5: A Curricular Exploration of the Boondocks for Art Education: A Critical Race Pedagogy of Identity in Black Visual Culture Part II

This study is inherently interested in building on the current conversation of the interpretation of Black visual culture. While some scholars have engaged in the tradition of interpreting Black visual culture (Bearden & Henderson, 1993; Doy, 2000; hooks, 1995; Lewis, 2003; Pieterse, 1992; & Powell, 2003), they have not included W. E. B. Du Bois’ (1903) concept of double consciousness within their critical framework or interpretive methodology. Through the collocation of interpretive approaches informed by the critical framework of double consciousness and specific literature from the field of art education on the interpretation of visual culture (Tavin, 2003), this study offers a means to respond to the disarticulation of Black visual culture in the United States. In order to strengthen the interpretive possibilities of this methodology and its application to art education, I have paired each dimension of double consciousness (Grant, 2013) with its parallel thread of visual culture (Tavin, 2003). These three dimension-thread pairs are Sociological-Substantial, Phenomenological-Phenomenological, and Epistemological-Pedagogical (See Table 5.1). I use each dimension-thread pair as a lens through which to provide a brief interpretation of three episodes of The Boondocks: (a) “Pause;” (b) “A Date with the Health Inspector;” and (c) “A Huey Freeman Christmas.”