RESEARCH ON THE LACK OF DIVERSITY IN ART ACADEMIA
Homogeneity in art academia curricula and student body demographics is a reflection of the characteristically homogeneous nature of full-time art school faculty. They are the decision-makers. On the rare occasion when a faculty hiring committee decides to hire a Latino as a fulltime professor of art, it is often a White Hispanic male whom they choose. Similarly, on the rare occasion when an art institution hires a Black fulltime professor, it is usually a male. Below is a chart I composed in 2013 of my research on the demographics of full-time faculty in Southern California visual arts departments at the time. I conducted my research by interviewing administrators of the most prominent art schools in Southern California and requesting pertinent information from them.
Here is what my research revealed on the demographics of fulltime faculty in the top six prominent art schools in Southern California in the Spring of 2013: of the 179 total numbers of art professors, 150 were White with an almost even male to female ratio; 12 of them were Asian with equal male to female ratios; 10 of them were Black with more than twice as many men than women; 7 of them were Latinos, all male, not a single female. The staggering reality is that despite the Latino population comprising the majority of Southern California residents, more than half of them being female; in 2013 there were zero Latina (Hispanic women) full-time professors in the six most prominent art schools that I surveyed, and barely any Black and Asian professors.
Here are the percentages: 83.80% White with a 8/7 male/female ratio, 6.70% Asian with a 6/6 male/female ratio, 5.59% Black with a 7/3 male/female ratio, and 3.91% Latin with a 7/0 male/female ratio.
Demographics of Full Time Visual Art Professors in Southern California in Spring 2013
Click here to download a PDF of the chart below.
To see an example of how homogeneity in fulltime faculties reflects in the demographics of authors of reading material assigned in art history and theory classes, click here to view the syllabus of required reading material for one of my first year Graduate Public Practice classes at my alma mater, Otis College of Art and Design, which I attended from 2012-2014. In this list, I annotated the sex and race of each author assigned. The demographic ratios of authors assigned to read were 66% White male (2 of which were White Hispanic males), 31% White females, 2% Asian females, 1% Asian males, Zero Latina (Hispanic females of any race), and Zero Black (male and female).
