Exploration 2: Avatars & Subjectivity

"the creation of an avatar becomes like the creation of a piece of artwork--it is not just a visual presentation, but also the meaning behind the visual image. Therefore, the process of creating avatars can contribute to future art education by becoming a pedagogical force and art practice." 

(Liao, 2008, p. 38)

What is an avatar? A virtual representation of oneself. A visual statement from its creator. An exploration of one's self. A reinvention of identity. A context in which a person can explore life in a way that would otherwise be impossible. Liberation. Confinement. An exercise in communication. It is organic, evolving, growing, maturing, regressing, reflecting. It is who we want to be right now. Or who we want to be tomorrow.

Meet GemHollogram. Newest resident of Second Life. She is my empowered persona. Named after a my childhood idol (of sorts) another avatar, Jem (1985-88), and her musical group the Holograms (mispelling was intentional as to make her my own). Jem was an alter-ego brought to life by the character Jerrica Benton through a fictional computer system known as Synergy. GemHollogram is modeled after Kate Beckinsale's character, Selene, in the Underworld Trilogy. She represents power, control, intelligence, and a subtle fierceness that, upon first impression, radiates as cold or aloof.

"The autoethnographic subject blurs the distinction between ethnographer and Other by traveling, becoming a stranger in a strange land, even if that land is a fictional space existing only in representation."

(Russell, 1999, p. 280 as quoted in Liao, 2008, p. 32)

Exploring Second Life for the first time was extremely intimidating. An error in my internet connection led me to enter the world for the first time as a Panda. Great! I could feel the anxiety building up as I had absolutely NO idea how to change the suit to something normal. There I was a visitor in a land where I did not know the language, had no control, and was a complete alien -- dressed in a panda suit. Reflecting on this experience helps me to address the question: is our body as political as it is physical? Why did I even care what I looked like? No one in SL knew me. I was a stranger to all of them. However, I was keenly aware that visual stereotypes were present. By viewing other avatars around me and rejected attempts to "chat" with others, I could immediately see that I did not fit in this particular venue. After moving through the space and interacting with the software, I since realized that several of the avatars in that first encounter were in fact editing their own appearances at that moment. So, maybe, I wasn't that strange. However, my sense of self and identity were tied to the first impression that I felt I was making in Second Life. While my character was gender neutral, it still strayed from the traditional patriarchal roles that (at first glance) appeared to dominant.

The form we choose for our avatar dictates how others will interact with us. In an article discussing body, self, and identity in the works of Claude Cahun and Cindy Shermann, Lucy Lippard states that "the body remains inherently vulnerable as the most private and intimate 'thing' we 'have.' It is also the most public. The body, face included, is that part of us that is physically projected into the world. It precedes the self. It precedes us, as women, into every social and political situation. It is what everyone sees and thinks they know" (Lippard, 1999, p. 27). While this statement was referring to the body politics of the female form, I believe it is applicable to the avatar body as well. In real life, as well as in a virtual realm like Second Life, the hegemonic ideals for body image are reinforced. Most of the men and women I encountered through SL were hyper sexualized. In this particular space it seems that standard for avatar beauty mirrors real life.

"The most basic questions about being human involve and sometimes confuse body, soul, self, and identity--a progression from protection to projection that is not necessarily an evolution." 

- Lucy Lippard, Scattering Selves

Mouselook is a view that I rarely find myself using unless I want a closer look at something (i.e. a piece of art). I am actually more comfortable and feel more in control when I can see my avatar. Looking through her eyes takes away my control. Without the ability to "sense" when people are around me, I am unable to know when people move into and out of my space. I also prefer the "rear-view" of my avatar. This view enables me to experience the interactions with other residents "as my avatar." Seeing what she sees. Seeing how other react and interact with her. In this view, I can be her and watch her simultaneously. As a teacher, the ability to both view and interpret the classroom setting from a bird's eye view (the teacher's view) as well as the "mouselook" view of my students is critical in creating an environment that is stimulating and effective. What are the landmarks that I use to locate myself as a teacher? My students. How they interact with me. Just as my experience with my avatar is shaped by my interactions with the space and other avatars around me, my experience as an effective teacher is shaped by my interactions with the classroom and the students within it. 

