Thread by @OpenArtHist

Hi everyone! I’m @lindasteer, Assoc Prof of Art History and Visual Culture in the @miwsfpa at Brock University. It’s great to have the opportunity to present a keynote in such a unique format for @OpenArtHist #OAHdebrief2020 1/

Both @brocku and I are in St Catharines, Niagara Region, in Ontario, the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee and Anishnaabe peoples. The Dish with One Spoon Wampum agreement covers this area and all of us who live here. #OAHdebrief2020 2/

This means that we share this land & ensure the dish is never empty – we take no more than we need – and we use a spoon, not a knife, and keep the peace. I’m a settler and am grateful for the resources and friendship of First Nations, Métis, & Inuit people. #OAHdebrief2020 3/

Today I’ll be tweeting about my podcast Unboxing the Canon created for my first-year #arthistory course “Introduction to the History of Western Art.” unboxingthecanon.podbean.com #OAHdebrief2020 4/

Creating the podcast achieved three goals: 1) it’s portable so it gives students some much-needed time away from screens 🚫💻 #OAHdebrief2020 5/

….2) time spent on prep for #teachingonline pushed my regular research aside, but creating an #OER met some of my research goals (i.e. making a contribution to the broader academic community)… #OAHdebrief2020 6/

… and 3) it helped me to begin to resolve problems with the intro survey that many of us struggle with: the canon is Eurocentric, white, male etc; cave painting ➡️ 20th c in 12 weeks = impossible; periodization = outdated & feels irrelevant to many students. #OAHdebrief2020 7/

How to teach the canon & critique it simultaneously? I’ve reorganized the course around themes/topics, replaced the textbook with library resources & OERs, and created a podcast that mostly discusses contemporary artists who engage with the canon. #OAHdebrief2020 8/

It’s a move towards diversifying the history of Western art. Two great resources I used for thinking about that: Tuck and Yang’s important article “Decolonization is not a Metaphor” jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/… … #OAHdebrief2020 9/

…and “Decolonizing Art History,” a special issue of the journal Art History (Feb 2020): onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.11… Both are open access. #OAHdebrief2020 10/

Course format: online modules introduce the theme/topic to set students up for the podcasts. Each podcast episode offers a take on the module material. For ex., ep. 7 “Musing on Museums” covers Fred Wilson’s 'Mining the Museum' & James Luna’s 'Artifact Piece.' #OAHdebrief2020 11/

Episode 1, "Revealing a Portrait," introduces the canon of art history and draws on African American artist Titus Kaphar’s work and TED talk to consider what and who the canon excludes. ted.com/talks/titus_ka… #OAHdebrief2020 12/

Other episodes cover Kent Monkman’s new work at the MET; Robert Houle’s series on his experience in a residential school; racist monuments in contemporary culture and BLM; Kara Walker’s "Fons Americanus" #OAHdebrief2020 13/

A couple episodes focus less on contemporary art and look at other topics from the history of Western art that we can connect to the present moment such as pronkstilleven through the lens of luxury #OAHdebrief2020 14/

A few tips if you want to make a podcast of your own: a good microphone makes all the difference, as does having a small budget to hire a student for sound editing. Here’s a picture of my mic back in the glory days before my desk disappeared under paper. #OAHdebrief2020 15/

Listen to podcasts to see what you like & what’s possible. My fave is crackdownpod.com because it’s professionally produced, uses sound clips in interesting ways, & knows how to tell a story. Not an art history podcast, but related to my research. #OAHdebrief2020 16/

Since it is an educational resource, you’ll want to have a transcript. There are automated services & your university might have access. A human transcriber is more $$$. If you write a detailed script (that’s me!) it’s easy to do yourself or hire a student. #OAHdebrief2020 17/

It will take longer than you expect. From writing the script, to recording segments, finding CC sounds, back and forth with the sound editor, writing the notes for the website & finding links, to uploading it and archiving it, it took 15-17 hrs/episode. #OAHdebrief2020 18/

I’d planned to produce 12 episodes, but it became untenable. So, I ended up with 8. My motto this year is “be flexible and kind.” Sometimes you have to turn that towards yourself! #OAHdebrief2020 19/

Ways to lighten the workload if you want to use a podcast: don’t make it public - make it for your students; make only a few episodes/term; find already-existing podcasts. CBC Ideas has some great episodes, @thegreatwomenartists has a podcast…etc #OAHdebrief2020 20/

In the case of Unboxing the Canon, the good news about the workload is that the course runs again in the Spring. I’ll probably produce a few new episodes next term to get ready for that. And, others are using it in their classes! Makes the work worthwhile. #OAHdebrief2020 21/

New episodes will cover intersectional feminism; race, power, and portraiture; maybe something on love or joy because it feels like we need that. ❤️ #OAHdebrief2020 22/

If you are looking for a teaching podcast that 1) connects the past and the present by demonstrating how the meanings of works of art change over time and place (keeps students interested in the material & allows them to connect with it)… #OAHdebrief2020 23/

… and 2) develops critical thinking by showing that we can love & appreciate art while critiquing it & seeing its relationship with systems of power (encourages questioning & an appreciation for nuance rather than binary or polarized thinking)… #OAHdebrief2020 24/

… feel free to use “Unboxing the Canon” in any way you like. It’s licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.5 CA and all episodes, notes, and transcripts are archived in the Brock University Digital Archive dr.library.brocku.ca/handle/10464/1… #OAHdebrief2020 25/

If you do use it, please drop me a line to let me know @lindasteer Thanks for tuning in today. It’s been great to see so many fantastic teaching tips this week. Teaching in a pandemic can be tough. We made it! Let’s celebrate. #OAHdebrief2020 26/26

Oops - forgot to say if you want to see the syllabus, DM me. And I'll stick around a bit for questions!