The complex and often ambiguous discourses surrounding the "feminist art teacher" were explored through two qualitative case studies, one of a late-career secondary art teacher, and one of an early career elementary art teacher in the United States of America. Both self-proclaimed feminists that practice pluralist approahces to teaching art, each woman revealed translucent intersections of the discourses of contemporary feminist practice. The understanding of feminist practices in art education is indeed translucent--not transparent; I assert that defining feminism in art education remains muddled and overcast with doubt, with very little that is concrete to hold our conceptual gaze. Feminist art teaching can be simultaneously conceived of broadly, yet is ever changing. What was found to be consistent however, was that both women art educators exemplified equitable, empowering, transformative, and nurturing teaching in classrooms transformed into spaces where voice was honored and given both tacit and concrete forms in contemporary terms.

Each teacher's positions and positioning of their feminist teacher identities were under study for a total of seven months. Both cases were studied in an attempt to make progress for establishing a rationale that a need exists for the support of educational equity in art classrooms through a feminist lens. Discussing and positioning contemporary understanding about the existence of gender dynamics impacting art teaching and learning can improve how we make sense of our experiences as equitable art educators.

In both case studies, data involved prolonged observations and audio-taped interviews of each teacher. Teacher-student conversations, whole class discussions, and critiques of both artists' and students' art work were the foci of data collection. Themes emerged. This presentation will provide analytic portraits of the many themes, voices, and moments that reinforce the power of feminist pedagogy as seen through these two art teachers' practice; namely, feminist gendered spaces; courage in the controversial; pluralist practice; critically reflective practice; art teachers as transformative intellectuals; practice of democratic discourse; positioning through radical love; gender issues embedded in art curriculum; collaborative and individual identity balance, and spaces that nurture meaning.

Having roots in feminism, feminist pedagogy is based on an alternative instruction model, one that acknowledges that all human experiences are tempered by gender and therefore are not immune to social dictates of society. Its aims are those of empowerment, community, and leadership in the classroom, seeking gender equity. Democratic and passionate in nature, feminist pedagogy views gender as a conscious variable in any consideration of teaching and learning.