Advertisement connecting SL to RL

One of my favorite spaces to hang out in SL is the Timamoon Arts Gallery and Community. This space features (and links) to real life and Second Life artists. The space is comfortable, beautiful, inviting, and scarcely occupied. I am able to roam through the halls and view the art without interruption. Occasionally, another avatar will be there to engage in conversation. However, it is for me a place of escape from having to interact with others in SL.

One of my favorite galleries. The artist is Mathilde Vhargon. See advertisement above. 

After exploring this world of virtual representation, I recognize two places for integration into arts education: avatar creation and environment creation.  Students could create the personas that interact within this space, as well as have an integral part in constructing the environment. For this to be successful as a "lesson" that encourages and ensures virtual diversity, multivocality, diverse and multiple perspectives, access to the space would need to be controlled. Although there are closed groups with limited access in Second Life, this environment would not be the best forum for students of certain ages to interact. (For this exercise, I did not explore View. I imagine it may be a safer place for students to conduct this type of experimentation.)

Before beginning, students could collaboratively address stereotypes they wish to avoid in their environment and brainstorm alternatives. Participants could also set a basic guideline or code of ethics for the environment and how avatars will interact within the space. By allowing students to explore themselves in a safe, non-judgemental environment free from the power politics that often surface in any social sphere, they will be able to face and reject stereotypes of gender, race, and socioeconomic status. However, there will still be students who succumb to the hegemonic views of body and create images based on or as extensions of the stereotypes they view as desirable or necessary for success. To address this, students could be required to offer a rationale for various elements of their creations. 

View from my favorite gallery.

By interacting with another inhabitant of Second Life, I began to learn the lingo and understand how to use the space. Her response to "what is there to do in SL?" was "anything you can do in rl [real life] and more." Avatars are extensions of the real life self. For some people, it is the preferred self because with the avatar the possibilities are endless. I am only limited by my own knowledge, time and ability to move and interact within space. While these limitations are intimidating and frustrating, the experience of learning something completely novel to me is exhilarating. Here's to a happy Second Life!

Liao, C. (2008). My metamorphic avatar journey. Visual Culture & Gender, 3, 30-39.

Lippard, L. (1999). Scattering selves. In S. Rice (Ed.), Inverted Odysseys: Claude Cahun, Maya Deren, Cindy Sherman Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.

Avatar Creation & Subjectivity

Being a very social and interactive person, I find speaking from "behind" a virtual image a very strange concept. The idea of creating a "likeness" or "persona" of myself that does not have to actually look like me is something to which I am resistant. As a kinesthetic learner, I am very attached to my physical form. While it may not always be my ideal, it is tangible and "real" to me. However, not everyone connects to their bodies in the same way. Avatars offer an opportunity to reinvent yourself while experimenting with and exploring identity through visual representation.

Creating an "avatar" in the Voki application feels as if I am creating an animated version of myself. I can be human, animal or something altogether unreal (a monster). Pretty quickly during creation the limitations of the application become apparent. I am offered a fairly large selection of customizable characters from which to choose. However, many are reserved for "Voki Classroom," the paid section of the Voki site. While the selection seems to cover a wide range of "bodies," I cannot help but notice that many of the characters are gender specific stereotypes of what popular cultures dictate as "attractive." Limited adjustments can be made to the nose, eyes, mouth, hair, and coloring of the "voki". Adding a speaking voice offers several options including 1) calling and creating a message over the phone, 2) entering text and choosing a prerecorded voice to speak for you, 3) using your own voice to record a message through the site, and lastly, 4) upload a voice file. These messages are limited to 60 second sound bites. Backgrounds are also customizable with many options to choose from.

In Voki, I created four different forms. As I explored, I realized that I was unintentionally prescribing parts of my own physical identity to each character. Each has blond hair and green eyes and bares a striking resemblance to me. I explored myself as a male character with long hair, then a female with no hair. It was hard for me to identify with a character that did not look like me in some way. That is why I eventually chose the Siamese cat. By forcing myself to move to an animal representation I was able to focus on internal characteristics of personality and interests rather than the physical. Afterward, I revisited the site and played with a variety of physical traits that could represent various parts of my personality. 

