Reconceiving the dot: How children navigate competing discourses in early childhood art education
Background: The Australian national early childhood education framework mandates that children learn to identify Aboriginal signs and symbols, and critically recognise stereotypical representations of Aboriginal cultures. In practice, many early childhood education (ECE) settings often restrict engagement to dot paintings from the desert, inadvertently perpetuating the discourse that all Aboriginal art is dot art. Furthermore, engagement with pan-Aboriginal art, while offering a unified identity for diverse Aboriginal nations, can be viewed by several Aboriginal artists as devoid of relevance and meaning.
Aim: My PhD research examined educators’ and children’s understandings of Aboriginal art to inform the embedding of authentic perspectives in ECE.
Method/approach: Using a case study approach with critical qualitative methods, the study involved observations, focus groups with children, analysis of children’s drawings, and interviews with 10 educators and two Aboriginal artists. Using Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (FDA), the research interrogates how power relations and social practices shape understandings of Aboriginality within the learning environment. The ethics application was approved by Western Sydney University.
Results/findings: This presentation highlights findings regarding children’s engagement with three distinct styles: Dot paintings from the Central and Western Deserts; Balarinji Design Studio’s pan-Aboriginal art; and Kaylene Whiskey’s reconceived dot-iconography-from-comic-to-the-canvas. The findings revealed that the familiar desert dotting techniques and pan-Aboriginal art did not significantly alter children’s perceptions about Aboriginal art. In contrast, Kaylene Whiskey’s paintings challenged their thinking, creating opportunities to explore complex, multiple, and ambiguous Aboriginal signs and symbols.
Conclusion: The research highlights the challenges and successes of navigating competing discourses in ECE.
Implications for children and families: Reconceiving the “dot” as a dynamic, evolving signifier—rather than a static, homogenous style—enables children to engage with the complex realities of contemporary Aboriginal expression.
Implications for practitioners: I argue that moving beyond stereotypes requires educators to adopt a more nuanced, critical understanding of Aboriginal art.
Keywords: Aboriginal art, discourses, stereotypes, authentic perspectives
This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: