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GrapplingWithRepresentationintheAgeoftheCommentsSection

RyanHartleySmith

Thefieldofillustrationhasalonghistoryofestablishingandreinforcingharmful

stereotypesaboutmarginalizedcommunities.Withanemergentcriticaldiscourse

developingonlinetochallengethecontinuedusageofproblematichistoricaltropes,

itisimportantforeducatorstochallengethemselves,theirpeersandtheirstudents

tocriticallyengagewiththislegacyasconsumersandcreatorsofinfluential

imagery.

Thispaperfocusesonavarietyofapproachestothisobjectiveinstudio-based,

undergraduateillustrationcurriculumatQueensCollege,CityUniversityofNew

York.Itdescribesarangeoflectures,discussions,writingassignments,andstudio

projectsteacherscanusetoengageandempowerstudents.

Introduction

Let’sstartbylookingattworecentcontroversiestoilluminatewhatImeanby

“emergingcriticaldiscoursedevelopingonline.”Ipickedtheseparticularexamples

because:

a)Theyrepresentdifferentgenreswithinthefieldofillustration.

b)Therole(s)illustratorsplayinthedebateisdifferent.

Thefirstcontroversywewilllookatinvolvesthreechildren’sbookauthor/

illustratorsconsciouslyrespondingtoaninstitution’scontemporaryreproduction,

prominentdisplay,andunwillingnesstocontextualizearacistcaricaturebyDr.

Seuss.

OnOctober5,2017MikeCurato,MoWillems,andLisaYeereleasealettertothe

publiconsocialmediatoexplainwhytheywerepullingoutofascheduled

appearanceattheinauguralSpringfieldChildren’sLiteratureFestivalatthenewly

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opened“TheAmazingWorldofDr.SeussMuseum”inSpringfield,MA.Belowisan

excerptoftheirletter,whichexplainstheirreasoning:

“…werecentlylearnedthatakeycomponentofthisinstitutionhonoringDr.

Seussfeaturesamuraldepictingascenefromhisfirstbook,'AndtoThinkI

SawItonMulberryStreet,'andwithintheselectedartsisajarringracial

stereotypeofaChineseman,whoisdepictedwithchopsticks,apointedhat,

andslantedsliteyes.Wefindthiscaricatureof'theChinaman'deeplyhurtful,

andhaveconcernsaboutchildren'sexposuretoit.

Whilethisimagemayhavebeenconsideredamusingtosomewhenitwas

published80yearsago,itisobviouslyoffensivein2017(theyearthemural

waspainted).Forsomechildrenwhovisitthemuseum,theironlyinteraction

withAsianrepresentationmightbethatpainting.Forothers,seeing

themselvesrepresentedinsuchastereotypicalwaymayfeedinto

internalized,evensubconsciousshameandhumiliation.Itisincumbenton

ourpublicinstitutionstopresentallracesinafairmanner.Displaying

imagerythisoffensivedamagesnotonlyAsianAmericanchildren,butalso

non-Asiankidswhoabsorbthiscaricatureandcouldassociateitwithall

AsiansortheirAsianneighborsandclassmates.

ThecareerofTedGeisel,writingasDr.Seuss,isastoryofgrowth,from

acceptingthebaserracialstereotypesofthetimesinhisearlycareer,to

challengingthosedivisiveimpulseswithworkthatdelightedhisreadersand

changedthetimes.ItwasourhopethattheadministrationofthenewSeuss-

ianinstitutionwouldbeabletotakeinspirationfromMr.Geisel’sjourney

andfindcreativewaystoallowchildrenofallbackgroundstofeelwelcomed

(or,attheveryleast,providecontextforthishurtfulpainting)."

Curato,Willem,andYeegoontoexplainthatthemuseumwasunwillingtorespond

totheirconcerns,claimingthatthemuseuminsistedthatitwastheresponsibilityof

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visitorstocontextualizetheirrecentlycommissioned,oversizedreproductionofthe

“Chinaman.”

Figure1:MuralinSpringfield,MADr.SeussMuseum(BostonGlobe,2017)

Whentheopenletterispublishedontwitterandbeginsgeneratingdiscussion,a

seriesofeventstakeplaceontwotracks:

Thefirsttrackisthatthemuseumreconsiderstheirinitialpositionandpromisesto

removethecaricatureinaresponseletter.Then,theauthor/illustratorsreleasea

secondletterthankingthemuseumandindicatingthattheywillhappilyattendan

eventthereinthefuture.

ThesecondtrackiswithinthebroaderSpringfieldcommunity:Twoprominent

businessownersoffertobuythemuralandinstallitinamoreprominent,public

locationinthetown.One,AndyYee,isChineseAmericanandstates:

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"That'smyancestorscomingtothiscountryinthe1930s.Wedidnotcome

wearingLouisVuittonandGucci.Whydoyouwanttochangehistory?"

