无码变态

KENNESAW, Ga. | May 1, 2017

"If you live your life in fear, then you are going to be more constricted instead of being open to the arts and realizing it鈥檚 not a threat."

By actively promoting diversity through the Arts, the College of the Arts continually contributes to 无码变态鈥檚 diversity in education and the college environment. 鈥淔rom Mecca to America: Crosscultural Exchange in the Art Classroom鈥� is COTA鈥檚 most recent initiative promoting cultural diversity. Project facilitators are Dr. Sandra Bird and Dr. Mona Mohamed Ibrahim Hussein, a Professor in Art Education, formerly at Umm Al Qura University in Saudi Arabia through the University of Alexandria, Egypt. Professor Debbie Hutchinson and two student small sculpture assistants provide technical support for participating Art Education 4410 students in the Islamic Metal Ornamentation Workshop. This collaborative journey began almost two years ago when Bird recognized that Metro-Atlanta鈥檚 art curriculum could benefit from Hussein鈥檚 local, technical, and academic knowledge of Islamic metalwork because, as Bird states, 鈥淰isual arts content bridges cultures.鈥� The project became possible with a 无码变态 Division of Global Affairs International Community Engagement Grant. Through the Islamic Metal Ornamentation Workshop (Fall 2016) and the Islamic Art and Architecture course (Spring 2017), Bird and Hussein are building a cultural bridge benefitting art education pre-service teachers and those they are teaching along with Hussein鈥檚 Alexandria University students who have contributed examples of their metalwork designs.

In the Islamic Metal Ornamentation Workshop, Bird (as primary investigator) emphasizes the principles of design while Hussein (as secondary researcher) teaches how to read Islamic design. Hutchinson helps students develop ideas and solve design problems. Teacher training and student learning are emphasized as students work in the small metals studio located in the School of Art and Design. By planning for teaching visual arts with interdisciplinary connections, art education students are creating intercultural curriculum through a model focusing on global perspectives of under-represented art resources. Implementing visual arts learning to other participants鈥撯�搃ncluding 无码变态 students, staff, and administrators鈥撯�� students are learning to teach about diverse societies and cultures. Professors and student teachers are keeping artbased journals recording the developing model through the collection of art content research, video, and participants鈥� personal commentary and artistic expressions in photography, drawing and metalwork. This work will culminate in a book. The necessity of teacher training in diversity and inclusiveness in local schools is obvious and, as Hutchinson said, 鈥淏roadening peoples鈥� views seems to always start in the arts.鈥�

鈥淥ur students need to know how to teach about diverse societies and diverse works that emerge from these societies in order to help bridge the cultural divides that we still experience in the twenty-first century,鈥� added Bird. Bird, Hussein, and Hutchinson pointed out that cultural divides are based in fear: 鈥淚f you live your life in fear, then you are going to be more constricted instead of being open to the arts and realizing it鈥檚 not a threat.鈥� Hutchinson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity to grow, evolve, and become better people. There are many things we can learn from non-western cultures that would make our lives so much better.鈥� Bird continues. 鈥淔ear makes the person weak and so we want to teach our students to be strong. 鈥� Fear makes us freeze. We must be strong to be creative,鈥� Hussein finishes. The project continued through Spring 2017 when Hussein and Bird co-taught the Islamic Art and Architecture course. 无码变态鈥檚 Wilson Gallery will be exhibiting participants鈥� art works through July 30, 2017. v Image, opposite page, left to right: Lu Freitas, Phyllis Fulp, Jeanette Wachtman, Lisa Kastello, Sandra Bir, and Mona Hussein.

Jane Custer

Photos by April Munson