Decolonising the crit?

A research and practice-lead conversation between Dr Katrine Hjelde and Dr Victoria Odeniyi for the Education Conference, 2022.

Victoria Odeniyi and Katrine Hjelde opted for a conversation format to reflect the rhetoric of conversations, the aims of the 'Reimagining Conversations' research project with dialogic talk at the heart of it and a desire for a less didactic style of delivery. The conversation, however, was data driven and heavily situated within two complementary fields of knowledge - fine art and educational linguistics.

Abstract
The crit in Fine Art can be seen as a nexus where art pedagogy and art practices past and present converge in discussions around student artworks. By considering the crit through a decolonising lens we may be able to critically connect with the colonial structures that are specific to (fine) art education. The collaboration originates from research project fieldwork and crit observations in particular where dialogic talk between tutors and between students was recorded, transcribed and analysed. Project findings reveal that, at times, there are tensions between art and design tutors as authority figures with expert knowledge and the democratic and inclusive ideal of dialogic talk rooted in Western pedagogic traditions.

• https://www.arts.ac.uk/ual-decolonising-...