ABSTRACT
In the late 1980s and early 1990s pioneers of racial equality, labor, free speech, the Socialist Party, and the Black Panthers were still active in public life. As "social" or "public" practice has entered the theoretical environment of visual art, artistic research has emerged as a key strategy. In Performing Pedagogy, Charles Garoian explored the various ways in which performance art operates, as seen within a teaching-learning context. The very attractions of the media for youth made its closer analysis an important platform for the Oakland Projects' broad-based pedagogy. The media, public opinion, and youth policy all became primary targets. Young people in Oakland, with the truths of their lived realities, were the primary interlocutors, teachers, and partners. Working with youth has direct pedagogical responsibilities that extend beyond the classroom. In a sense, the performance was the expression of the youth development that had taken place individually and collectively.
