Auslan | NVAEC 24: Sarah Brooke, Sally Leaney, Dr. Kathryn Hendy-Ekers, Vide Freiberg

a/r/tographical inquiry as visual arts professional learning
Sarah Brooke

This paper explores how a/r/tography can be used for visual arts professional learning, particularly in primary classroom settings. Four teachers (three generalist primary teachers and one specialist visual arts teacher/PhD researcher) engaged in a/r/tographical inquiry through contiguous art making and story sharing. Through the metaphor of a painted quadriptych made by the PhD researcher, this presentation unravels their process of (be)coming together in a/r/tographical inquiry as professional learning.

The quadriptych offers a map for co-inquirers to collaboratively pursue contiguous learning, which can become available in visual arts teaching and professional learning experiences. This map can be used to concurrently track and unravel professional learning insights enabled over the duration of one 10 week Tasmanian school term. This process invites reimagination of how visual arts professional learning can enhance teachers' sense of visual arts pedagogical confidence and competence. From this the utility of a/r/tography for fostering teachers' contiguous learning with and from each other is articulated.

Yuki Kihara's Artist Practice
Sally Leaney

Sally Leaney’s presentation investigates the innovative, multi-layered and challenging artmaking practice of Samoan Interdisciplinary artist Yuki Kihara. In 2023, Sally connected with the artist, interviewing her as part of a keynote presentation for the 2023 VADEA Conference "Off-GRID". Kihara's practice provides audiences with a contemporary, distinct, and unique Pacific Islander artist perspective on themes of gender, climate change, and postmodern investigations of the artworld. Participants of NVAEC: REPOSITIONING are provided with an understanding of how Kihara's practice forms engaging, rich and complex student understanding of the artist as activist - one who interrogates and unravels colonial histories to do with Indigeneity, gender politics and environmental concerns. Participants are also be provided with access to the VADEA NSW Yuki Kihara education resource which provides extensive links to key artwork investigations, relevant themes, questions and ideas for further research and relevant curriculum connections.

Case study - Contemporary Art on the Road program
Dr. Kathryn Hendy-Ekers

Dr. Kathryn Hendy-Ekers is the Curriculum Manager for Visual Arts, Media and Design at the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. She is responsible for the Visual Arts and Media curriculums from Foundation to Year 12. Kathryn has a Master of Education majoring in Visual Arts from the University of New South Wales and a PhD from Charles Sturt University. She is an experienced educator with teaching experience in Primary and Secondary schools both in Victoria, interstate and in South East Asia. She has an interest in the relationships between curriculum and the Arts industry through teaching and learning in Art galleries and museums and the role of artists working in schools. Her research for her PhD investigated how teachers and museum educators enacted curriculum in contemporary art museums. Kathryn lectures in Visual Arts Education at the Australian Catholic University.

Cultural Sensitivity in Art Teaching: Honouring Indigenous Narratives
Vide Freiberg

In "Navigating Indigenous Art Resources in Education: My Journey Towards Authenticity," Vide Freiberg positions herself as an educator operating within the dominant core of the education system identifying as neither Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Subsequently, she grapples with the challenges of authentically incorporating First Nations Perspectives into the Australian Curriculum. Focused on the Visual Arts, Freiberg explores the complexities and sophistication of First Nations knowledge, emphasising the need to avoid misrepresentation and 'othering.' Using Vernon Ah Kee's "Neither Pride nor Courage" as a case study, Freiberg delves into the artist's intent, visual evidence, and the artwork's title. Ah Kee's direct communication, devoid of non-Indigenous mediation, empowers him as a knowledge holder, challenging stereotypes and fostering a nuanced understanding of First Nations identity. The paper underscores the importance of respecting cultural protocols, critically examining resources, and guiding students to appreciate the multifaceted nature of First Nations representation. Ultimately, Freiberg advocates for a vigilant and critical approach to work toward ensuring the authentic integration of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander knowledge into art education.