This blog post uses "The Art Teacher from the Black Lagoon" to explore art teacher identity.
Watch "The Art Teacher from the Black Lagoon" by Mike Thaler and Jared Lee read aloud by "Story Time with Erin" on YouTube here:
The Black Lagoon Series by Mike Thaler and Jared Lee contains around twenty books from the imaginative perspective of a young student, Hubie, as he prepares to interact with the adults who work in his school. The books use humor and wit to explore rumors and reputations of school personnel.
"The Art Teacher from the Black Lagoon"
This story is about a student anticipating his first art lesson and trying to make sense of the reputation the art teacher has within the school. The author uses clever puns from the perspective of a child with no knowledge about art. For example, the teacher paints on a giant weasel (easel); the materials include PIGments and STYrofoam so therefore the room is a place to slop around. In the end, the child experiences art class which changes his perception.
The book addresses the identity of the art teacher and of art class through three veins:
(1) Art Teacher:
name: Crayola Swamp aka The Glitter Queen
The Reputation:
-leaves a trail of glitter wherever she goes
-dress made of egg cartons
-jewelry made from pipe cleaners
-hat made from paper plates
-paints with her hair in a pony tail
The "Reality":
There is not a written description of the "reality" of the art teacher. Instead the comparison is communicated visually.
(2) Art Classroom:
The Reputation:
- A recycling dump
- Closets so messy a kid is forever lost in one
-A pigstye
The "Reality":
-Not much is written about the reality except, "There's a big rainbow on the wall." Like with the teacher, there are a few visual cues.
(3) Art Curriculum:
The Reputation:
-Instructions "express yourself"
-Makes you draw "flowers, clouds, and other girl stuff"
-Paint with fingers and feet
-Holiday crafting like cutting out hearts on Valentine's Day
-Art History "Then you have to learn about artists. There was a whole bunch of them and they were all a little weird."
The "Reality":
-We can use every color in it (the rainbow).
-The student paints the picture he wanted to create with dinosaurs and isn't forced to work with "girl stuff" subject matter
Before the student's first lesson, we get a glimpse of preconceived notions of art education that stem from the child's home life with the sentence,
"My dad says people become artists because they can't get regular jobs."
Once the student has experience in art, he responds with the closing sentences,
"I'm gonna love art. Maybe I'll even be an artist someday."
Analyzing Reputation and Reality of Art Teacher, Art Classroom, and Art Curriculum
Art Teacher
The art teacher herself has the nickname "The Glitter Queen," because she leaves a trail of glitter wherever she goes. First, we all know once you use glitter, you'll never get rid of it. It absolutely WILL trail you around. Second, this comparison hints at something more magical and ethereal than compared to other teachers. It's similar to fairies leaving a trail of magical dust or the Bishie Sparkles in Manga trope characters. It is one of the first indicators that the art teacher is different from others. It also feminizes the art teacher despite the illustration as more monster than person.
The art teacher is reputed to not only make her own clothing, but uses mundane objects whose material properties are alternative to traditional apparel. This counterbalances the sparkly teacher image with one of oddity and a peculiar sense of resourcefulness. The teacher is creative enough to see the potential in egg cartons, pipe cleaners, and paper plates to be items of clothing, but seen as weird enough to actually wear them.
The art teacher is reputed to not only make her own clothing, but uses mundane objects whose material properties are alternative to traditional apparel. This counterbalances the sparkly teacher image with one of oddity and a peculiar sense of resourcefulness. The teacher is creative enough to see the potential in egg cartons, pipe cleaners, and paper plates to be items of clothing, but seen as weird enough to actually wear them.
When the illustrations reveal the art teacher, the only similarity to the earlier description is the teacher's hair is styled in a ponytail. She is wearing jewelry, but it is not clear if it's actually made from pipe cleaners. The "real" teacher is portrayed as much more gender neutral with a collared shirt, tie, and vest in place of the egg carton dress. The fluidity in the "real" illustration allows the teacher to appear more grounded and approachable - which is visually interpreted by the "masculine" attire. It's a subtle suggestion that illustrates the invisible patriarchy where gendered clothing communicates a masculine, rational attitude and begins to hint at respectability politics.
Art Classroom
The art room (if we are lucky enough to have one) becomes an extension of the art teacher's identity. It is true of non-art teachers as well. Our classrooms communicate to the students who we are as teachers, the way we organize our space, and our expectations for student interaction within the space. Art requires more and different materials than are found in most classrooms which can lead to clutter or disorganization of space. This art teacher's classroom was reputed as a "recycling dump." Coupled with her clothing made of egg cartons, it gives the impression the art teacher is a trash person; preferring others' waste to the newer materials populating other classrooms. Perhaps the reputation of "recycling dump" came from a school culture that doesn't provide enough funding for the arts program, where colleagues recognize this and give the art teacher the leftover supplies after cleaning their own classrooms -- anyone else experienced this in their school?
Art teachers do have the reputation of not throwing anything away - which is suggested by the gag of the kid lost forever after opening a closet door. Is this reputation a symptom of underfunding, of resourcefulness and creative vision, or a little of both?
In the art room reveal, the "big rainbow on the wall" brings joy to the students. They are in a fairly tidy space with enough room to roam, but also are awed by the color and objects not found in all classrooms. The materials of art making and art education seem to transform ordinary classrooms into extraordinary places.
Art teachers do have the reputation of not throwing anything away - which is suggested by the gag of the kid lost forever after opening a closet door. Is this reputation a symptom of underfunding, of resourcefulness and creative vision, or a little of both?
In the art room reveal, the "big rainbow on the wall" brings joy to the students. They are in a fairly tidy space with enough room to roam, but also are awed by the color and objects not found in all classrooms. The materials of art making and art education seem to transform ordinary classrooms into extraordinary places.
Art Curriculum
Art teachers have state and national standards to meet within their instruction, but typically do not have prescribed curricula to follow. This makes it very exciting for many art educators, but very confusing for others. Most people just don't seem to understand what exactly art teacher do. This reputation is interpreted by the student in the story as extremely superfluous and gendered.
The reveal of the art curriculum shows the student engaged in a choice-based activity. He chooses to illustrate his dinosaur idea and reject the "flowers, clouds, and girl stuff" he dreaded being subjected to. Such "girl stuff" subject matter is also a symptom of women's domestic crafts labeled as kitsch in early art education.
In the end, the student finds so much joy in his art class, he expresses his interest in making it into a career - which reminds me of the Picasso quote, "Every child is an artist. the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."
"The Art Teacher from the Black Lagoon" is fun, clever, and an interesting analysis of the reputation of art teachers.
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