African-American Art History: Reflections on Expanding Pedagogy in 21st Century Liberal Arts Contexts

Abstract

An undergraduate seminar on African-American Art History was used as a case study to explore how critical perception skills may be developed through the implementation of interactive exercises. Active looking, creative connections, and experiential learning were among the pedagogical approaches embedded into the content. The goal was not to write a revisionist history of the subject matter but to utilize existing resources to reconfigure how the historical narrative may be discussed and articulated through diverse vantage points. Examples of assignments are provided as models and SoTL thought experiments. Reflections upon the definition of critical perception' versus critical thinking' and visual thinking' are also included in the article. Consideration is given to ways of using critical perception to cultivate a sense of empathy and flexible reasoning. Critical perception is regarded as a cornerstone of art historical practice presenting educators with an opportunity to teach a skill set which could be leveraged to raise awareness about the relevancy of a discipline that is all too often relegated to the edge environment of academic curricula.