Cracks in the Curriculum: Drawing Outside the Frame - Challenging British Colonial Histories
Artists Jacob V Joyce and Rudy Loewe invited artists, activists and educators working in primary, secondary, further and higher education to rethink the ways we talk about colonialism and its legacy in schools.
How can we resist colonial ideas within the National Curriculum and reinsert Britain’s accountability? How did Britain build its wealth and how does Britain continue to profit from colonialism? How can we highlight colonialism as an ongoing issue that impacts peoples lives today?
Through the workshop, participants used drawing and discussion to challenge how we talk about the impact of colonialism, and develop research towards a practical resource that can be used in history and geography classrooms. The session centred on the history and production of sugar, the biggest – and deadliest – type of plantation in the British Empire.
This workshop was held at Black Cultural Archives, 1 Windrush Square, London, Brixton SW2 1EF. The venue is fully wheelchair accessible. We were pleased to offer bursaries for people who would otherwise be unable to attend the workshop due to travel costs or childcare commitments. BSL interpretation was available on request.
Cracks in the Curriculum is a workshop series and publishing platform that aims to bring artists and educators together to think about how to address pressing social issues in the classroom.
Jacob V Joyce
Jacob V Joyce’s work ranges from afro-futurist world building workshops to mural painting, comic books, performance art and punk music with their band Screaming Toenail. Best known for their illustrations, Joyce has self published a number of books and illustrated international human rights campaigns for Amnesty International, Global Justice Now and had their comics in national newspapers. Recent TFL Arts Grant awardee, artist in residence at Gasworks and the Tate Galleries Education department Joyce is a non-binary artist amplifying historical and nourishing new queer and decolonial narratives.
Rudy Loewe
Rudy Loewe is a visual artist utilising drawing, painting and printmaking as a means of building narrative and contributing to dialogues on social themes. They work with large scale, sometimes directly onto surfaces that then ensure their temporality; as well as small scale in forms such as publications. The work is bright and colourful, referencing aesthetics from the Afro Caribbean diaspora. It also represents different kinds of bodies, highlighting differing races; non conforming genders; sexualities; classes and dis/abilities. Rudy makes the work that reflects the narratives they would like to see in the world, the histories that are not getting the visibility or care that they deserve.
Curated by:
Alex Thorp, Curator, Education
Jemma Egan, Assistant Curator, Education
Joanna Slusarczyk, Assistant Curator, Education
