West Dean Colleague 1:
Had a read through your intervention. It is very clear and intentional, outlining the clear need, rationale and context for it’s implementation. The Padlets clearly evidence the intentions of the interventions, some better than others but that always going to be the way as some students are stronger than other. Despite this, what is clear is that they all understood and saw the value of the intervention in widening their frame of critical/visual references.
I was wondering if there would be an opportunity within the project to get direct feedback from the students in terms of how it has directly impacted their work and mode of study. This could add further weight to your argument, particularly in relation to the specific demographic we are working with at WD. You could also get feedback from tutor in terms of your idea of creating a shared Padlet for non-western research references. I know I will really value that as a shared resource within my teaching.
West Dean Colleague 2:
Your aim to broaden diversity references in written projects has been a tremendous success, having had tutorials with both L4.1 and L.5.1, for the first time students are investigating the provenance of materials that make up specific artefacts in the collection, from which questions arise about ownership, acquisition and contextualisation regarding the makers, their history and the culture in which artefacts have arrived in the West Dean collection. This knowledge offers a valuable mindset for the students when visiting collections elsewhere.
The complexity around the inclusion of diverse (Indigenous) voices or even mentioning/researching this area has become so complex that in some instances tutors have become inert, therefore a knowledge library will be an incredible resource. There is also a generalisation that ethnocide/discrimination etc does not happen today/here/now so being able to shine a light on the past in an effort to draw attention to the present is an incredible asset.
Reflection on Feedback
Following conversations and written feedback with Level 4/5 and Level 6 Studio tutors they indicated the project was having an impact – on them and the students. Despite the results of the written work thus far showing minimal selection of artists that are not white there is a raised awareness of their whiteness, which feels like a small positive step towards consciousness raising.
It became evident to me through the materials / methods category that students were possibly not exposed to diverse methodologies in the studio workshops. Few artists of colour are invited to the college as VL’s, residencies, commissions or as guest speakers. Both colleagues indicated a positive response to creating a resource of diverse references, which invites further possibilities for the project and a continuation beyond the PgC unit. I think this is a positive result. I would like to propose the concept of an online resource for teaching / students to the Research Committee. This would enable dedicated time / funds to establish it.