SADAH assistant professor Dr. Hannah Sions named awardee in VCU's 2023 publishing awards

The James Madison University School of Art, Design, and Art History recently congratulated Dr. Hannah Sions, Assistant Professor of Art Education, for her and Dr. Courtnie N. Wolfgang, Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning in Art and Design at Rhode Island School of Design’s journal article “Looking Back, Looking Forward: Resisting the White Gaze in Historical Narratives and Future Possibilities of Art Education” from Vol. 41 of the Journal of Social Theory in Art Education that won VCU Libraries 2023 VCU Publishing Awards for outstanding journal articles. 

The article is one of the most downloaded and read articles from the journal since its publication, according to VCU. It was written from a lens of inclusion through the intersectionality of feminism, queering and critical race theory, examining and resisting whiteness in and through art education, from perspectives of lived experience and textual analysis. 

“When we say, ‘dislocating the white gaze,’ we are referring to a dislocation of the systems that have historically underserved some, such as disproportionately BIPOC student bodies, while upholding power structures that benefit others, namely white students. We further suggest that the white gaze, or assuming a white audience, when developing pedagogies and epistemologies of art education is undergirded by white supremacy and is damaging to all students or learners but have specific and lasting negative impact on BIPOC students,” said Sions.  

VCU’s Publishing Awards recognize scholarship and creativity from VCU Publishing's journal partners and publishes the Journal of Social Theory in Art Education on Scholars Compass, VCU's institutional repository and publishing platform.  

To read “Looking Back, Looking Forward: Resisting the White Gaze in Historical Narratives and Future Possibilities of Art Education,” visit https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/jstae/vol41/iss1/7/.  

To learn more about JMU’s School of Art, Design and Art History and to follow their latest achievements, visit https://www.jmu.edu/artandarthistory/index.shtml or follow them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.