Insupportofthebusinessmen’sproposal,theDemocraticmayoroftheSpringfield

says:

“Thisispoliticalcorrectnessatitsworst,andthisiswhatiswrongwithour

country.Wehaveextremefringegroupsonboththerightandtheleft

dictatinganagendatodivideinsteadofworkingtogethertowardsthe

bettermentofourcountry.Wefeelitshouldstayasis.Ifnot,wehavethe

cavalrywiththePicknellyandYeefamiliessavinganotherSpringfield

institution.”

Asofthiswriting,thefateofthemuralremainsunclear,butonecanclearlyseehow

theillustrators’actionsarebeingconnectedtomoreprominentnationaldebatesby

theiropponents.

Nowlet’sjumpovertothegenreofeditorialillustration.Thiscontroversystems

fromaneditorialillustratorbeingaccusedofcreatingasexistmagazinecoverfora

prominentpublication,andthedebateandorganizingthatoccurredasaresponse.

OnFebruary5th2015,Newsweekpublishesthecoverstory“WhatSiliconValley

ThinksofWomen”byNinaBurleigh.ThecoverisillustratedbyEdelRodriguezand

artdirectedbyGraceLee.Thearticleiswell-receivedandisinmanywaysa

precursortoreportingdoneinthelastyearaboutsexismintheentertainment

industry.Thecoverillustration,however,generatescontroversy.Thecontroversy

stemsoverwhethertheillustrationusesconceptualsymbolismandrepresentation

tocritiquethesexismdocumentedinthearticle,ortofurtherperpetrateit.

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Fromthiscentralquestion,ripplesof

relatedquestionsanddebateexpandin

variousforumsandwithvariousdepthsof

inquiry-fromtheTodayShowtothe

HuffingtonPosttothePBSNewsHourto

Illustrator/Educator’sSteveBrodner’s

Facebookwall.Thereareopinionpieces,

interviewswithEdelRodriguez,interviews

withcontemporaryfemaleillustrators,657

commentsrespondingtoSteveBrodner’s

Facebookpost,andtheformationofa

Facebookadvocacygroupforfemaleand

non-binaryillustratorsnamedHumorless

Mutts(thenameisareappropriationofwhatillustratorTomDoughertyreferredto

criticsofthecoverillustration)thatcurrentlyhas988members.Belowareexcerpts

fromtwopublishedinterviewsthatreflectsomeofthediscourse:

ExcerptfromHuffingtonPostarticle“6FemaleIllustratorsWeighinonSexism,

FeminismandtheNewsweekFiasco”

AuthorKatieTandy:DoyoubelieveEdelRodriguez’sillustrationdepicting

SiliconValleysexismwasitselfsexist?Dideveryonejustmisstheentire

damnpointandpublishanillustrationthatwasassexistastheattitudesit

wasattemptingtocriticize?Orwasthishis(perhapsfailed)attemptto

illustratethat,yes,sexualizing,infantilizingandhumiliatingwomenisSilicon

Valley’scurrentmodeofoperationinregardstowomen?NinaBurleigh(the

authorofthearticle)hasgoneonrecordinsistingthatiswassupposedtobe

ugly,becausethatworldisugly.

IllustratorCelineLoup:Icanonlyspeakformyself,bothasanillustrator

andalsoassomeonewhohasdevotedyearsofherlifetounderstanding

Figure2:EdelRodriguez“WhatSiliconValleyThinksofWomen”(Newsweek,2015)

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intersectionalfeministtheory.ThemostIcansayabouttheillustration*by

itself*isthatitisamediocreconceptdeliveredinamediocrepackage.It

succeedsinportraying“whatdudesthinkofwomenintech”withoutactually

subvertingthenarrative—theresultisfrustratinglysuperficial,places

men’spointofviewatthecenterofthisissue,andtellsmenothingabout

whatit’sliketoactuallybeonthereceivingendofthatmalegaze.

Intheaftermath,twothingshappened:one,itbecamepainfullyobviousthat

Edel,SteveBrodner,andmanymanyothermen(andsomewomen)havean

incrediblylimited,simplisticunderstandingofwhatsexism*actuallyis*and

worse,thattheyusethatignorancetoderailandharassandgas-lighttheir

femalecolleagueswhodarespeakup.

Two,Iwatchedaclassfullofsophomoreillustrationstudents(mostofwhom

werewomen)comeupwithtonsofbetter,farmoresubversiveideas.

Contextiseverything,andallthistellsmeisthatEdelandmanyofhismale

colleagueslacktheempathyrequiredtohandleasubjectaspainfulassexism

intech.

ExcerptfromPBSNewshourInterview“ArtistbehindNewsweekcover:it’snotsexist,it

depictstheuglinessofsexism”

AuthorRuthTam:Didyouanticipatethebacklash?

IllustratorEdelRodriguez:Ithoughttheremightbeafewlettersor

something.Ididn’trealizetherewouldbethatmuchcommentingonit.Many

womenthinkthiscoverisrightonthemoney.Theremightbe30to40

percentwhohaveaproblem,and70to60whothinkitshowsitperfectly.

