Introducing Charly Palmer: Tar Baby and Culturally Responsive Teaching

According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, the U.S. population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. This increasing change is reflected in every aspect of people's lives, including the classroom. Now more than ever it is necessary for art educators to address the needs of the steadily increasing numbers of culturally and linguistically diverse learners. One way to do this is to cultivate in all students "a transformative perspective" through what proponents of multicultural education call Culturally Responsive Teaching. This article discusses how art educators can help students appreciate and affirm identities in a sociocultural context. The author contends that 21st-century art educators can successfully engage diverse learners through the praxis of culturally responsive teaching by developing a curriculum centered on culture and context, and by exposing students to the inter-textual artwork of artists like Charly Palmer. Examining Palmer's "What is Your Tar Baby?" exhibition within a particular cultural context, along with culturally responsive teaching strategies, creates an opportunity for the development of transformative knowledge and the emergence of culturally diverse art in classrooms. Villegas and Lucas (2002) identify six salient characteristics that prepare teachers to be successful in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. The author addresses two that can be readily employed through the exploration of Palmer's series: sociocultural consciousness, and the use of context to foster an affirming attitude toward students from culturally diverse backgrounds. (Contains 6 figures and 2 endnotes.)