Big Idea Implementation, Documentation and Reflection

Observation and Implementation: For my big idea lesson plan, I decided to ask two employees at the Butler, as well as a docent. Prior to meeting with these individuals, I emailed them my blog link and also explained the main points of what I was hoping to take away from the assignment. Once they all agreed to complete the project, I explained my rationale for the lesson plan in greater detail using a combination of ideas/examples. It was extremely helpful that I showed them my artwork prior to meeting with them in person, so they could understand the necessary outcomes of my lesson plan.

When I met with the two Butler employees, I first explained more about the Disability Arts movement and how it has expanded across the United States and many other countries. I mentioned that when they create their project related to specific stereotypes, it didn’t need to mention a disability. However, if anyone was interested in pursuing that route, they could do this. I also explained that individuals with and without disabilities could create artwork related to the Disability Arts movement, and in doing so, this deeply affects numerous minorities and intersections of society. As I explained about the artists I had researched and my own artwork, both of the individuals began almost immediately to think about a type of artwork they could create.

Lisa Fredrick, an artist and Butler Art Instructor, mentioned that she is currently in the process of working on a photo composite work for the Midyear show at The Butler. She stated this piece relates to women’s rights, and she asked me if I thought this would be appropriate for the project. I told her that in this case, women’s rights and equality have a major impact within the disability community and beyond.

Lisa Rohrbaugh, a Butler employee, is currently in the planning stages of working on her project. She asked me the other day if I would be able to print out the following statement on my braille printer: “Getting to know you”, which I did. She explained that she is considering asking her great niece who is dyslexic for help with the project. She has dysgraphia. When she was younger, she would read simpler children’s books, since she was unable to process more complex works at the time. However, Lisa also told me that her great niece goes to a doctor who specializes in assisting patients with dysgraphia and other similar conditions. After further conversations, Lisa changed her mind and decided to create her own painting instead, since it was somewhat challenging for her great niece to understand the concepts I outlined in the lesson plan.

Another conversation that arose while I was discussing my lesson plan in more detail with the two Butler Employees was the idea of DEI. Lisa Fredrick mentioned that she is in an online group that discusses numerous activities and challenges that exist within society including DEI. She shared with all of us that she is on their mailing list and received an email about eliminating DEI practices in Florida at all of their public universities. Once I had finished explaining my lesson plan, I decided to do more research about this and found that the New York Times and other news outlets mentioned the elimination of DEI employees and financial funding at Florida State. Since 2023, the Florida Governor has been working to try and discontinue DEI practices in Florida, which proves extremely discouraging for numerous minority communities.

Finally, I asked a Butler docent about participating in my lesson plan project as well, and he agreed to do so. This time, however, I provided less detail about the project but told him I would send my blog link, so he could look over what information I would be requesting. He shared that he would ask an autistic friend to assist him with the art project. Ed Gorse shared that a common stereotype among the autistic community is that 1. these individuals are unable to accurately represent or express emotions and 2. autistic individuals don’t have the capacity to create art. He shared my blog link with his friend and see how the two of them will collaborate on this art project.

The following paragraphs contain reflection and written explanations from Lisa Fredrick, Lisa Rohrbaugh, and Ed Gorse.

Lisa Fredrick:

I have never personally experienced disability inequality, but with the changing political climate and the erosion of many of our civil liberties, I have created a composite photo depicting the inequalities that many of us are experiencing. The image, entitled “We The People,” combines three different photographs. The main portion features a photo of a judicial gavel with the words “We the People” superimposed on top. The foreground section is a photo from the Cleveland Pride Parade, while the background section is a photo from the Women’s March in Washington D.C. The image is intentionally colorful and busy looking to convey a broad spectrum of people affected by inequality and restrictions. I created this image in the hope that the principles of the Constitution and democracy prevail, ensuring that all people are equally protected across all spectrums and/or disabilities.

How does your lived experience impact your role within society and the community in which you live?

I have always believed that all people are created equal regardless of disability, race, gender, sex, etc, and have tried my best to always treat everyone as equal. I will, to the best of my abilities, try to make other people realize and understand that we are all human beings that deserve equality no matter how different on the outside we may be, because we are all the same on the inside.

What stereotypes impact you most on an individual basis and why?

Women cannot do what a man can do and get paid based on her gender and are treated as inferior. Growing up I only learned about famous men and artists in history, never about famous women. HISTORY, is HIS Story….not Her story.

How can these stereotypes be altered and challenged to reflect society’s perceptions of minority communities?

By continuing to educate other people will help to change their perceptions. If we can change one person’s perceptions then maybe that person can then change another person’s perception, and so on. It’s like creating a ripple in water; it continues to grow and spread out.

What aspects from the disability arts movement can you incorporate in your own life as a minority community member or otherwise?

Continue to create art and to educate others that everyone is capable and equal.

Why do you think this movement is significant and discuss an example that can connect with this movement.

It is extremely important that others need to realize that because someone might have a disability and/or be a different gender, race, ethnicity, etc doesn’t mean that they are inferior and/or not worthy of being treated as an equal. Some examples that can help with this are the Stop The Hate Campaigns, The Human Rights Campaign, Women’s Rights Campaigns, Disability Rights Campaigns, and the Anti-Defamation League.

Lisa Rohrbaugh:

The older I get, the more I realize that every person on the planet has some sort of issue, special-ness, disability, handicap, illness, whatever you want to label that “thing” that makes you different from other people. Many times, it is not at all visible, many times it is easily seen. It can be something like poor vision, one leg shorter than the other, or ears that do not match. Of course, there are also much more serious conditions like blindness, deafness, dyslexia, dysgraphia and life-changing illnesses as examples.

