Visual Culture Art Education

VCAE is a way of understanding and teaching pop culture and mass media trends for the average 21st-century artist.
It's founding group of artists includes June King McFee, who lived in the Pacific Northwest, and taught ArtEd at the University of Oregon.
She spoke of the raw natural beauty of the Puget Sound, and its gateway to the world of trade. The birth of her son, her early years studying art in Chicago, the importance of Art Education at all corners of society (gained teaching experience in community college), all stress the importance of individualism. 
Zines are a popular part of the art community in Buffalo, NY. Scattered on the counters of cafes and art galleries, they are a symbol of individual expression and creative outlet. The Zinester group may use their collection as more of a supportive, theraputic collective: often themed around sex, depression, or crude comedy.  I think there's certainly potential for a Zine-making component to an ArtEd class, as long as it can stay within appropriate themes for children.
I think it would be important to respond to the mass media trends that guide thinking, and to encourage a sense of protest to those which cause negative trends in society. While the statements on consumerism made by artists like Warhol are important to Art History, maybe teaching a more contemporary study of racial assimilation, political debate, or social disparities would bring the critical thinking up to date with American culture today. 

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