That’sthesignthatit’sgettingpeople’sattention.Andthat’swhatamagazine

covershoulddo.Togetpeopletotrytofigureoutwhattheimageis.The

articlecouldpossiblyeliminatewhattheywerefirstoutragedabout,butyou

havetoreadit.Thecoverissupposedtogetthemtoread.

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Tosurveytherangeofcontentwritteninresponsetothiscontroversyistofinda

wealthofintentionalandunintentionalcommentaryabouttraditionaldepictionsof

womeninillustration,inadditiontosexistbusinesspracticesandpowerdynamics

withinthefield.Onecanalsofinddialogontherelationshipanillustratorhastothe

contentofanarticletheyareassigned,andhowthatshouldorshouldnotbe

assessedwhenconsideringthevalueandethicsofaneditorialillustration.

ApproachestoCurriculum

Howshouldstudio-basededucatorsinterrogate/incorporatethehistorical,

contemporary,ethicalandprofessionalconundrumspresentintheseexamplesin

ourcurriculum?Whatisnecessarytopreparestudentstothoughtfullyaccountfor

andrespondtothisgrowingdialogintheirdeveloping,creativeoutputand

professionalconduct?

Fromtheoutset,it’simportanttokeepinmindthatthecreativechoicesandcontrol

illustratorshavewhenmakingimageryvariesgreatlybasedonthedivergent

structuresofthegenreweareworkingin.

PartI:DesiredLearningOutcomes

Asmentionedearlier,thispaperwilldiscusspedagogicaltechniquestohelp

studentsdevelopthetoolstheyneedtonavigatethesecurrentconversationsin

illustration.Thesetechniquesseektoachievethefollowingthreegoals:

• Studentsunderstandtheroleillustratorsplayinestablishingandreinforcing

harmfulstereotypes

• Studentsdevelopavocabularyandareempoweredtocriticallyengagewith

thisongoinglegacy,regardlessoftheirpersonalrelationship.

• Throughthedevelopmentofapersonalcodeofconduct,studentshavetools

tobetterevaluatethepotentialculturalweightoftheirworkduringthe

creativeprocess,andbeabletothoughtfullyrespondtopotentialcriticism

aftertheirworkispublished.

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PartII:SettingupaFramework,LecturesandClassDiscussion

Syllabus

Similartoarticulatinggradingcriteria,includinglanguageaboutrespectfor

diversityinasyllabussetsclearexpectationsforwhichstudent/teacherconductcan

beevaluatedandnavigatedinanethicalmannerthroughoutthesemester.Thisis

helpfulforhavingpotentiallydifficultconversationsandassignmentsabout

problematicrepresentation.Iincludethefollowinginmysyllabus:

DiversityStatement

Itismyintenttopresentmaterialsandactivitiesinthisclassroomthatare

respectfulofthediversitythatmakesQueensCollegeastrongintellectual

community:thisincludesrace,gender,sexuality,disability,age,

socioeconomicstatus,ethnicity,andculture.Thisisconsistentwiththe

MissionStatementofQueensCollege,whichemphasizesacommitmentto

fosteringanatmosphereofcollegialityandmutualrespect.Throughoutthe

semester,yoursuggestionsonhowtobetterachievethisgoalare

encouragedandappreciated.Thisincludessuggestionsonwaystoimprove

theeffectivenessofthecourseforyoupersonallyorforotherstudentsor

studentgroups.

IhavebasedthisoffoflanguageandpolicymycollegedescribesinourMission

Statement,existingdiversitystatementsfromotherinstitutions,andinputfrommy

college’sCenterforTeachingandLearning.Ifyouteachatapublicinstitution,you

likelyhaveasimilarresearchofficethatcouldoffersuggestions.Ifnot,many

prominentuniversitieshavesimilarcentersthatdigitallypublishsuggestionson

howtocrafteffectivediversitystatements-eitherasstandalonesectionslikemine,

oradditionstosectionsonstudentconductorparticipation.

Theseinstitutions,inparticulartheUniversityofOhio,theUniversityofMichigan,

YaleUniversity,andBrownUniversity,alsopublishresearchandteacherguideson

accountingforimplicitandexplicitbiasinyourteachingpractice.Somehave

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interactiveteststhatyoucantaketoassessareaswhereyoumightbebiases,and

suggestionsforhowtoaddresstheminyourteachingpractice.

PlannedDiscussion&PresentationofControversialImages

WhenIdevoteclasstimeforanassignmentorreadingtofocusexplicitlyonthe

legacyofstereotypinginillustration,IreviewtheclassDiversityStatementwith

students.Ialsoworkwithstudentstocreateacodeofconductfordiscussion,based

ofthisguidefromtheUniversityofMichiganCenterforResearchonLearningand

Teaching:

Guidelinesforclassparticipationcanbedesignedbyyouornegotiatedwithyour

students.Byaskingfortheirinput,yougivestudentsthesenseofownershipthat

canhelpthemtaketheguidelinesmoreseriously.Thefollowingguidelinescan

beusedtodevelopanatmosphereofmutualrespectandcollectiveinquiry.