Break free, break free

From the desire to conform. 

Break free, break free

From an antiquated form. 

Embrace, embrace

What exists beyond your mind

Embrace, embrace

Whatever you may find.

Let go, let go

Of the space you cling too

Let go, let go

And discover something new.

Explore, explore

Find a new face

Explore, explore

Within a new space.

Exploration 2: Arts-Based Research

a picture is worth a thousand words

Only months after my grandfather passed away, our family started to notice signs of dementia in my grandmother’s behavior. They were small at first: misplaced milk in the cabinet and forgotten hair appointments. Simple things, really, that are easily attributed to old age. Eventually, her “forgetfulness” could not be overlooked. Open flames left on the stovetop, cigarettes left burning in the ashtray, and the doors unlocked and ajar forced us all to take a closer look at the once spirited and independent matriarch of our family. She was clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 1999. Her decline was slow. Her short-term memory was the first to go. She seemed to have no memories from after my grandfather’s death. Her personality calmed and the feisty opinionated woman we all knew seemed to disappear behind the sweet quiet smile of this new person. Many people did not even know she had dementia. She was amiable and carried on conversations with ease. Only those who really knew her or spent long periods of time with her could recognize holes in her stories or repetitive speech. I was one of the few people she remembered. Possibly because she was an integral part of my childhood. She first introduced me to art. I still cherish her box of paints and brushes. She taught me how to explore the world around me through those very tools. She drew upon my own talents and shared her love of painting. In her dementia, she forgot this love.

But maybe she didn't have to....

Growing research has illuminated the positive connection between the arts and dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s disease. While there is no cure, many find their voice, their normalcy, and their connectivity through interacting with art. 

Meet Me, the MoMA Alzheimer’s Project, was created in order to serve the growing population affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.  Through specialized tours, participants and their caregivers are given opportunity to connect, dialogue, observe, interpret, and create works of art.

Meet Me provides a safe and nurturing environment for people in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease or dementia to look at and talk about selected pieces within the MoMA collection. The program extends the experience to include art making in a classroom setting and is not limited to two-dimensional art. Music, ballroom dancing, poetry, and other hands-on experiences are offered as extensions of the program as well. Men and women meet once a month in small private groups reserved especially for participants in the program. Trained museum educators move with the groups throughout the galleries engaging with the art in a predetermined sequence. Participants engage with the works of art, the educator, each other, and their caregivers to find meaning, reminisce, explore self, develop connections, and create positive experiences. The facilitator (museum educator) plays a vital role in creating a safe environment in which participants feel at ease to contribute. According to a study of the program by NYU, the intellectual stimulation, social interaction and emotional carryover has made a statistically significant difference in the lives of participants.

Meet Me seems to have been designed to utilize the arts-based research subcategory Arts-inquiry to offer participants a space to move comfortably through the process of understanding themselves and finding a voice. As quoted in Karen Keifer-Boyd's Arts-based Research as Social Justice Activism, it is through this voice that "ideas, emotions, and experiences are critically analyzed and made public" (Keifer-Boyd, 2011, p. 4). Participating in art viewing, interpreting, and creating stimulates the senses, triggers dormant memories and gives participants an opportunity to articulate themselves. Dementia patients are not only trying to connect with those around them, they are trying to reconnect with themselves. Their sense of identity may have been loss or seems to be slipping away. Meet Me provides a way for them to explore and see the changing world around them from a familiar place. “Arts-based inquiry is a reconstitution of self in the act of learning about lives in which the personal is understood and contextualized as political.” (Keifer-Boyd, 9). Through arts-inquiry dementia patients are able to participate in self analysis. This autoethnography, articulated through observing or creating art, provides the tools necessary to “explain self to others” (Keifer-Boyd, 2011, 9). The ability to "explain self" can be incredibly liberating to participants as problems with language and abstract thinking are common effects of dementia.  

