Emily Hammack
Crowned Rulers
With so many threats to Democracy in the world today, I often wonder why our public schools reflect an authoritarian model. When schools are supposed to be producing productive members of a democratic society, why do we teach children to sit still, be quiet, and do exactly as they’re told? If we silence children during their educational careers, how can we expect them to go into the workforce as free-thinking innovators? For centuries educators and artists have been imagining different ways to construct the power models of a classroom in search of best practices for learning. This artwork reflects my desire to continue this tradition.
My dream for my classroom represents a different model, one where students have power over what they learn and how they learn it. My practice for this work mirrors what I will do in my classroom. These everyday rulers have been heated, stretched, and molded to represent a symbol of power. I took a straight ruler with absolute measurements and molded it into a crown. In my classroom, I plan to bend the rules and relinquish leadership to the students. Crowns have long been an adornment worn by those with a choice to either incite positive change or uphold systems of power that persist. Crowns on the heads of students metaphorically disrupts what was once used to draw straight lines and uphold absolutes. The crowns are situated around the image of a brain in a manner that suggests they are worn by an anonymous group with a centralized focus. The central focus of light which represents the universal quest of education. Creating ritual around building connections within our mind, experiences and amongst our fellow thinkers.
Crowned Rulers reflects an ideal vision for my own art classroom in which students will be taught to build the confidence to exercise their voice, direct their own lines of inquiry, and engage in a ritualistic practice of meta cognitive reflection. I want my students to become leaders of their own lifelong learning ideologies. When the students wear the crowns, my role is that of illuminating the whole education process, shedding light on the thinking happening, and encouraging deeper questioning through pushing the cycle of growth and reflection.
Image: Crowned Rulers, plastic rulers, glitter glue, light, 2021
Crowned Rulers (detail), plastic rulers, glitter glue, light, 2021
Crowned Rulers (detail),
plastic rulers, glitter glue, light, 2021
Crowned Rulers (detail), glitter glue, 2021