• Respectothers’rightstoholdopinionsandbeliefsthatdifferfromyour

own.Challengeorcriticizetheidea,nottheperson.

• Listencarefullytowhatothersaresayingevenwhenyoudisagreewith

whatisbeingsaid.Commentsthatyoumake(askingforclarification,

sharingcritiques,expandingonapoint,etc.)shouldreflectthatyouhave

paidattentiontothespeaker’scomments.

• Becourteous.Don’tinterruptorengageinprivateconversationswhile

othersarespeaking.

• Supportyourstatements.Useevidenceandprovidearationaleforyour

points

• Alloweveryonethechancetotalk.Ifyouhavemuchtosay,trytohold

backabit;ifyouarehesitanttospeak,lookforopportunitiesto

contributetothediscussion.

• Ifyouareoffendedbysomethingorthinksomeoneelsemightbe,speak

upanddon'tleaveitforsomeoneelsetohavetorespondtoit.

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Ifindthatmydesiredlearningoutcomesarebestachievedwhengroupdiscussionis

basedonpreviouslyassignedreadings,doneinbreak-outgroups(4-6students)

determinedbyrandomselection.

BelowarequestionsthatIaskmystudentstorespondtowithassignedreadings:

RESPONSETOREADINGSONCONTROVERSIALIMAGERYANDSYMBOLISM

• Whatisthetitleofyourarticle?

• Wherewasthisarticlepublished?Describetheformofthepublicationand

anyrelevantinfo(likeitsfocusormission,targetaudience,etc…)

• Whoistheauthorofyourarticleandwhatistheirprofessionalbackground?

Dosomeonlineresearchandprovideatwo-foursentencesummary.

• Whatisthesubjectofthearticle?

• Whatisthethesisofthearticle?

• Whatexamplesdoestheauthorusetoarguetheirthesis?

• Doestheauthorsuggestanalternativeworkingprocessforartists/creatives

thatwillhavemoreethicalresults?Ifso,whatisit?

• Ifnot,canyoudescribeaworkingprocessthatmightbemoreethical,based

ontheauthor'sthesis?

• Arethereanyterms,words,orsentencesinthearticlethatyoudon't

understand?

• Comeupwithalistof5questionsyouwouldliketoasktheauthorabout

theirthesis?

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Whenstudentsmeetingroups,theyhavealreadyrespondedtothesequestions.I

thenhavethemdraftagroupresponse,whichIread,andthencomeupwithfollow-

upquestions.Ithenmeetwiththegrouptohaveaconversationabouttheir

individualandgroupresponses.Myrole,asItellthem,isprimarilytoaskquestions

tohelpclarifytheirperspectives,andiftheyrequest,I’mhappytodescribe

experiencesinmyprofessionalcareerthatmightberelevant.

LectureswithOffensiveImagery

Decidingwhetherornottoshowcontroversialimagerytoaclassisoftena

complicatedquestion.Thereiscertainlyawell-establishedlineofbeliefinthefield

thatitisantitheticalorbizarretotheprinciplesoffreespeechthatmanyconsidera

centraldemocraticprincipletonotshowacontroversialimageaspartofa

discussionaroundit.

Anexampleofthiswouldbe:

“ShouldwehaveadiscussionabouttheJyllands-PostenMuhammadCartoon

Controversywithoutshowingthecartoon?”

Regardlessofwhereyoulandonthisquestion,Iconjecturethatthereisageneral

consensusthataprofessorhasaresponsibilitytocontextualizewhateverimagery

theypresenttoaclass.OnetacticIusewhenputtingtogetherlecturesthatfeature

potentiallyoffensiveillustrationsistoalsoincludeimagerycreatedinoppositionor

incritiqueofoffensiveimageryandthelegacyitrepresents.Ifitisahistorical

illustrationthatwouldnolongerbeacceptableinthepublicationinwhichitwas

originallyprinted,Ialsodescribehowsocietyandpublishingstandardschangedto

makethistypeofimagenolongersociallyacceptable.

Forexample,ifI’mdoingalectureonearly20thcenturynewspapercartoonsand

animation,IwillcertainlywanttoincludetheworkofWinsorMcKay-particularly

LittleNemoinSlumberland.Iwanttoincludethesestripsfortheirpopularityatthe

time,theincrediblevisualinventiveness,andtheinfluencetheyhadonhis

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contemporaries-particularlyMauriceSendak.YettodothisIwillbegatheringand

presentingimagesthatlikelycontain“theJungleImp,”or“Impie,”Nemo’ssidekick

who,despiteallappearancestothecontrary,happenstobeoneoftheleastovertly

racistdepictionsofblackpeopleWinsorMcKaypublishedthroughouthiscareer.

