Exploring Artistic Practice in Global Communities of the African Diaspora

In 2012 an African Centered single case study was conducted in the United States. The problem is as follows: K-12 practitioners in urban areas are faced with unique circumstances while serving marginalized students in urban areas. As a response to this issue, the purpose of this study was to identify and describe curricula used in three African Centered educational institutions in Chicago. African Centered schools are uniquely different, thus the need for research emerges to identify new ways to disseminate knowledge for traditional public school practitioners. Goals of the research were to analyze content and instructional strategies at Africentric educational institutions in order to design a continuing and professional education model based on their successes with students of the African Diaspora. When using the term Diaspora, it refers to people of color worldwide displaced from Africa during the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. Field research was conducted in 2013 to explore future implications from the aforementioned African Centered case study. During this study, the researcher sought out commonalities relative to building positive self-ethnic image and integrating art based learning across the globe. The following perspectives were generated from site visits and fieldwork in South Asia. There are many contemporary issues to address in adult education. This paper explores art-based strategies and the utilization of creativity to expand learning for global communities of the African Diaspora. Benefits of culturally grounded approaches to education are discussed from Asia and the U.S. Images from ongoing field research can be viewed at auburnaesthetic.com.