Conclusion

From the 1794 chartering of Bowdoin College to the present, through the built environment of architecture, the display of art around campus, and the teaching of Art History and Visual Arts, the College continues to reproduce Eurocentric values and ideals of beauty. As a result, course offerings and pedagogy within the Visual Arts Department do not correspond to Bowdoin’s mission for diversity and inclusion that states:

“A commitment to the common good means working, every day, to welcome more diverse perspectives.”

In the context of this project, I define art at Bowdoin as: architecture and objects that inhabit campus spaces; art collections owned by Bowdoin; subject area in the content of art history courses; technical training in visual arts courses and art-related events produced by students. Understanding the history of how art has been experienced and taught at Bowdoin is crucial to my argument about the training of artists because space is equally as influential because space reveals what the institution values. For decades, the reproduction of Eurocentric methods of teaching has left Black identifying students lost, and has forced them to create their own spaces to seek representation themselves.

I have pointed out the notable gaps in Black representation in art in the environment and in regards to curricula. Creating an environment that promotes inclusion and diversity, however, requires more than placing Black and brown bodies into a space. The departments of art history and visual arts need to incorporate methods that actively confront racial exclusivity―to consider how the reproduction of Eurocentric methods of teaching, without cultural responsiveness, is detrimental to, not only artists of color but, all students within studio art courses.

Skin Deep calls for more than adjusting the methods of teaching to a demographic. This project addresses a failure in teaching technical facility of all artists within the department— introducing the tools and developing the skills needed to depict any and everybody. Methods of teaching should not be centered in the Western canon, to the exclusions of other ways of learning and knowing. If the Visual Arts Department agrees with the College’s stated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, they must devise and implement strategies to address shortcomings in curriculum and pedagogy. I hope that Skin Deep helps the department reflect on past practices and incorporate new practices suited to training all students to produce beautiful art.

You can view my Acknowledgments and Works Cited here.