ThereareanumberorwaysIcouldhandlethis:

• Icouldremovethepanelscontainingtheproblematicimagery,andjustshow

workbyWinsorMcKaythatdoesnotincludeovertlyraciststereotypes.

• IfIfindthatintakingtheimagesoutI’mnotabletocommunicatewhat

makeshisbodyofworkrelevant(let’ssaythemostcompositionallynotable

workcontainsImpie),orifIfeelthatremovingtheimagerywhitewashesa

painfullegacythatisworthtalkingabout,Icouldsaysomethinglike:

o “Thischaracterlooksshockingandoffensivetoustoday,butitwas

sociallyacceptableatthetime.”

o “WinsorMcKaywasaproductofhistime.”

IfIgowiththelatteroption,(whichisusuallymycourseofaction),Iwillgobeyond

thegeneralstatementsabovetobettercontextualizewhatImeanby“socially

acceptableatthetime”and/or“productofhistime.”Iwilldescribelargersocialand

politicalstructuresthatcreated,protected,andpromotedthisproduct.Iwillalso

describesomeoftheforces(activists,advocacygroups,otherartists,etc…)that

madesuchworksociallyunacceptable.ForWinsorMcKay,Iwouldexplainthe

segregationofnewspapersatthetime.IwouldshowexamplesbyAfricanAmerican

cartoonistsworkinginblacknewspapersfromthesameera:thecartoonsofChester

Commodore,andtheearlyworkofRomareBearden-who,likeWinsorMcCay,

startedasaneditorialcartoonist,beforebecomingarenownedcollageartistlaterin

life.

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Iwillalsoshowtheworkofartistswho

havere-appropriatedthesestereotyped

formsofillustrationasaformofsocial

critique.IdothisparticularlywhenIam

notabletospeakfrompersonal

experienceabouthowaparticularlegacy

affectsme.So,ifI’mplanningonshowing

imageswithImpie,Iwillalsobeshowing

theworkofKaraWalker.Iwillscreenthe

recentJay-Zanimatedmusicvideofor

“TheStoryofOJ”whichreappropriates

racistcartoonimageryfromtheearly

20thcentury(Iwillalsomentionthatthis

songgeneratedcontroversybecauseJay-

ZincludedJewishstereotypesinthelyrics).Wewillreadaninterviewwiththe

animationteamofthisvideowhodescribe,amongotherethicalandstylistic

considerations,howtheywantedtomakesuretheywerecritiquingthesymbolism

theywereinvoking,ratherthanjustrecreatingit.Theydescribeachievingthisby

creatingintentionalcontrastbetweenthehistoricallyreproducedstyle,movement

andexpressionsoftheenvironmentsandsecondarycharactersandthemore

contemporarymovementandexpressionstructuresofthemaincharacter(voiced

byJay-Z).

Separatefromcontroversial

images,butrelatedtohaving

studentsthinkcriticallyaboutthe

rolesillustratorsplayinrelationto

theirsocialinfluence,whenIput

togetherlecturesIprovide

conflictingnarrativesand

Figure3:WinsorMcCay"LittleNemo"(NewYorkHerald,1910)

Figure4:KaraWalker"ASubtlety,ortheMarvelousSugarbaby"(NewYorkTimes,2014)

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perspectivesofthetraditionsthatIam

presenting.Forexample,whenIhavea

classcreatepoliticalcartoonsIwillcreatea

lecturethatcoversthetraditionalbases:

examplesofprominentcartoonists

workingfromacrosstheideologicaland

politicalspectrums,thedifferencebetween

HoratianandJuvenalianformsofsatire,

compositionalstructuresforsettingupan

effectivevisualjoke,andhigh-profile

instancesofcensorshipandpersecution.

Inadditiontothis,Ialsopresentbroader

theoryabouttherolepoliticalandsocial

satireplaysindifferentsocietiesandat

differentpointsinhistory.Idothis

because,intheinstanceofpolitical

cartoons,thedominantnarrativeIhaveencountered(inartisttalks,panel

discussionsateventssuchasICON),isasomewhatfuzzywebofDavidvs.Goliath

metaphors,beingonthefrontlinesdefendingfreespeech,beingequalopportunity

offenders,pillarofhealthydemocracy,etc…withoutalotofhowandwhy.

Asaneducator,Ifeelwehavearesponsibilitytochallengestudentstointerrogate

suchbeliefsandclaimswithquestionslike“Whatdoesanequalopportunity

offendermean?”and“DoestheDavidvs.Goliathmetaphorholdinthecurrentmedia

andpoliticallandscape?”

