UC Faculty Awards 2020: Flavia Bastos
DAAP awardee honored as Distinguished Research Professor
Strolling through an art museum in Spain proved to be more than a casual visit for UC’s Flavia Maria Cunha Bastos. It became an epiphany. She was immediately captivated by an art exhibit created by elementary students depicting what it means to be a European Union citizen.
“I was so impressed by how these young minds were communicating through their art, how it felt to have second-class status. Their parents had come to Spain as workers but they all were living in the outskirts of the city,” she said.
As the impact of that experience prayed on her mind, the UC professor of visual arts education in UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, turned to a colleague who works with high school students in Utah and said, ‘Why don’t we do something similar with digital storytelling?’”
For the past two decades, Bastos has fulfilled various administrative roles within DAAP including interim director of the School of Art and attained over 20 grants to support her research in art education. Photo/Submitted
Now in its third year, Bastos’ collaborative research joins student-made videos from high schools all around the country into a website titled “Who is American today?” Each video portrays a teen’s unique perspective on how they feel about being American today using digital media storytelling skills.
“The technology is accessible; it’s very malleable. The students can do quite impressive things with limited resources, so their ideas can come through,” notes Bastos, also currently the chair of the Council of Policy Studies in Art Education. “This project supersedes art and is very relevant for what kids are facing in the world today.”
Bastos was recently awarded a City of Cincinnati resolution for her research in art education. Pictured with from left, Sneja Tomassian, director of development of the Cincinnati Opera; Jeannine Winkelmann; Greg Landsman, city councilman; Flávia Bastos; Larry Huston; Amanda Bastos Dias; Anthony Johnson and Alfonso Cornejo, president of the Hispanic Chamber. Photo/Submitted
Many of the student narratives revealed a surprising and sometimes painful truth about what being American means to them as young immigrants, first-generation Americans, native Americans or even white privilege, she adds.
“This video project recognizes the unprecedented role that digital tools play in both learning and leisure for students today and encourages them to employ those digital tools in art making,” says Timothy Jachna, professor of architecture and the dean of DAAP.
Bastos’ collaboration is described by a colleague as a profound example of effectively developing and applying a shared vision for a research project. And its focus on students from immigrant families supports her commitment to diversity and inclusion.
For Bastos, the real boon for creating art to build community is watching the enlightenment unfold as students across the country begin understanding things from another’s perspective.
“As students look at their differences, as well as their similarities, it’s exciting to watch them move forward together,” she says.
Featured image at top: Flavia Bastos mentors students in art education research projects at DAAP. Photo/Lisa Ventre/UC Creative + Brand
UC Faculty Awards
UC is saluting the 16 winners of our 2020 All-University Faculty Awards in a three-part series in UC News weekly through April 22. Beginning April 23, all winners will also be showcased on the Faculty Awards website.
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