Through autoethnography, I am seeking to demonstrate how Cultural Connectedness can be developed from and in the secondary art room. My project comprises three parts, two visual exhibitions and an exegesis. The first exhibition consisted of paintings and prints around the theme of Creativity and how I am inspired by my environment at home, in my community and at work. This exhibition was called ‘Living Colour’.
The second exhibition consisted of digital photographs taken in the classroom that were manipulated by Photoshop CS6 and collaged prior to the show and in situ to emphasise different meanings. This show was named ‘The Real Deal’.
The exegesis fuses all aspects of the creative project and goes into depth about how my ideas were formed and how they were used to effect transformation in the secondary art room. I use the term ‘Cultural Connectedness’ to mean a feeling of completeness and confidence of themselves in their communities achieved by students through activities created in and through the visual arts.