engage with contested areas of knowledge and ultimately to work with Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in creative fields of practice. The research has been framed around textual and visual metaphors, in particular the metaphor of 'Bending the Twig', an educational practice which emerged in interviews conducted in 2013 and 2014 with Indigenous Elder, Artist and Educator, Vic Chapman. As the first Indigenous Principal in a Primary School in New South Wales Chapman's educational practices, particularly his 'bending of the twig' are particularly interesting. Three encounters selected from educational moments in Vic Chapman's professional life show how he creatively and flexibly negotiates contested space and enculturates Indigenous Knowledge and perspectives with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. The case study methodology emerged from a larger series of intergenerational research interviews conducted with Indigenous educators about their engagement with Western education systems. Subsequent review of video and transcribed data from Chapman's interviews identified educational practices that challenge traditional forms of enculturation typically experienced in professional contexts. Indigenous Perspectives is acknowledged as a Western academic term used in institutional settings to describe practices and decolonising efforts in curriculum and pedagogy. Recognising new personalised spaces for teaching and learning Indigenous perspectives is a counterpoint to unreflective discursive practices and institutional curricula traditions. The findings indicate that the perceived naturalness of passing on ways of working, thinking and acting has alternative possibilities for diverse groups of staff and students. The selected encounters prioritise 'cognitive flexibility' in art and design education by acknowledging entanglement within everyday language use with implications for teacher case-based knowledge. Potentialities of engagement and new interfaces of connectivity are evoked by layering knowledge, bringing previously undisclosed Indigenous artworks and cultural memory into the educative space. [Author abstract, ed]

Resource Type

Journal Article

URL

https: search.informit.com.au/fullText;res=AEIPT;dn=215074

Citation

Snepvangers, K. (2016). Bending the twig : Indigenous perspectives in tertiary art and design. Australian Art Education, 37(2), 165–183. https: search.informit.com.au/fullText;res=AEIPT;dn=215074

Link to this record

http://ikbe-library.unimelb.edu.au/bibliography/YBL32SDV/