The Multicultural Imperative: Art as a Way of Accommodating Difference

Key words: art, art workshops. Aboriginal, Islamic, multicultural education This paper is a critical analysis of what I am referring to as 'the multicultural imperative' in arts education. 'The multicultural imperative' referred to in this paper is a government initiative that expresses a formal request or requirement of teachers to acknowledge diversity and actively pursue engagement in curriculum design to reflect this diversity. This paper examines whether art workshops can be an effective tool for delivering the multicultural imperative. This paper draws on my experiences teaching and observing art workshops in both the UK and Australia (2004-2007). It represents a critical and reflective inquiry into whether or not an arts workshop can be useful as a way of accommodating difference and as a facilitator of change. The purpose of this research is to critically research the link between policy and actuality in promoting social cohesion as it translates into practice in art education. The methodology includes analysis of key government documents, interviews and observations. I make specific reference to Aboriginal dot painting and Islamic tile art as examples of sacred art forms which are used in multicultural art workshops as a means to develop curricula that are more pluralistic. It is a narrative account which explores some of the tensions, contradictions and aesthetic responses surrounding the multicultural imperative in art workshops. In general, the findings suggest that art workshops are a popular way of delivering the multicultural imperative but that the educative purpose of art workshops to provide a vehicle for social change is problematic. The paper concludes that there has been a fundamental shift in arts practice in schools to a singular one of social instrument and that there are a number of factors to consider when adopting the multicultural imperative.Faculty of Educatio