Arts-based research "involves continual critical reflexivity in response to injustice" (Keifer-Boyd, 2011, p 3). Programs, such as Meet Me, have forced institutions like MoMA to take a closer look at how they make the arts accessible to all of their patrons especially those that are traditionally marginalized. The development and dissemination of The MoMA Alzheimer's Project to museums and organizations across the country exhibits this community's "commitment to social transformation, challenging power relations, showing solidarity, recognizing and using emotions, being the change you want to see, and building space for critical dialogue"(Chatterton, Fuller, & Routledge, 2007, p. 222 as quoted in Keifer-Boyd, 2011, p. 6). 

Problem Statement: While the students I teach do not suffer from dementia, many are searching to find a voice. Each of my courses consists of high school students new to the college experience, traditional students utilizing the online component of UA's educational system, and non-traditional students pursuing their degrees remotely. In my virtual classroom, students interact asynchronously mostly through text. The purpose of my focused arts-based action research is to explore and implement visual tools and technologies such as Voice Thread and avatars to encourage students to "find their voice" within the context of my course. By interpreting (reinterpreting) themselves through the art we study, students will begin to discover, explore and develop their own voice. Additionally, as students interact with one another they will begin to identify with their peers and work and move more synchronously through their virtual experience.  

Finding Voice Concept Map

Resources:

http://www.moma.org/meetme/index

94-Year-Old Seattle Alzheimer's Patient Discovers New Artistic Talent. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2014, from http://kuow.org/post/94-year-old-seattle-alzheimers-patient-discovers-new-artistic-talent

Art Therapy for Alzheimer’s. (n.d.). ALZinfo.org. Retrieved February 6, 2014, from https://www.alzinfo.org/05/articles/prevention-and-wellness-21

Fields, J., & Lemonick, M. (n.d.). The Woman With No Memory. Time. Retrieved from http://science.time.com/2013/10/24/the-woman-with-no-memory/

Grady, D. (2006, October 24). Self-Portraits Chronicle a Descent Into Alzheimer’s. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/24/health/24alzh.html

Keifer-Boyd, K. (2011). Arts-based research as social justice activism: Insight, inquiry, imagination, embodiment, relationality. International Review of Qualitative Research, 5(1), 3-19.

Rankin, K. P., Liu, A. A., Howard, S., Slama, H., Hou, C. E., Shuster, K., & Miller, B. L. (2007). A case-controlled study of altered visual art production in Alzheimer’s and FTLD. Cognitive and behavioral neurology: official journal of the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology, 20(1), 48–61. doi:10.1097/WNN.0b013e31803141dd

Why Art Therapy is Good for the Alzheimer’s Brain. (n.d.-a). Senior Living News and Trends | A Place for Mom. Retrieved February 7, 2014, from http://www.aplaceformom.com/blog/2013-10-31-art-therapy-good-for-brain/

Teaching Philosophy: 2020 Vision

The year is 2020. I am 42 years old. My occupation is “facilitator of art and art education” in a hybrid virtual art classroom/museum (preferably the Norton Art Gallery, Shreveport, LA in conjunction with the University of Alabama, or perhaps, PSU:). My classroom is a studio media room located in the center of the museum. The walls of the gallery are filled with a rotating collection of art pieces (the topic of today’s interaction) as well as multiple touch-activated surfaces. My students are a mix of virtual and in-class attendees. The touch activated projection screens “beam” in those joining us remotely, while those who are on physical location, settle in and make themselves comfortable in the midst of the art.  We work is a variety of tangible and non-tangible mediums exploring the past, present, and future through art created, art creation, and art to be created. What do I want my students to learn from me as a teacher in this setting?

  

1. Interaction and collaboration are key components in learning. Whether we share a physical space or not, connectivity is vital to the exchange, expansion and challenging of ideas. The virtual classroom is not conducive to all styles of learning or personality types. My 2020 classroom offers the option for virtual or physical participation. This allows students to be present, feel the connectivity through being and engage physically with the course and material. Virtual students interact with the material in a similar but different way. They connect through interactive high-resolution images of the art, create through a virtual sphere and project their creations into our physical classroom. At any time, participants can fluctuate between these two worlds.