This portrait has many colors and layers of paint. You can use the general shape of a person, but I used the multitude of colors and layering to bring across the idea of the complexity of a human being. Some people are easier to know than others, some have more layers of colors (issues/conditions/disabilities) and therefore it can take more time and effort to “get to know them.”

Time and consideration need to be taken to address each person as an individual, and differences between people need to be celebrated – not ignored, stigmatized, or make them feel less human.

Ed Gorse,

My work is entitled, “I Too Cast a Shadow”.  The title is taken from Norse mythology where it is believed that a ghost cannot cast a shadow.   As I had mentioned I have a friend whose son is autistic and who I have known for thirty years.  In the time I have spent with him I have noticed that when in group situations once people realize he is autistic they tend to ignore him as if he doesn’t exist.  In other words, he is like the ghost that doesn’t cast a shadow.  If people would give him a chance, they would find that even though he is autistic, he has much to offer.  He is a talented musician playing both piano and marimba.  He is also a talented artist which you will see in the piece of his that I am bringing.  I suspect this may be true with other disabled people where people either through fear or apathy do not make an effort to engage with the person.  There are so many interesting and accomplished people that are “ghosts” because of this.  What a shame that so many people are missing out on engaging with these individuals.

Ed’s friends work,

Artmaking: Similarities and Differences Each individual who participated in my lesson plan project definitely went into great detail regarding their answers to my questions posed above, as well as the art making process. Unlike a typical lesson plan with a specific art project created at the same time, my lesson plan involved everyone taking time to create their project outside of my explanation and conversations.

Further Description of Lisa Fredrick’s Photo Composite: This is a collage styled artwork featuring two main photos with a photo of a wooden gavel between the two photos that reads “we the people”. The top photo is a large crowd of people gathered outside on a tree lined street, holding a variety of signs, at a women’s march. One of the signs says, “I’m with her” and has a bunch of arrows pointing in all directions around the sign. A view of the US Capital Building in Washington, DC is visible at the end of the street. In the middle of the photo is the wooden gavel, and below that is a photo of a group of people gathered outside at the Cleveland pride parade. There are lots of colorful flags waving above the crowd, including the rainbow flag, lesbian flag, pansexual flag, transgender flag, progress pride flag, bisexual flag, asexual flag, and nonbinary flag. There is also a person holding a sign that says, “Free Mom Hugs”. In the bottom right corner of the photo there is a digital logo that is in signature style and reads “Xpressions by Lisa Photography.”

Further Description of Lisa Rohrbaugh’s Painting:

This is a painting featuring a variety of blues, greens, yellows, and whites that are spread out in an abstract art style. There are pops of red and teal and the paint is layered, so some sections have colors that look like they are peaking through. There is a thin white border around the edges of the painting.

Further Description of Ed Gorse’s Drawing:

This is a serene landscape drawing that features a grassy area with three pointy trees on the right side and some rounder trees that blend together farther in the distance. The sky is a soft blue with light grey clouds low in the sky.

Further Description of Ed’s Friend’s Painting.

This is a drawing of a blue bird resting on a large yellow-green leaf. The bird has vibrant blue and purple wings with some deep green and black on their back feathers. They have a thin pointy beak and a large yellow and black eye, and they are facing to the right. Their chest is white with dark green dots and the background of the photo is white.

Each of these artworks represent a unique facet of either stereotypes surrounding disability, gender, sexuality, etc. All of these works contain the passion and understanding that lies at the core of human existence. For example, Lisa Fredricks’ photo collage represents a wide variety of events that must be understood within our society, regardless of differences. Also, Lisa Rohrbaugh’s painting represents eliminating and challenging stereotypes through multiple layers of paint and colors. However, there are also several key differences that exist within the artwork as well. Ed’s drawing, as well as the one from his friend, showcases two specific nature scenes.

Both of them are serene in nature, and they can also represent what transpires when the disability community and other minority communities are understood. Once I had explained my lesson plan to each participant, I was unsure of how their understanding of the disability arts movement would impact their artwork. Ed is a musician, and prior to asking him to participate in the assignment, he hadn’t created artwork previously. When he showed me his artwork, I was extremely impressed with the outcome. As described above from the written experiences and descriptions, there were numerous successes in teaching this lesson plan. From my big ideas and research regarding the disability arts movement, stereotypes, and other factors, we were able to examine firsthand how all minority communities have been impacted and what changes need to be made. We brought about the elimination of DEI practices in several states and discussed how women’s right, as well as those within the disability community, have been affected. Teaching in a museum setting proves to be advantageous, since there is a rather large space to spread out and explain the project.

Reflection:

If I was required to teach this lesson plan again or wanted to demonstrate it to a different group of students or adults. I would have everyone complete the artwork at the same time that I taught the lesson plan. This option would allow for further conversation and integration with specific types of artwork, how stereotypes can be eliminated and challenged, and providing the opportunity to think about each individual in their life experiences. Teaching this lesson plan allowed me to gain a greater sense of how to specifically describe a project or idea to someone else and provide that person the ability to create a more unique sense of themselves, as well as their artwork. Through this entire project, I have continued to grow as a researcher, artist, and writer as I connect my own lived experiences and positionally to my academic writing. Through this process, I was able to gain a greater understanding of the technicality and skills involved in preparing and creating a lesson plan.

While I was working on this project, Aira Visual Interpreters allowed me to gain deeper understanding of observation during the initial lesson plan, recording key aspects of conversations and other visual information, comparing and contrasting various art pieces while providing a more in depth look each individual’s artwork, and much more. As I continue to acquire new skills and knowledge regarding the art education and the museum education field, I will understand the most effective methods for creating and implementing a specific lesson plan/art project. I have always enjoyed teaching and learning from others, and when I discuss new and challenging topics, they gain a greater sense of how to perceive the world through multiple perspectives, and modalities.

#BigIdeas #reflectivepractice