Tointerrogatequestionslikethis,Italkaboutdivergentrolessatiristshaveplayed

insocietiesaroundtheworldthroughouthistory.Thisrangesfrompublic,satirical

shamingofordinarycitizensasaformofjusticeandsocialcontrol,tothepublic,

satiricalshamingofpublicofficialsandpowerfulinstitutionsasaformofdissent

Figure5:RomareBearden"TheWatchDog"(BaltimoreAfro-American,1936)

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andadvocacyforsocialchange.Asanexampleofthefullrangeofthisspectrum,I

presenttheworkandlegaciesofCubanpoliticalcartoonistRenédelaNuez,whose

workpriorto,during,andfollowingtheCubanRevolutionencompassesthe

progressive,conservative,reactionary,andpropagandistrolesasatiristcanplayina

society.

I’mnotnecessarilytrying

todisprovenarrativesor

critiquetraditionwiththis

approachtolecturingand

lineofquestioning,but

rathertocommunicatethe

multitudeofwaysan

illustratorcanimpactand

beimpactedbythe

evolvingsocialcontracts

oftheirsociety.

OrganicDiscussion

However,evenwiththe

approachestocurriculum

I’vedescribedsofar,when

youdiscusssomething

thattouchesonbothpainfulhistoryandprinciplesoffreespeech,there’salwaysthe

riskofaltercationsbetweenindividualstudentsorgroupsofstudents,altercation

betweenfacultyandindividual/groupofstudent(s),presentationofproblematic

assumptionsandfalsestereotypes,theexpressionofoffensivespeech,andsilence

fromstudentswhofeelintimidatedorfearconflict.I’vefoundtheseunintentional

outcomestoberare,butwhentheyhavehappenedinmyclassroomtheyhave

Figure6:RenédelaNuez"Loquito-SubiendoLaSierra"(1958)

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arisenincritiquesofstudentwork(unrelatedtoplannedconversationsabout

stereotypes).

Incritiques,I’vefoundthemostfrequentsparkfordialogthatleadstoproblematic

assumptionsandfalsestereotypesiswhenI,orafellowclassmate,interrogates

whetherornotastudenthasintentionallyorunintentionallycreatedanimagewith

datedorcontemporaryfalsestereotypesorothercontentiousformsof

representation.

Acommonstudentresponsetothisaccusationis:

“So,areyou’resayingIcan’tsaythat?”

Or…

“You’resayingIcan’tdrawthat?”

HereisthetypeofresponseItrytoofferwhenpresentedwiththislineofinquiry:

“I’mspeakingfromtheperspectiveofwhatIunderstand,basedonmyown

experienceasaprofessionalillustrator,tobesociallyacceptableinthe

professionalfieldthatIworkinandthatyou’repreparingtoenter.I’msaying

thiswiththeassumptionthatyoureducationalgoalsarelinkedtothe

professionalgoalofestablishingandultimatelysupportingyourselfinthis

field.Iacknowledgethatthisasubjectivejudgment-butit’sasubjective

judgmentmadeinafieldofmanyformsofsubjectivejudgments,and

learningtoabsorb,navigateandreacttocontemporarytrends,technology,

anddialogisnecessaryinthisfield.Oneofthethingswe’vetalkedabout(or

willtalkabout)thissemesterishowtheselinesofacceptabilityandtaste

formandchangeovertime-withtheinputofcritics,creative,andusuallyin

conversationwithlargersocialmovements.Ifyoufeelstronglythatmy

perspectiveonthisimageistoolimited,hopefullythesetalkswillgiveyou,as

acreatorofinfluentialmedia,someideasforhowyoucanadvocatefornew

standardsoftastethatwouldaccommodatesuchanimageinmainstream

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mediainthefuture.Or,likemany

illustratorbeforeyou,youcan

locateorcreatealternative

publishingplatformsforthistype

ofimage.”

Inmyexperience,studentshavebeen

receptivetothislineofreasoning,orit

movestheconversationawayfromthe

specificsoftheirimageandintoamore

nuanceddiscussion.If,inthecourseof

thisdiscussion,astudentintentionally

orunintentionallyarticulatesa

stereotypetotheclass(usuallyto

defendanimageinquestion),Imakeapointofcallingitoutasastereotype.

PartIII:StudioAssignments

TheprojectsIwilldescribearefromintermediateorupper-levelstudiocourses.For

themostpart,Iweavethelectures,readingsanddiscussionsdescribedinPartIwith

traditionalstudiocurriculum.

CompositionAssignment

Forexample,ifweareworkingonanassignmentwherestudentsarerequiredto

createcompositionsfromavarietyofviewpoints-orperspectivestakenfrom

cinema,thestandarddiscussion(atleastbasedonmyeducation),usuallyfocuseson

therelationshipbetweentheviewerofanillustrationandthesubjectofan

illustration.Aclassicexampleofthiswouldbethepowerdynamicsofanaudience

lookingatasubjectfromabird’seyeview,versuslookingatasubjectfromaworm’s

eyeview.Whiletheclassexploresthisconcept,Iampresentedwithanopportunity

tointroducesomerelatedconceptstoconsider:

• Cantherebeauniformaudienceunderstandingofapowerdynamicbetween

themselvesandtheimagetheyareviewing,whyorwhynot?

