Artist Study: Diversifying our homeschool

In a traditional Charlotte Mason school or homeschool, a student would study one artist per term ( 1 term = 12 weeks, 3 terms per year) and their works of art.  Most of the artists studied are White Europeans or White Americans.  I'm not saying that students shouldn't be exposed to these artists or their masterpieces.  I did become concerned by the lack of diversity among the artists recommended by some of the Charlotte Mason curricula.  I believe that superiority - racial, national, religious, etc. is accidentally transmitted by showcasing the best of (in this case) Western culture because it inadvertently demonstrates that best (in this case artists) are White (mostly men) with ties to European cultures and traditions.   I do not think that curricula that includes a large part of his program on White artists is racist or part of some White nationalist agenda.  I am concerned that an unintentional message of superiority is received when a student constantly hears words like, master, masterpiece, genius applied again and again only to European artists or those artists of European descent. I believe that the student slowly begins to internalize a sense of superiority associated with white culture.  Again, this does not mean that we do not study European artists or art history.  We simply make an effort to include a more diversified list of artists and their work to our homeschool.  Below is a list of books read for Artist Study in elementary school so far.  We will repeat some of these over the years as repetition leads to a higher probability of retaining the information.  This is not an exhaustive list. It is merely what we have done so far.  This issue of lack of diversity is one that I am happy to say does come up in secular Charlotte Mason discussions online.  People are sharing booklists and names of artists with each other, so that we can make our Artist Study more inclusive and see the genius of many cultures and peoples.

Artist Study in Elementary/Primary School Years

A free Ebook on Native American Pacific Northwest art and artists!  http://supplies.thesmartteacher.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/exchange/Pacific%20Northwest%20ebook.pdf

Misty Copeland: Ballet Dancer  “A Ballerina’s Tale” documentary

Seneca observed the self portraits of Frida Kahlo.

Getting To Know The World’s Greatest Artists: Diego Rivera by Mike Venezia

“The Grinder” by Diego Rivera 1924

“Creation” by Diego Rivera 1922-23

“The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City” by Diego Rivera 1931

“Agrarian Leader Zapata” 1932

“The Flower Carrier” 1935

“Allegory of California” 1931

Georgia O’Keefe

Seneca watched an edited version of a short biographical film on Georgia O’Keefe

“Oriental Poppies” 1928

“Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1”

“Ram’s Head With Hollyhock” 1935

“Petunias” 1924

Getting To Know The World's Greatest Artists: Mary Cassatt by Mike Venezia

Henry Ossawa Tanner: His Boyhood Dreams Come True by Faith Ringgold (African-American painter)

Getting To Know the World's Greatest Artists: Van Gogh

Getting To Know the World's Greatest Artists: Monet

In Her Hands: The Story of Augusta Savage (African American sculptor)

Artist: Jacob Lawrence (African American painter)
The Great Migration: An American Story by Jacob Lawrence
Harriet and the Promised Land by Jacob Lawrence