“Is He Just Saying That Because I’m Black?” Race, Silence, and Becoming an Art Teacher

• In Event: Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Explorations of Identity

Abstract

This is a collective case study of two Black/African-American preservice art teachers and their experiences in art teacher education. Through the lens of critical race theory, the women’s stories are discussed as counter-narratives of becoming an art teacher. This study is based on a larger ethnographic investigation of teacher identity at a predominantly White university art education program. The counter-narratives that emerged chronicle forms of institutional racism and racial microaggression the participants negotiated while constructing an art teacher identity. Their testimonies illuminate the invidious effects of race avoidance in art teacher preparation and art teacher research, as well as the need for supporting the development of racial knowledge and safe spaces for critical race dialogue in art teacher preparation.

Author

• Amelia M. Kraehe, University of North Texas