While a number of recent studies have addressed the overall educational
experiences of larger groups of gay and/or lesbian students within institutions of higher
learning, there are no in-depth studies which address the experiences of a small number of
gay men and/or lesbians who are students in programs of visual art. This comparative case
study of two gay male students of visual art considers three primary questions: what are
the ways in which individual subjectivities and cultural practices of white, gay, male artists
inter-relate; what is the impact of each artist's cultural productions on the broader culture
in which they are located; and, what are the experiences of each subject within the postsecondary
visual art's program in which each was enrolled. Data was collected through
formal interviews, participant-observation, and an examination of the art practices of each
subject.
This study draws on the contributions, and the inter-relationships, of feminist,
postmodernist, and queer theory literatures. In response to the first primary question, this
study identifies: a range of denominators by which the subjects name themselves; four
categories by which affiliated communities might be identified; a strong positive
relationship between individual subjectivities and the practices of art. Second, this study
concludes that: public response to the art practices of dissident subjects may vary in terms
of mediums and methods; the relationship between language and visual art is variant
between the two artists but the embeddedness of language in visual art is recognized; the
subjects hold opposing views with respect to the role of the art object within culture, but,
in both cases, the art object is seen as being integral, positively or negatively, to individual
identities; art is a means to cultural knowledge, that is, visual art may serve as a means of
articulating various queered theoretical standpoints; and finally, that the possibilities of
camp are a means by which queer identities may be articulated and constituted in visual art
practices. In response to the third primary research question, this study concludes that:
there is either a lack of gay or queer content matter and expertise, or a strong negative
reaction against queer experience in the programs of visual art presently considered; and
finally, that the university is a site of cultural practice which continues to be a major
legitimizer of social authority.
In general terms, with respect to epistemologies, research methodologies, and
texts, a number of necessary adaptations emerge which reflect the unique experiences of
queer researchers engaged in the production of social knowledges with queer subjects.
The research findings suggest that the incorporation of the needs of queer students into
the Academy and the Arts would prove valuable, not only to students who so define
themselves, but, because different perspectives reflect different and expanded knowledges,
would contribute to the learning/living experiences of all post-secondary students of visual
art. Recommendations for further research include continuing inquiry which similarly
considers the experiences of lesbians in visual arts programs, and for larger scale studies
with gay and/or lesbian students which may provide alternate kinds of data.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/8681 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Honeychurch, Kenn Gardner |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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