“In our context, culture refers to people’s pattern of behaviour. It is the totality of the way of life of a people. It involves everything that can be communicated from one generation to another. Culture is the fabric of ideas, ideals, beliefs, norms, customs and traditions, systems of knowledge, institutions, aesthetic objects, and material things of arts. It involves food habits, languages, festivals, marriage ceremonies, methods of thinking and etiquette.” Offorma, Grace Chibiko. (2016) 

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In art education, culture is commonly a very important focus. I always say that art education is all about human history and experience. “To say that culture is embedded in context is to say that it invariably is influenced by the environment in which it exists.” Nieto, S. (2008) pg. 133. Art comes from human experiences and ideas. In essence, art is a visual representation of culture. The ideas and concepts of artwork come from the experiences of the artist. Artists create art about what they know. If an artist experiences adversity, they may incorporate that experience into their work in order to process or bring attention to it. Of course, artists from different times, countries, and upbringings will have different focuses within their work. Artists often visually depict religion, regional culture, personal relationships, family, and lived experiences. Culture is completely ingrained in the visual arts.

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When I first created my mindmap in Unit 1, I had a fairly good understanding of what culture is and its connection to education. Now that we are at the end of our eighth and final unit, I can say that not too much of my understanding has changed. Throughout this course I have been able to explore many different points of view and issues facing individuals and cultural groups such as Black Americans, immigrant students, LGBTQ+, and religious groups. It is always insightful to view life and different issues through different cultural lenses. The topic of educational values of different cultures was one of the most interesting topics I learned about that I had not fully considered previously. I am very glad that this course was a part of my graduate program. Even though I am fairly confident in my understanding of culture, it is always important as an educator to gain new perspectives and stay aware of challenges facing students and individuals.

 

Resources
Offorma, Grace Chibiko. (2016) Integrating components of culture in curriculum planning. International Journal of Curriculum Planning,8(1) 1-8.  

Nieto, S. (2008). Chapter 9: Culture and Education.Yearbook Of The National Society For The Study Of Education, 107(1), 127-142.