“Our community is diverse and complex. We value understanding its distinct characteristics so we can build a creative education environment that works for all our students”. UAL, EDI report (2024)
In this final IP blog post I welcome the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of approaches to addressing racism in my practice as an educator and artist designer, with a commitment to playing a role in dismantling systemic racism within our university and the creative industries, in line with the UAL Anti-Racism Strategy and newly updated UAL EDI report 2024.
Fig. 1 Race and Ethnicity: Exploring Keywords (Kelly Harrison, 25 June 2025)
I review resource: Race and Ethnicity (E. Blackmore/National Geographic) and in role as educator by way of introducing important key terms to students I share the diagram as above to visualise definitions of the key terms: race and ethnicity. While it is understood that these terms and related scenarios and contexts are complex, the diagram communicates the definitions by way of a simple introductory, foundational teaching tool.
As described in my Intervention Outline, I am exploring opportunities to embed EDI themes into proposed creative workshops as part of the Action Research Project 2025.
Reviewing resource: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion/TEDx talk, I am inspired as Asif Sadiq states:
“That very (EDI) training is biased, it’s built with stereotypes, it’s not always diverse or inclusive… we must readdress how we teach, how we get people to understand different things if we’re truly going to embed change”.
This leads me to think carefully and creatively on how to devise and deliver appropriate and effective EDI themed workshops for students going forwards.
Fig.2 ‘The School That Tried To End Racism’ Channel 4 (2021)
Reviewing resource: The School That Tried To End Racism, I am saddened by the children’s responses to the harsh reality of the information and situation they are made privy to. The challenging nature of the ‘experiment’ is met (unsurprisingly) with problematic reviews (YouTube) and I am frustrated when I am unable to access and watch the full TV series as I hoped to gain a better overall understanding of the programme’s premise.
Fig 3. Tate Kids Think About Art and Race (Tate 2021)
Thinking further on the importance of early, formative educative experiences around race and ethnicity, led me to review resource: Tate Kids Think About Art and Race. Pupils explored exhibition Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power and were invited to create artwork to explore themes around identity, race and ethnicity as below:
Fig 4. Tate Kids: Exploring Identity, Made in Tate Paint (2021)
On reflection, this highlights my belief in the importance of art and creativity as a means to express and explore ourselves as physical, cultural and spiritual beings and to encourage positive anti-racism messaging. As I progress my plans for the EDI themed workshops, with this will come a due responsibility to treat participating students with utmost sensitivity and care.
Fig 5: Race and Ethnicity: Exploring Identities (Kelly Harrison, 26 June 2025)
I review Rhianna Garrett’s paper Racism Shapes Careers (2024), HE/UK students from racial minorities share their racial, ethnic and intersectional identities – within the context of how these factors may influence their future academic career trajectories. The anonymised, pseudonym quotes are genuine and heartfelt and I intend to model a similar careful approach with my students going forwards. The overall aim of the EDI themed workshops being to use the original content (identities) for the creation of exploratory, visual drawing, mapping and diagrammatic designed outcomes.
In conclusion, through application of the learnings as described above, it is my aim to foster positive, pro-active approaches ongoing within my pedagogic practice and in line with the UAL Anti-Racism Strategy and UAL EDI report (2024).
Reference
UAL: Anti-Racism Action Plan (2021)
UAL: EDI Data Report (2024)
UAL: EDI Annual Report (2024)
Blakemore, E. Race and Ethnicity: How are they different? (2019) https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/race-ethnicity
Sadiq, A. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Learning how to get it right.TEDx (2023): https://tinyurl.com/bdd59yep
Channel 4, The School That Tried to End Racism (2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I3wJ7pJUjg
Tate: Kids think about art and race (2021)
Tate Kids Gallery (2025)
Garrett, R. Racism shapes careers: career trajectories and imagined futures of racialised minority PhDs in UK higher education (2024): https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2024.2307886
Pastan, A. Norman Rockwell and The Problem We All Live With (2025)
Adina, P.The artists fighting racism (2022)
This was a very nice read. Sounds like you are doing a careful reflection on this topic.
My only suggestion would be to maybe not think of it as you needing to become the person that leads a workshop about EDI but more how you will address it in your teaching through references and ensuring that students practice equality in your classroom.
Example: At my current workplace they recently realised all references to black art was about struggle and no one was including references of joy. I sadly am unsure how much has changed after realising it tho.
Hi Fred,
Thank you kindly for your positive comments, appreciated.
I love your suggestion of addressing EDI collaboratively (horizontal/co-learning), rather than thinking of yourself as the EDI workshop leader/educator (vertical/hierarchical learning), I’ll factor this into my planning for the Drawing Diversity workshops – thanks for that.
I love how your post also marries your work in your intervention and also links to Sadiq’s assertion that EDI must be a continuing and varied practice, where we are exchanging our varied and similar experiences. Your workshops seem to be about building connection and community through drawing.
The resource you reference is fantastic and the exhibition is one of my favourites I’ve ever been to! I love that children were shown these works at an early age and encouraged to reflect and relate to the themes explored.
Great illustration reviewing Garrett’s article and the identities of participants highlighted in the paper.
This was discussed in the intervention presentations but do you see any differences/challenges around the privacy/anonymity in order to create a safe space, along with the identifiable nature of drawing/illustrations?
Thanks for bringing up the UAL EDI report as I totally forgot about it, I will review it and link it to my intervention. One thing I noticed is that the 2024 report still uses the term “BAME”, which the UK government has advised against since 2021 because it highlights some ethnic groups (Asian and Black) while excluding others (Mixed, Other, and White minorities).
https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/style-guide/writing-about-ethnicity/#bame-and-bme
I also agree with Sadiq’s comments on EDI training. When delivering such content to students, we should avoid replicating what this typical training does. I think these trainings are only effective when tailored to our specific practice, with clear explanations of the concepts, linking to practical examples from real-world applications.
I’m glad you reviewed the Channel 4 video. I found the exercise quite harsh and unsuitable for the student’s age. They’re asked personal questions and must share them with peers (by positioning) who may not understand these issues, suddenly hitting them with acknowledging inequality and guilt, something I think is unnecessary or poorly timed. I wrote more on this in Blog 3 and would like to hear your thoughts.
Finally, I appreciate your consistent effort on the diagrams throughout all your blogs, they really help clarify the subject and add a personal touch.
Hi Herman,
Thanks, good spot about use of ‘BAME’.
Yes, I also found the Channel 4 video harsh and I agree the second video you shared (Jubilee’s Spectrum) was an example of a better, more suitable age group with whom to explore such emotive issues.
Thanks again for your appreciation of my use of diagrams.