Historical Memory and Empathy in Studio Art Classroom
Karen Hampton
During fall 2002 I created a course at California College of Art, titled “Slavery, Internment and Transcendence”. I exposed students to a number of artists of color who use historical memory within their artwork. Students were taken inside the artist’s world, learning to analyze artwork from the perspective of historical memory. By using “sense of place” curriculum, which included an understanding of landscape and power dynamics, students learned the skills necessary to deconstruct the artist and his or her artwork. Armed with a deeper sense of self in society, students were then challenged to tell their own stories within the medium of their choice. My goal was to see if students could use historical memory as a source of inspiration for artwork. I was concerned that my students develop the skill set necessary to understand and use intuitive empathy as a tool for developing their own artwork. They learned to harness an emotional response to a subject and develop a connection between artist and subject. The bond that was created carried over and was felt between artwork and its viewers. Students shared papers and original artwork containing powerful stories from their childhoods, of their communities, and of their cultures deeply rooted in their souls. I believe that the synthesis of historical research and empathetic vision is a powerful tool when developing historical narrative in art. This teaching experience has confirmed for me that awareness of and the ability to use historical memory is central to classroom instruction in studio art.