I survived: Brush your hair 100 times a night and it’ll grow into an art education

This is just a study of how I survived. Not all people arrive in institutions of higher education by taking the same path or get an art education the same way. For example, not everyone had an art studio at their grandparents’ home or had art classes made available to them. Once I realized this, I began to think of how the practice of hair care can be translated in order to reframe the practice of learning. Learning about one’s hair is a continuous process and happens alongside any other education that happens, so I think that using that with art education in this context, is a way of acknowledging the complex ways that one can arrive at a “solution.” I’m specifically thinking about how we can use the metaphor of hair care as means of finding deeper meaning and understanding in what art education looks like for Black women. If you’ve found yourself looking for heavy theory and methodology, you won’t find it here. In chapter two is a review of my understanding of Black Feminist Theory (BFT), themes of care, MeTelling, and place/positionality, and how I used these theoretical and methodological perspectives to inform this work and writing. In chapter three are the methods that I’m loosely drawing from to apply to this writing. These include arts-based research, narrative inquiry, and phenomenology. In chapter four, are the methods of care, a light translation of hair care practice and moments that have impacted this “research.” I’ll conclude with some final reflections on this process. Approaching this research, my first question was: what happens when I intentionally care for me in the way of re-presenting as my true, cared for, natural hair, protective style wearing self in the academy? but has since turned into how can I make it through this program with my sanity and what can a theoretical framework look like when it begins with practicing care? How can self-recognition of cultural and creative practices be translated in a way that prompts a meaningful art education?

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Art Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2020

Author dc:creator

• Mobley-Luke, Rian

Contributors dc:contributor

• Travis, Sarah

• Black hair
• care
• art education
• survival
• black feminist theory
• phenomenology
• love
• art based research
• Black artists
• home
• Me Telling
• place
• orientation

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2019 Rian Mobley-Luke

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/106265

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/106265