Figure7:KeithNegley"ToStopViolence,StartatHome"(NewYorkTimes,2015)

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• Intheworldoffineart,anartist’sintentionandrelationshiptotheirsubject

isconsideredfairgameforcriticism.Whymightthisbe?

• Shouldtherelationshipbetweenanillustratorandtheirsubjectmatterbe

takenintoaccountbytheaudienceorcritics?

EditorialAssignment

Asanotherexample,Ichallengestudentstocreateaneditorialillustrationforeither

apreviouslypublishedarticleinNewsweek(“WhatSiliconValleyThinksof

Women”)ortheNewYorkTimes(“ToStopViolence,StartatHome”).Bothofthe

illustrationspublishedalongsidethesearticlesgeneratedcontroversy,andboth

illustratorsrespondedwithpublicstatementstoaddressthebacklash.Studentsare

notshowntheoriginalillustrations,ortoldthatthepublishedimagesgenerated

controversy.Whiletheyareworkingonthisstudioproject,theyarealsodoingthe

groupreading/responseactivitythatIdescribedinthegroupdiscussionsectionof

thispaper.

Whentheyturnintheirfinishedillustration,Ialsoshowthemtheoriginally

publishedimagesandcriticalwritingandresponses.Ithenaskthemtousetheir

readingstoassessthefollowing:

• Howcouldthedifferentthesisofthearticlesweread,andtheexamplesthe

authorsuse,beappliedtoassessingtheNewsweekandNewYorkTimes

illustrationcontroversies?Breakthisdowninthreeways:

• First,totheimageitself

• Second,toreaders'negativereactions

• Third,totheillustrator'sremarksafterthereaction

Ithenaskthemtoanswerthesamesetofquestionsabouttheimagetheycreated.I

findthisapproachusuallycreatesdynamiccontradictionsbetweenstudents’

creativesolutions,andtheirstatedopinionsaboutthereadingsand/orthe

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originallypublishedillustrations.Thegoalbecomesappreciatingthedifficultyof

creatingillustrationsforsociallyorpoliticallychargedsubjectmatter,appreciating

differentlenseswithwhichtheworkcanbereceivedandcritiqued,andexamining

twoillustrators’divergentresponsestobeingaccusedoffurtheringharmful

stereotypeswiththeirwork.Thegoalisnottoformconsensusonewayoranother

aboutwhetherornotoriginallypublishedillustrationsare“offensive,”thoughthat

iscertainlypartofthediscussion.

ComicsAssignment

WhenIdocreateassignmentsforstudentstoexplicitlyexplorepotentiallydifficult

historicorsymboliccontent(likethelegacyofharmfulstereotypesinillustration),I

findthatcomicsareanidealformat.Differentgenresofillustrationshavedifferent

legaciesofproblematictropesandlargerissuesofidentitypolitics.Thegenreof

independent/smallpresscomicshasarelativewealthofcontemporarymaterialand

emergingscholarshipthatinterrogatestheseissues.

Makingcomicscanbeusedtohavestudentsexplorethemeslikecontextualizing

historicalevents,imagininganinterviewwithanancestororprominenthistorical

figure,orconductinganinterviewwithafamilymemberorfriendaboutaspecific

socialorpoliticalissue.

Amulti-panelcomicsformatisalsousefulinthatyouarenotaskingstudentsto

makeasinglevisualstatement-soifIinterrogatewhetherornotsomethingintheir

workmightbeproblematicinacritique,it’slesslikelytobeacritiqueofanentire

projectandmorelikelyacritiqueofaparticularsection.Thisisusuallyamuch

easierandmorenuancedconversationthanwhenaddressingasingleimage.

Anotherwaycomicscanbehelpful,regardlessofwhatgenre(s)astudentwantsto

pursue,isthatbyforcingstudentstocomposewrittencontentandimagery,it

deepensastudent’sunderstandingofpotentialrelationshipsbetweenimageand

textandcreatesopportunitiestodiscusstextinacriticalmanner.OnethingIfeel

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embarrassedaboutinmyowneducationanddevelopmentasacriticalthinkeristhe

latepointIcametotherealizationthatIcouldhaveacriticalopinionaboutwriting-

particularlynon-fictionwriting.Sinceourworkasillustratorsoftenhassucha

centralrelationshipwithwrittencopy,Ibelievethatchallengingstudentsto

create/considerthechallengesandprocessesofwritingandeditingcanonlyleadto

morethoughtfulwork.

EstablishingaCodeofConduct

Forseveralsemesters,followingthereadings,discussions,andassignmentsIhave

described,Iaskedstudentstocreate“ethicalcodesofconduct.”Iwouldtellstudents

tothinkoftheircodeofconductasaseriesoflooselystructuredquestionstoask

themselvesand/ortheirclientduringvariousstagesofacommission,andideasof

howtorespondtonegativepublicfeedback.

