Coalition on Racial Equity in the Arts and Education (crea+e)

• In Event: Scholar Collectives Working for Social Justice in Education

Abstract

It has been three years since the Art Education Research Institute (AERI) invited the
panel Race and Racism in 21st Century Art Education (November 2017). During this interactive
assembly, critical race scholars, artists, and educators led a discussion about race and racism in
art education research. The takeaways from the discussion were that because race is not widely
understood as a central organizing structure within the field of art education, the field lags in
addressing the problem of white supremacy; art educators of color are mentally and emotionally
exhausted from doing race work and White art educators need to more critically and intentionally
engage in anti-racist research, reflection, and teaching; and the white supremacist structures in
art education are a problem created by and, therefore, best solved by people who perceive
themselves to be White. The AERI panel launched numerous conversations that later gave birth
to crea+e, the Coalition on Racial Equity in the Arts + Education. Led by a steering committee,
crea+e is an incubator comprised of artists, activists, educators, and scholars across the US who
work to understand racism and its interaction with other forms of oppression and develop
actionable frameworks, practices, and policy recommendations to advance racial justice in and
through the arts and arts education broadly defined. Founded in 2017, crea+e is a national
voluntary group who advocate, teach, research, and publish on issues related to racial equity in
the arts and education. In addition, we hold annual gatherings as well as strategic subversive
interventions.

Author

• Joni Boyd Acuff, The Ohio State University