by Laurel Lampela
Founded in 1991 as the LGBT, the caucus was formed by a group of art educators concerned with the isolation, invisibility, discrimination, and prejudice that many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered art educators, students, and artists experience. The caucus was granted affiliate status in March 1996 at the NAEA Conference in San Francisco when the Delegates Assembly voted 39 to 9 in favor. There were 12 abstentions. The caucus changed its name to the LGBT in March 2001 to include transgendered people.
This report of the LGBT Archivist will cover the accomplishments and activities of the past year from March 2001 to March 2002.
Publications and Presentations regarding LGBT issues
Studies in Art Education
2002 Book Review: Pictures and Passions, Vol. 43 (2), 188-192 Ed Check
2001 Lesbian and gay artists in the curriculum. Vol.42 (2), 146-162 Laurel Lampela
Art Education
2002 Pink Scissors, Vol. 55 (1), 46-52 Ed Check
2001 Letter to the Editor, Vol. 54 (5), 5 Maria Gogolkiewicz
2001 Letter to the Editor, Vol. 54(5), 24 Joseph Pierce
2001 Response to the Editor, Vol. 54(5), 24 Laurel Lampela
2001 Daring to be different, Vol. 54(2), 45-51 Laurel Lampela
NAEA News - LGBT Column
Feb 2002 Notes on being inclusive Jeremy Fowler
Dec 2001 After September 11th Jeremy Fowler
August2001 Ideal schools: Middle school essayists share their vision Jeremy Fowler
June 2001 Understanding tolerance, discrimination, prejudice and stereotypesJeremy Fowler
April 2001 Toward a safer workplace for LGBT Art Educators Jeremy Fowler
NAEA Conference Presentations through LGBT
2002 Is it safe to come out? Laurel Lampela
2002 LGBT Executive Business Meeting Mark Johnson
2002 Reclaiming silence: Sexual Identity and the Art History Curr. James Sanders
2002 LGBT Business Meeting Mark Johnson
2001 If I say I am homosexual or queer does it make you nervous? Ed Check
2001 Queering the boundaries of art and craft and subjectivity James Sanders
2001 Lesbian and gay artists in the curriculum Laurel
Lampela
Activities concerning the LGBT
2002 Sponsoring Miami Mixer Xavier Cortada
Xavier Cortada will sponsor social gathering at his studio in Miami for members of the LGBT and members of the Caucus on Social Theory in Art Education
2002 Miami Mixer Vote Tally James Sanders
James Sanders organized approval of funds totaling $250 to support Miami Mixer. The final vote was five approving and seven abstentions.
2002 Discounted subscriptions Vote Tally James Sanders
James Sanders organized opportunity for members of LGBT to have discounted subscriptions for the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Issues in Education. The final vote was seven approving and five abstentions.
2001 Letter to Texas Art Education Association Mark Johnson
Mark Johnson organized a letter of response to the Texas Art Education Association concerning the cancellation of the panel presentation titled “Sexual Identities and the Art Classroom” that was to be chaired by Dr. Ed Check at the 2001 Texas Art Education Association Conference in Lubbock. (See attached copy of letter from M. Johnson)
2001 Request for response from LGBT Ellen Herbert
Ellen Herbert contacted Jeremy Fowler, NAEA News Columnist for the LGBT who forwarded the letter to Mark Johnson, Chair of the LGBT concerning the cancellation of the TAEA conference panel presentation that would address gender issues in the art classroom originally scheduled for November 2, 2001. In an email message to Jeremy Fowler, Herbert noted that “the TAEA completely expunged any mention of it from all printed material and no one knew anything about any of this.....I feel strongly that a grave injustice has been done here and I am at a loss as to how to proceed. Can you offer any advice?
To: Elizabeth Willet, TAEA President
Kristen Marstaller, TAEA President-Elect
Nina Boothe, TAEA Secretary
Frederick L. Woody, TAEA Treasurer
and members of the Executive Committee, LGBT
From: Mr. Mark Johnson, Chair
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Issues Caucus
(LGBT) of the National Art Education Association
A concerned member of the Texas Art Education Association (TAEA) has recently informed us that the TAEA canceled a panel presentation titled Sexual Identities and the Art Classroom chaired by Dr. Ed Check that was to take place at the annual TAEA convention in Lubbock, Texas on Friday, November 2, 2001. We would like to know TAEA's justification for canceling this particular panel. We are aware that an assistant superintendent from the Lubbock Independent School District phoned the president of the TAEA and requested that the panel presentation be canceled. Thus, it appears that the panel presentation was canceled to suppress the dissemination of information about LGBT issues.
Let us introduce ourselves. The LGBT is an Issues Group tasked by the National Art Education Association to provide leadership in the professional development of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender issues in the visual arts and visual arts education. We encourage research and dialogue that, not only seeks to understand lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender content in artists works, but works to provide greater equality and visibility of lesbian, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people in art classrooms, schools, art museums, and other educational realms.
We applaud Dr. Check and the other members of the panel who had the courage to provide a forum in which LGBT issues and their relationship to students, teachers, administrators, schools, and our communities could be discussed. Our organization seeks to mitigate the sense of isolation and invisibility that many lesbian, gay, and bisexual art and museum educators, students, and artists experience. The LGBT seeks to promote quality instruction in visual arts and museum education that includes information relating to the understanding of lesbian, gay, and bisexual content in artists' works and their lives.
As an organization that is committed to academic freedom and the highest standards of intellectual integrity, we sincerely hope that TAEA's actions did not constitute censorship of ideas.
Yours sincerely,
Mark Johnson, Chair LGBT
cc: Dr. Thomas Hatfield, Executive Director, National Art Education Association
Dr. Mac Arthur Goodwin, President, NAEA
Dr. Kathleen Desmond, President, Woman's Caucus, NAEA
Dr. Dennis Fehr, President, Caucus on Social Theory in Art Education