However,Ifounditinitiallydifficulttomakethisassignmentrelevant,applicable

andengagingforstudents-becauseIwasnotmakingtheparametersandprompts

specificenough.Nomatterwhatgenreanillustratorisworkingin,thereisa

spectrumofartdirectionrangingfrom“Here’stheheadlineandtext,make

something”to“Here’sapredeterminedconcept,pleaseexecuteitinyourstylewith

thesethreecolors.”Similarly,thereareavarietyofproductionstructuresand

processes,eachwithuniqueopportunitiesandlimitationsforincorporatingand

addressingtheethicsofimagerybeinggenerated.Becauseofthis,Iwashoping

studentscouldcreategeneralguidelinesforthemselvesthatcouldapplyformany

frameworks.However,Ifoundthatitiseasiertodothisifyoustartbyhaving

studentsexploretheethicsofaspecificcommissionandthenadaptthatresponseto

moregeneralizedprinciples.

IhavealsofoundthatwhenIcombinecontractandpayment-relatedclassexercises

andlectureswiththecodeofconductexercisestudentsaremoreengaged.

Illustratorsconfrontasimilarrangeofvariableswhenitcomestocontracts,

paymentschedules,andcopyrightsfromprojecttoproject,andstudentsare

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Ihavemadethestartingpointofthecodeofconductexercisemorespecificby

challengingstudents,ingroupsoffour,torespondtoaninitialemailfroman

imaginaryartdirector.Ibasetheartdirector’sinitialandsubsequent

correspondencesoncommunicationIhavehadwithartdirectorsinmycareer.I

combinedifferentcommissions,butinmanycasesincludewordforwordsentences

fromoriginalcorrespondences,andIletstudentsknowthis.Imakesuretoinclude

somefinancialandethicalambiguitiesthatstudentsmustgetclarityonastheyput

togetheracontractanddecidewhethertheywanttotakethecommissionornot.

Afteraninitialemailresponse,wedoamock-phonecall(betweenthegroupsoffour

studentsandmyself)andthenstudentsarerequiredtocraftacontractwithaseries

ofclausesthatseemmostrelevantbasedonthebackandforththeyhavehadwith

meandthenatureoftheproject.Whenthestudentgroupspresenttheircontracts,

thisbecomesanopportunitytotalkthroughbothfinancialandethicalconcernsand

questionsthatcameupthroughtheprocess.Ihavefoundthatthisleadstonuanced

conversationsandfocusedstudentengagementthatwasmissingfromwhenIasked

studentstocraftageneralizedethicalcodeofconduct.

Willthisexercisehelpreducethecreationofproblematicrepresentationinourfield

oncestudentsgraduate?Willasignificantnumberofartdirectorsbewillingto

engageinethicalquestionsalongsideproductionandlegalquestions?Unclear.Toan

illustratorenteringthefield,gettingyourfirstcommissionsarethrillingand

terrifyingopportunitieswithmanypotentialrisks.Theoutcomescangreatlyhelpor

hurtone’scareer,givingitmomentumorstallingit-whichisadistinctpossibilityif

youbecomeknownas“difficulttoworkwith.”Iimaginesomelinesofinquiryinthe

mockcorrespondencewithmeplayinganartdirectorandcertainsectionsof

students’codesofconductruntheriskofartdirectorsapplyingthe“difficultto

workwith”label.

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Withthisinmind,foradditionalcontextItellstudentsaboutprofessionalprojects

I’veworkedonwhereI’vebroughtupethicaldilemmasupwithartdirectors,and

describethevariousresponses,projectoutcomes,andanecdotaltakeawaysI’ve

made.Ialsospeculateabouthowtheseinteractionsmighthaveaffectedmycareer-

andhowmygender,raceandotheraspectsofmyidentitycouldhavebluntedor

heightenedtheaffects.

However,Ialsobringupthefactthatartdirectorsareincreasinglybeingbrought

intothepublicdiscussion-asillustratorscalledoutforproblematicimageryexplain

theirprocess,orinsomecasesdefendtheirprocessbyimplicatinganartdirector.

Or,likeinmanyindustriestoday,somearebeingpublicallycalledoutonlinefor

sexualmisconductandotherunethicalbehavior.Ibelievethatultimatelythiswill

makemoreartdirectorsmorereceptivetoconversationsaboutrepresentationand

stereotypesinthecreativeprocess.

Conclusion

Ethicalquestionsaboutillustrators’rolesinestablishingandreinforcingharmful

stereotypescannolongerbeignoredwithinourfieldthankstotheworkofonline

activistsandcritics-aswellasillustratorslikeMoWillems,MikeCuratoandLisa

Yee.Aseducators,itisincumbentuponustobringthisdialogintoourclassrooms

andexpandtheconversationinwaysthatbetterpreparestudentstocreate,reflect,

andsituatethemselvesandtheirworkwithinalargerhistoricalcontext.©

Copyright©2018,RyanHartleySmith

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