Superintendent # 1-5

by Jillian Whitney

“I am a painter who investigates systemic violence in education by interpreting my experiences as a primary and secondary art teacher, considering the experiences of other educators, and current events. My artistic practice reveals the struggles that schools face as they seek to be safe and equalizing places for children to learn while fostering solidarity and community among educators. This work is necessary because issues such as school shootings, gender inequality, and racism weaken the public school system. While there is already data and research supporting much of what I discuss in my artistic practice, problems affecting education are easy to reduce to simple numbers, especially in a world desensitized to violence. Ultimately, the teachers, children, and communities affected by the systemic problems undermining our education system are easily ignored. In “The Supers”, I painted the highest-level administrator at every school I have worked at or attended. These works reference paintings of superintendents and presidents that traditionally line the halls of schools. All eight paintings are men, and all but one are white, reflecting my experience and the vast predominance of people in academic leadership. To create this work, I painted over copper leaf with oil paint. In art, gold leaf is often associated with power and found in places such as palaces and cathedrals. However, I used copper leaf instead, a material that, while similar, has more in common with a nearly worthless, outdated penny than a grand palace. This material is what covers the administrators' eyes, simultaneously blinding them while providing anonymity.”