2. Instructors are peers. Peers are instructors. Both are valuable members of this learning community with much to contribute and to gain. By allowing students to move fluidly through the roles of peer and instructor, they are able to bring their personal interests and knowledge to one another, solidifying ideas, understanding, and troubleshooting problem areas. Already, students do not look to their instructors as experts. By allowing students the freedom to become an “expert,” they are able to value and respect the knowledge, opinions, and contributions of their peers and instructors.

3. Learning is Global. Art is an avenue for exploration, experimentation and engaging with the world(s) in which we occupy. There is no “wrong” answer when exploring who we are through the arts, only new and different ways of viewing ourselves through the lenses of art. However, we are part of a larger community, thus a broader conversation. Students “must learn how to engage in conversations with those who do not hold the same cultural values or intellectual commitments” (Anderson & Balsamo 2008, p 245). We must see ourselves as part of this larger community.

4. Art is interdisciplinary. Historically, art is a text that needs to be situated within the political, economic and social context of its creation. However, artists do not create their work within a vacuum, but rather from personal interests and concerns. By understanding art’s ability to cross the boundaries of a wide range of disciplines, students can confidently navigate and explore their interests and passions through the medium of their choice.

5. Never stop imagining. “Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will.” – George Bernard Shaw

Each of these aims seeks to support a key idea in my 2020 teaching philosophy:

 “different students learn best when allowed to process information and experience though various forms of engagement, at differing paces, and via a multitude of technologies” and a classroom that seeks to accommodate such learners is one in which “flexibility, hybridity, and multiplicity are of crucial importance” (Anderson & Balsamo, 251). 

Exploration 1: SOCIO TECHNO INTERFACES

 "the danger lies in assuming either an overly critical or overly celebratory stance regarding the educational potential of digital technologies.”

- Anderson & Balsamo, A Pedagogy for Original Synners

Technology scares me and excites me in the same breath. I am both overwhelmed and attracted to new forms of digital interaction. This balance that Anderson and Balsamo suggest be found is a great challenge for me as an educator and individual learner.

The “original synners” discussed in this article are many of my students. They are “just-in-time learners, confident that when they need to know something, they’ll know where to find it” (Anderson & Balsamo, 244) while being “increasingly comfortable occupying more than one physical or mental space at a time” (249). They are digital multi-taskers with unlimited amounts of information at their disposal. Consequently, many “do not consider their teachers the sole experts in knowledge certification and production” (Anderson & Balsamo, 245).  If they are not looking to me for knowledge, what role do I perform? Educational designer (248). As educational designer, my new responsibility becomes to “orchestrate the conditions of possibility within which individuals may participate more productively, and to develop methodologies that fluidly cross traditional institutional boundaries” (248). What does this look like in my virtual classroom? Using VoiceThread to develop visual essays on pieces of art. Employing sketchcasting to create spontaneous “blog-like” lectures for students. Encourage students to use a virtual graffiti site to create replicas or original artworks that reflect or expound upon how ancient and/or contemporary art relates to or illustrates social or political issues. By reimagining the collaborative tabletop interface as a software on an individual’s touch screen computer,  students could “sit in round table discussion” around a particular (virtual) piece of art, touching, highlighting, manipulating and interacting on screen as well as through voice and text with the art piece and classmates. Random round table discussions, spontaneous collaborative work, and extemporaneous  brainstorming (just to name a few) could effectively be facilitated using the social networking site, ChatRoulette, as a model. 

Connected // Self Portrait // 2010
Kasey McMahon

Interconnectivity is key in learning. Setting up a platform in which students can work collaboratively and be intentionally connected to one another is critical to helping students to engage, connect, and explore. As quoted in the article, this “community view” rather than “delivery view” (250) of interaction more effectively addresses the educational needs of students in this “born digital generation” (244). 

