b'Theme: Culturally Responsive TeachingArt educators, whether in public schools, community programs, museums, galleries, or other spaces where art happens, require awareness of the divergent and diasporic cultural experiences of the individuals we seek to educate. Limiting educational experiences can sometimes promote a homogenized understanding of artistic practices prioritizing one way of doing and knowing art over others. When individuals are provided curricular experiences that expand how they engage with meaning-making through art, they are allowed to change their understanding of who they are and how they are linked to others. Approaches to art education that disrupts sameness can help students see differences not as obstacles to be overcome but as opportunities to see the world differently. Addressing otherness can be a benefit to art pedagogies by shifting fear of the unknown to understanding the pluralities of cultural identities that people engage with every day.Art education has the unique perspective to highlight and investigate the complex relationships between artistic and educational opportunities that advantage some and disadvantage others. Artistic vision provides powerful conceptual and analytical tools for engaging with divergent perspectives within a pluralistic society. Expanding beyond an emphasis on race and gender to other intersections of difference highlight the vast and diverse artistic expressions in Texas. Art is a space through which we can focus on the multiplicity of expressions of self and others and address the worlds inequities through a lens that not only engages with the consequences of ignoring justice but also provides the possibility to imagine solutions. Art is a creative force to enact change. The editors for Trends invite submissions that focus on diasporas, divergence, difference, intersectionalities, and representation. We encourage submissions that address how we, as art educators: Work against reinforcing stereotypesMove away from the homogenization of curriculaProvide opportunities to engage with cultural heritagesEncourage exploration of uniqueness Some questions you might consider are:How does my artistic/pedagogical practice impact all learners?What policies, resources, and other supports are needed to create equitability across different populations?What might art pedagogies, research, and practice create an adverse impact on any identifiable population?How might adverse impacts from being culturally illiterate be avoided?What precautions should art educators take to move forward?How might personal or community politics affect how we engage with art education?How do we monitor our work to ensure comparable high outcomes for all students?TRENDS // PAGE 62PAGE 63 // TRENDS'