Some thoughts on teaching protest art

Some thoughts on teaching protest art

I recently read a wonderful article by Kimberly Baker, called “The Art of Protest” [available at http://kimberlybaker.ca/media/pdfs/Essay_The_Art_of_Protest2.pdf].

In this article, Baker recounts her experience with copyright infringement after a series of critical art posters she’d created for her graduation exhibition at Emily Carr turned out to be illegal under the government of Canada’s new Bill C-47.  Baker’s posters asked viewers to engage in a public dialogue around the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, in terms of the major social issues that arose while preparation for these games was underway.  These issues included “homelessness, the environment, and the representation of place as a consumable commodity.”  

While Baker was finalizing her prints, the print technician she was working with asked her if she knew that her artwork was illegal.  Baker was surprised by the question, and explained that she’d taken a great deal of care to change the font and colours in her posters so that no copyright infringement would occur.  But the print technician went onto explain that VANOC had copyrighted the numbers 2010 under the government of Canada’s new Bill C-47.

Baker became frustrated by the bill, which she felt prioritized corporate profits over civil liberties, and considered the bill to be a direct infringement of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, under which Freedom of Expression is protected.

Baker contextualizes her argument by discussing the importance of protest art in social movements throughout history, citing the paintings of Francisco De Goya, Theodore Gericault, and Eugene Delacroix as historic examples.  Baker then cites the works of Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Carl Beam, and Sonny Assu as modern examples of artists whose works provoke important social dialogue and critique.

Afraid of a lawsuit, but unwilling to simply abandon her artwork or hide it away, Baker arranged a meeting with Colin Jarvis, VANOC’s commercial rights manager, who tells her that VANOC is not interested in suing individual artists who are providing a social critique through their work.  However, he informed Baker that if she were to distribute her art posters all over Vancouver, then they would pursue the issue, as it would no longer be considered “art” but a “campaign.”  As a political protest artist, Baker remained unsatisfied with this conversation, as Bill C-47 “limits artists practicing appropriation and protest art,” relegating them to the confines of the Art Gallery, and rendering their political message far less powerful.

My thoughts:

I was happy to have found this particular article as it raises important issues within a Canadian context.  I enjoy using protest art as a teaching tool across all of the subjects I teach, as imagery often elicits emotional responses from students that a textbook can never provoke.  Also, my degree is in political science, and my favourite professors always made subjects more tangible by incorporating protest art, poetry, and music into their lectures.  The fact that the government is passing bills that can infringe on an artists’ ability to mobilize public debate and action is frightening to me, and I agree with Baker that this seems to overstep the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  Did any of you know about this law going into effect?  If so, did you give the government a piece of your mind?

In terms of bringing controversial art into the classroom, I have used several of the historical art works that Baker mentions in her article, and am now inspired to incorporate the work of more contemporary Canadian artists like Sonny Assu and Carl Beam.  The teen years are a good time to introduce the practice of questioning and criticizing the socio-political and economic matrix in which they are becoming adults.  Not only are teenagers naturally interested in themes of rebellion and upheaval; they are also finding their own public voice and are readying themselves to become participants in a less-than-perfect democracy.  

Looking at controversial art that has contributed to social change in the classroom is encouraging for students who may not yet have had a chance to express their thoughts and opinions or may feel unheard.  I have had several students tell me they have felt a huge sense of relief in articulating their complex social views through their artwork, and having their peers appreciate their worldview through the symbolism used in their art.  These types of understandings create a sense of community within the classroom, and can also serve for interesting debate.

Further reflection:

In the secondary grades there is a lot more flexibility for teachers to experiment with course materials, as parents tend to be less involved as their youngsters mature.  I have been able to get away with an extremely liberal approach to teaching art, history, civics, and media studies, and in my 9 years of teaching have had only two parents take exception to materials shown in class - once because I showed the film ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ - [homo and trans-sexual content; coarse language] - and once because I showed the film ‘Bamboozled’ [exposing racial stereotypes and double-standards in the media; contains violence and coarse language].  In both instances, once I explained to the parents the context in which these videos were shown, and how they were linked to the curriculum, the parents were fine.  I have thought about sending a letter home before I show controversial material, but I have found that it’s much easier to do what you want, and apologize later, rather than give people the opportunity to stop you before you get started.  Have any of you had parents take exception to something you have shown in class?  If so, how did you respond? Do any of you take my approach of 'show first, apologize later'?

I have mentioned this in our prior discussions but another incident in which I caused an uproar was when I showed students the image The Origin of the World by Gustave Courbet, and students were repulsed because the woman depicted in the image has pubic hair.  This sparked an interesting debate about the impact of the media on people’s definitions of beauty and expectations about how women’s bodies should look.  I enjoyed watching students’ reactions to one another during this debate, and am committed to showing this image over and over again in my classes, because these types of debates are important for students to engage in, and a safe, respectful classroom environment is the ideal setting in which to challenge your belief systems and world view.

One area in which I want to expand my teaching this year is to incorporate more contemporary Canadian artists into my curriculum, across all subject matters.  I also want to further politicize my classroom and see if I can’t get my students more civically engaged.  This is a struggle for me most semesters as I find that teenagers really feel powerless to incite change, and would rather just avoid the law than actually challenge it.  A working democracy requires that citizens post public challenges to all acts of government, so that civic engagement and political integrity are preserved.  Looking at this problem through an Arts lens is, in my opinion, the best and most relatable approach.  An image by Carl Beam, for instance, brings up myriad questions about Canada’s colonial history - questions that students would not necessarily care to ask if the subject were approached from a text book point-of-view.

The article by Kimberly Baker is something that I could share with my students to spark a debate about our Rights and Freedoms as Canadians, and we could go on to look at the intersection between Art, Politics, and the Law in several contexts, including protest art, street art, graffiti, and issues of plagiarism, copyright, and appropriation.  These issues are particularly relevant in the digital age, where the line between creative appropriation and theft is often easily blurred. 

I welcome your suggestions if any of you have particular artists or pieces of art that lend themselves easily to political debate.  I have mostly focused on a European, American and Canadian context in the past, but would welcome some advice about artists from around the world who engage in socio-political criticism and protest through their works.  Also, have any of you ever created your own protest art?