Resources: 

Anderson, S., & Balsamo, A. (2008). A pedagogy for original synners. In T. McPherson (Ed.), Digital youth, innovation, and the unexpected (pp. 241-259). The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Visualization to visualize theory and practice

The event. Summer of 2006. First graduate teaching assignment. ARH 252. Stonehenge.

The space. Typical classroom. Not a lecture hall, as the classes were small that summer. Or at least mine were. Students seated at desks lined up in rows. Me, the instructor, standing tall and firm behind a podium positioned slightly to the right of the projector screen. I was still using a circular slide projector. Teaching as most of my art history professors before me: lecture style. Students listen. I regurgitate mounds of information, the mundane mixed with interesting, funny, references to pop culture. Front row: student challenges the information that I was presenting about Stonehenge. Information that was a conglomerate of the text and what I had been taught. My response: this information is correct to the best of my knowledge and "according to your text." Student: well, I've been there. And this is what I know. 

My identity as defined by this event. At this moment, I was met with both a personal and professional challenge. The personal (and professional) challenge was to know and familiarize myself with as much content regarding the material I was teaching and the professional challenge was to learn how to productively facilitate discussions in such situations and encourage students to "challenge" and contribute to what their instructors were saying. Help students find a voice. 

Art is a very powerful medium both as a means of creation and a vehicle for understanding. Unfortunately, the discipline of art history has the reputation of being elitist and irrelevant. Many fail to see the overall merits of the discourse. While the value of art history may not be apparent at first glance to my students, it is my goal to aid each one in seeing it as a discipline in which they can better understand the visual world around them, past, present and future. Therefore, this "open" microphone symbolizes me as an instructor as I seek to work through my teaching philosophy: By engaging students in the act of looking and creating a space in which constructive and open dialogue can develop, I use art and art history to teach and reinforce conversation, expand language, develop observation skills, cultivate visual literacy, encourage critical thinking, and build confidence in viewers as they come to see and believe that they have valuable and relevant contributions to the conversation at hand.

Taking Action. As I stated in my earlier post, I am no longer in this traditional setting. I am teaching exclusively online courses. Courses that are designed by another. Dialogue can be facilitated and encouraged through discussion exercises built into the course. However, interaction is limited to posts and replies and email through blackboard. My issue at hand is still how and where to insert relevant tools (i.e. social media) into my courses to encourage participation and continuous dialogue. 

Action Research

“Action research has become a viable way for educators to not only examine what is, but to imagine what might be possible.” – Sheri R. Klein, Chapter 1 Action Research: Before You Dive In, Read This! p. 3

With challenges and changes in education, such as increased availability of and access to information, creation of new modes of communication and evolving cultures of learning, educators must be constantly questioning and reflecting on their own methods, practices and general classroom environment in order to ensure they are current, relevant and effective.  Klein’s summaries characterize action research as systematic, intentional, practical, innovative, connective, collaborative, multidimensional, multipurposeful, insightful and flexible. It is a methodology, not a method (Klein, p 5).

My understanding of action research is found in its label: taking ACTION in order to better understand and change the educational setting in which you currently reside. “Action research implies change,” (Klein 5) and a commitment to change. This commitment is played out through “questioning, assessing, investigating, collaborating, analyzing, and refining.” H. Smith used her art, more specifically the canvas, to work out “practical action research” in order to “think through the complexities” of the issues she wanted to better understand, visualize and make known. Action research is a vehicle by which educators explore, find meaning, and seek change within their own environment. “The desire to change practice begins with self-awareness and a deliberate process of reflections and question posing” (Smith 6).

My personal dilemma: I am currently teaching courses that are not my own design. As an instructor of entry-level art history courses, I teach a course that is essentially created by someone else and “prescribed” to me. My courses are exclusively online with very little built in student/instructor interaction. Many days, I simply feel like the facilitator of a correspondence course. This is not what I envisioned as an instructor. My previous on-campus courses involved open ended discussion and continual dialogue in addition to discourse. How can I as an instructor move from a (intentionally) passive sphere into a more active participatory role in my online instruction? Does action research have to elicit change that is for the common good or can it be just for the intentional gain of one educator? Is this exploration of new ways to interact in my particular sphere considered action research?