The Oxford English Dictionary defines cultural appropriation as the taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another, especially Western appropriations of non‐Western or non‐white forms, which carry connotations of exploitation and dominance.
I worked with tutor Sarah Cheyne in the Textiles department at LCF on an introductory presentation on ethical research called ‘Respectful Research’, which focussed on Cultural Appropriation. It was aimed at helping students be sensitive to cultural contexts when they use images and artifacts to develop textile designs in Print, Knit and Embroidery.
I would like to expand and formalise this as a resource across LCF. In particular, I teach Digital Communication on ’Intro to’, the first project for First Year students, which brings together 5 different courses. Students gather primary research from visits to Museums and Galleries to inform their first collection, and I would like to lead Drawing sessions in these and other institutions to discuss, and physically explore through making, issues around Cultural Appropriation.
These Drawing sessions could extend to dedicated Drawing workshops in conjunction with LCF’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion, one of whose key aspects is inclusivity and ethical practice. This definition of cultural appropriation comes from their useful glossary and resources: ‘Cultural appropriation refers to situations when elements of one culture are trivialized and used as an empty spectacle, without sensitivity to their deeper meaning or their relationship to the values and beliefs of the culture they originate from.’
I could also discuss the current controversy and court cases regarding the companies who are building Artificial Intelligence, and their alleged training of Artificial Intelligence programmes on the unlicensed use of copyright images, and potential inherent biases.
By embedding an appreciation of the concept of Cultural Appropriation across all practical courses at LCF, I would hope to raise student inclusivity and engagement.
References:
What Defines Cultural Appropriation? i-D, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwEMVEmeubk&t=1s
Meredith Mendelsohn, Why is the Art World Divided over Gauguin’s Legacy, 2017
Sanna Hamid, www.cargocollective.com/sanaahamid/Cultural-Appropriation-A-Conversation
Museums are hiding their imperial pasts – which is why my tours are needed, Alice Procter, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/23/museums-imperialist-pasts-uncomfortable-art-tours-slavery-colonialism
Alice Proctor, www.theexhibitionist.org
www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/contested-objects-collection
www.condenast.com/glossary/social-cultural-and-economic-impacts-of-fashion/cultural-appropriation
Young, J. O. & C. G. Brunk (Eds.) (2012). The Ethics of Cultural Appropriation. Oxford: Willey-Blackwell.
Strang, V. & M. Busse (Eds.) (2011). Ownership and Appropriation. Oxford: Berg
Bhabha, H. K. (2004 1994). The Location of Culture. London: Routledge
Gaugele, E. & Titton, M. (2019). Fashion and Postcolonial Critique. Berlin: Sternberg Press.
Schneider, A. (2003). On ‘appropriation’. A critical reappraisal of the concept and its application in global art practices. Social Anthropology, 11 (2), pp. 215-229.
Young, J. O. (2008). Cultural Appropriation and the Arts. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Scafidi, S.: Who Owns Culture? Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law. Rutgers University Press, 2005 Beyond Buckskin (n.d.)
Picasso and the influence of African Tribal Art, Christopher Jones on Medium www.christopherpjones.medium.com/picasso-primitivism-and-the-rights-and-wrongs-of-cultural-appropriation-1f964fa61cee
Grayson Perry, artmuslondon.com, www.artmuselondon.com/2020/10/06/the-most-specialest-relationship-grayson-perry-turns-his-acute-eye-on-america
Contested Objects Collection, www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/contested-objects-collection
Meredith Mendelsohn Why is the Art World Divided over Gauguin’s Legacy, 2017, www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-art-divided-gauguins-legacy