Audrey M.

Reeves: Diversity Statement

Values of diversity have been a main focus of mine since the start of my master’s program at
Arizona State University under the direction of Dr. Bernard Young, whose research centers
multicultural and multiethnic issues in art education. After achieving my master’s, I began my
doctoral studies at The Ohio State University in an art education department whose mission
statement emphasizes critical and informed advancement of diversity and social justice. Dr. Christine
Ballengee Morris, my current advisor’s, research focus is American Indian Studies and Critical Race
Theory. I have taken many classes specifically focused on diversity issues including Multicultural
Issues in Art Education and Teaching Art in Cultural Contexts at ASU, and Multicultural Art
Education, Exploring Jamaican Arts, Culturally Relevant Pedagogies, and Research in Multicultural
and Global Education at OSU. These classes, my mentors previously mentioned, and professors Dr.
Joni Boyd Acuff, Dr. Karen Hutzel, and Dr. Timothy San Pedro have influenced my concern for
diversity, as demonstrated through my research, teaching, and service.
I have made contributions to diversity through research, including my dissertation, a
publication and related presentation at NAEA, my thesis and related publication, and research
assistant duties at ASU. My dissertation is about how to nurture empathetic teachers able to respond
to and empower students with trauma. Trauma was defined to include the continual patterns of
inequality and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social class, and
disability. This research argues for the self-care needed to sustain teachers that teach meaningful art
lessons which enable students to voice provocative or powerful messages about social issues. During
my doctoral studies, I was also the lead contact for a collaborative publication which grew from a
final group project in Dr. Acuff’s Multicultural Art Education class. The module we wrote provided
an accessible overview of Critical Multiculturalism Theory, which seeks to acknowledge, question,
and ultimately disrupt embedded power structures, in contrast to Liberal Multiculturalism for the
website Beautiful Trouble which centers art and artists as leaders in social justice. This module
resulted in a collaborative presentation at NAEA on how to overcome group project challenges using
critical multiculturalism.
In my thesis at ASU, I assessed how socio-economic class and culture influenced
identification and opportunities for gifted art students of culturally diverse backgrounds. I found that
teachers’ definitions of gifted did not take into account diverse cultural definitions of giftedness.
Instead gifted was defined through Eurocentric lenses of success i.e. elements and principles of art
and focus on product instead of process. Privilege and training, oftentimes not available to rural
students and students of low socio-economic backgrounds, was misunderstood for natural art talent
and ability. These findings led to a publication in the Marilyn Zurmuehlen Working Papers in Art
Education Journal. My preoccupation with diversity and social justice stemmed from Dr. Young
and Dr. Mary Erickson. As a TA, I helped Dr. Young in his research on the history of children of
diverse racial backgrounds in public school, and assisted Dr. Erickson in creating a global and
multicultural art history timeline for her class on teaching inquiry in art.
Furthermore, I have made contributions to diversity through teaching as a supervisor for
undergraduate art student teachers and as an instructor of record for Criticizing Television and Visual
Culture: Investigating Diversity and Social Justice. I currently help student teachers continue their
investigation and analysis of multicultural theories, issues, and practices for art education in their
curriculum creation and in their pedagogy. I encourage unit plans that incorporate culturally diverse
artists, such a Kara Walker silhouette unit, but make sure student teachers are careful not to establish
an ‘us–other’ dichotomy, where cultural art lessons are exoticized or surface level. I am especially
supportive to student teachers of color, as it is important for diverse student bodies to have adult role
models of color, and see that people of color can be successful artists.

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 I have taught classes that center diversity and equity as an instructor of record for Criticizing
Television and Visual Culture: Investigating Diversity and Social Justice. Students in Criticizing
Television analyzed and critiqued the roles of such categories as race, gender, class, ethnicity, and
religion on American television and its impact on institutions, society, and culture in the United
States. For example, in one paper they critiqued the South Park episode “The F Word,” which is
about changing the definition of "fag" from a slur to a term describing an annoying person. Students
argued either that South Park was a foul, immature cartoon or was a savvy show that makes smart
comments on important social issues, supporting their argument with research and personal
experiences. One goal of the course was for students to recognize the role of social diversity in
shaping their own attitudes and values regarding appreciation, tolerance, and equality of others. The
Visual Culture course had the same critical goals of challenging our biases and discriminatory
practices within our society, but was accomplished through looking at a wider scope of visual
culture, such as comics, movies, traditional artworks, standup comedies, video games, and
advertisements to name a few.
At both OSU and ASU, my service to my departments contributed to cultural diversity. As a
Graduate Teaching Fellow at OSU, I help new GTAs with not only understanding diversity, but
moving past solely accommodating diverse students to incorporate diverse students’ strengths to
enhance everyone’s classroom experience. For example, I arranged experts from my university to
talk to our GTAs about how to teach global writers in U.S. classrooms. This led to a discussion that
pushed past how to grade ESL grammar to a broader discussion on how the structure of essays and
storytelling in general differ within each culture, and how students who speak different languages are
oftentimes penalized within U.S. higher education for their cultural differences. We also had panels
from the Office of Student Life Disabilities Services and discussed Title 9 and gender discrimination
in the classroom to cultivate reflective and culturally responsive teachers who put the welfare of the
students at the center of their pedagogies.
At ASU, I coordinated the Children’s Art Workshop, a university Saturday art program that
served highly diverse populations of students, ages 5-15, throughout the Phoenix area. I
corresponded with hundreds of students and their parents, and gave scholarships to students of low
socio-economic status so they could attend. This unique community program was reciprocal as it
gave art opportunities to students who might not otherwise receive it, and it provided undergraduates
studying art education experience teaching for the first time pre-practicum and the opportunity to
learn more about students of diverse backgrounds.
I am committed to diversity through research, teaching, and service. I am enthusiastic to
serve university students of many cultures and backgrounds, using my expertise from my minor in
Latin American Studies and my basic knowledge of Spanish from my undergraduate studies, along
with my experience in graduate programs that center multiculturalism and social justice. I would be
proud in contributing to and advancing students’ understandings of the world, its peoples, and
cultures, instilling pedagogies that address students’ achievements and cultural identities while
developing critical perspectives to challenge inequities that institutions perpetuate. Communities and
diverse students should not be seen as a deficit, but instead the linguistic and cultural practices of
students’ communities should be seen as resources to honor, explore, and extend, promoting a more
democratic and socially just society.

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