Cultural Identity
and
Informal Education
Misako Okuyama
Roehampton University
Autobiography
in this research
 To recall personally significant
emotional and aesthetic experiences
that the artists believe influenced their
present circumstances.
 It is written in their own words and
edited.
Cultural Identity
 Cultural identity is the (feeling of) identity
of a group of culture, or of an individual
as far as she/he is influenced by her/his
belonging to a group or culture
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cultural
identity)
Informal Education
 Includes learning at home, in community
places, from general media coverage in
every day life, and it often involves selflearning.
 Although teachers in informal education
settings may not have formal
qualifications, this does not mean that
they have less experience and
knowledge of pedagogy than formally
trained teachers.
Informal Art Education
 teaching by artists and/or arts
organisations in informal education
settings, such as museums, galleries,
community centres, youth centres, as
well as by family members at home.
 Some of the artists’ projects in this
research also took place in formal
settings i.e. schools
6 Culturally Diverse Women Artists in London
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Teri Hilton
Thurle Wright
Jennifer Lewis
Meera Sharon Chaude
Fatima Djabri
Misako Okuyama
Teri Hilton
 Teri’s identity as she explained it is a mixture of
Jamaican (Afro Caribbean, Asian and European
influences) from her grandparents and parents who
came to England from Jamaica, and British culture. She
is strongly aware of this multicultural identity and
represents it in her artworks、mainly photography, silk
print and painting. Recently she has emphasised
gender and racial issues in monochrome photographs.
Teri’s Autobiography
 As a young woman, my mother enjoyed
contemporary pursuits like 'following' the latest
fashion, listening to music (soul & reggae)
watching cultural programmes (Omnibus,
South Bank - social issues and the arts,
documentaries, period dramas) …(Teri Hilton)
 My mother was political and supported the
American ‘Black’ movement in the sixties. I
recall this accurately, as I painted one of the
leaders (Angela Davis) at school (Teri Hilton).
Thurle Wright
 Thurle was born in Zimbabwe,
Africa, and has lived in different
places around the world, such as
Australia, Germany, Denmark,
France and England. She was
influenced by her English parents
and educated in schools based on
the British system wherever they
lived. This is because her
grandparents and parents valued
their own English culture. She feels
neither English nor Australian.
From having lived in different
cultures, she learned how to adapt
to other cultures quickly, in
particular, languages. This
experience influences her artworks
which are based on language.
From Thurle’s Autobiography
 Our books, films, television, clothes, food etc
were all imported from England. England was
looked up to as the bastion of civilised culture. My
paternal grand- parents were English Methodist
missionaries, carrying with them all the
upstanding ‘English’ morals and values that they
equated with the father land (Thurle Wright).
 My mother is an avid reader and would read to us
from the adult novels that she enjoyed; I
remember ‘The Iliad and the Odessey’ taking up
the majority of one summer (Thurle Wright).
Jennifer Lewis
 Jennifer is a painter, designer and maker. She is a
Caribbean descent, was born and has lived in East
London. Influences on Jennifer’s artwork include
colours, textures, the history, religion and folklore of
Africa and the Caribbean.
From Jennifer’s
Autobiography
 My mother was religious
and I was sent every week
to study with a lovely
missionary. Ms Cooley who
introduced me to Japan
where she had worked. We
studied Japanese culture at
 My mother was not good
her house and she found me
at cooking, so my father
a pen pal. I think this was
used to cook fresh
when I became aware of
Caribbean red foods.
Japanese art and especially
fried fish and roasted red
wood and paper cuts as she
fruits. I like his cooking
often gave us gifts from her
 (Jennifer Lewis).
travels (Jennifer Lewis).
Meera Sharon Chaude
Meera was influenced by parents whose values and
beliefs are Hindu. Her artwork is inspired by both the
Hindu religion and European stories. Because she grew
up as a British born Asian girl, she creates hybrid
characters from these two cultures, such as Alice in
wonderland, Hanuman the monkey god, Dorothy from the
Wizard of Oz and Kali the destroyer.
From Meera’s Autobiography
 I consider myself a British-born Asian. I had spent a large
proportion of my childhood and teenage years feeling
confused about my identity and home base as well as my
cultural beliefs. I grew up in the 1980’s in what was then a
predominantly white working class town; racism was a huge
issue.
 In Kenya I grew up with an incredible amount of colour,
which I think has influenced my work. My Gran and my
mothers family love cooking and preparing food and it was
something I grew up with.
 Food is important to me too – I enjoy preparing and cooking
food and find it a creative activity – this I felt is a direct
influence from my cultural upbringing (Meera Sharon
Chaude).
 Fatima was born and
grew up in Paris, France,
she is a French NorthAfrican who was
influenced by both her
parents’ culture and
French culture. Because
she has lived in an
Algerian community in
France, Algerian cultural
forms such as music,
dance and food
surrounded her. As an
Algerian, she
experienced a lot of
discrimination in France
Fatima Djabri
From Fatima’s Autobiography
 At home, we spoke Arabic with my
parents and French among the children.
My parents have kept the same way of
life they had in Algeria. Their culture
and religion was very present in every
day life. They fasted during the
Ramadan period, scarified a sheep
during second Eid. My mother kept her
traditional clothes and never learnt any
French so she was totally cut off from
French society (Fatima Djabri).
Misako Okuyama
 Misako, I am a
cosmopolitan Japanese
woman who was born
and grew up in Tokyo,
Japan, I was strongly
influenced by my parents,
and have learned
diverse cultural values
and beliefs through living
in world cities, Paris,
Montreal and London.
From Misako’s Autobiography
 Since my father is critical and stubborn about his own ideas, he
valued Japanese culture and life style against the vogue when
most Japanese were imitating western life styles. Our family
eats Japanese traditional breakfast sitting on Tatami around a
folding traditional round table while many other families take
western breakfast sitting on chairs. Most rooms in their house
were Japanese style interiors with paper screens and Tatami
while many other Japanese houses were decorated with
curtains and carpets when I was a girl.
 My mother also taught me different kinds of Origami.
Yakkosan (Samurai wearing a trouser called ‘Hakama’)_ was
the first Origami she taught me how to make. When my father
bought Origami books for me specially new designs or very
difficult ones for a little girl, I was very happy. I enjoyed
challenge of struggling ways of manipulating Origami papers
to make difficult designs.
Findings
 These artists’ cultural values and beliefs were
influenced particularly by their parents and/or
grandparents in childhood.
 They have developed their artistic and cultural
identities through being involved in aesthetic
activities at home and in community settings.
 Because they had more opportunities to interact
with other culture, these artists have more global
perspectives of culture than their parents.
 These cultural identities are self-defined and
have been constructed through interacting with
other cultures.
Cultural Identity: Implication for Research
into Informal Education
 More research that links formal and
informal education
 More education research using
anthropological and sociological theory
 More qualitative research in arts
educational activities in informal settings.