Do social justice issues get swept under the rug due to formal curriculum demands and discomfort with topics such as racism, sexism, and homophobia? In the United States, 50.5% of students are students of color (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2017) and by the year 2026, students of color will represent 55% of all students (National…

From the Pulse nightclub massacre to the brutal police killings of unarmed Black men, women, and children, the summer of 2016 saw a wave of deadly violence and hatred leveled at Black and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities. In the aftermath of this violence, which included prolific public dialogue across traditional…

In this article, the potentially harmful effects of bullying toward LGBTQ students are demonstrated through personal narratives, encouraging tolerance and the freedom to create and express through art. As openly gay and lesbian arts educators, the authors have learned that it is vital for them not only to invite gay and lesbian lives into teaching…

Three artists from New Mexico who identify as lesbian or queer create work that is informed by their life experiences. Their works show no literal explanations but depict symbolic resolutions. Who they are and what they have experienced have had a strong impact on their work. Through specific materials and distinct color palettes they share…

Issues of gender, race, sexual orientation, and intellectual disability are taboo among teens, as they are consumed with their own struggle for identity and often unable to view the struggles of those around them who may not fit into the social majority in the overwhelming ecosystem of high school peer groups. Some may argue that "gay" and…

Rooted in graffiti culture and its attitude toward the world, street art is regarded as a postgraffiti movement. Street art encompasses a wide array of media and techniques, such as traditional spray-painted tags, stickers, stencils, posters, photocopies, murals, paper cutouts, mosaics, street installations, performances, and video projections…

Media programs like hip-hop music videos are powerful aesthetic agents that inspire teenagers. Thus, they have tremendous influence on young people's identity formation, lifestyle choices, and knowledge construction which are manifested in the ways teens dress, express themselves, behave, and interact with each other. However, because of the…