NAS TRILHAS DO OLHAR: UMA EXPERIÊNCIA PEDAGÓGICA COM ARTISTAS MULHERES MARANHENSES A PARTIR DOS LIVROS DIDÁTICOS DE LINGUAGEM DO ENSINO MÉDIO

Abstract

This research developed a case study conducted within the context of a Professional Master's degree in Arts, proposing a pedagogical experience based on the critical analysis of the representations (or absences) of women artists in high school language textbooks, emphasizing the appreciation of the productions of women artists from Maranhão. The scientific problem guiding this research arises from the historical and symbolic erasure of the productions of women artists, especially those linked to peripheral and regional settings. Considering this perspective, the general objective was to develop and analyze a teaching-learning experience grounded in the production of women artists, with emphasis on artists from Maranhão, as a complement to language textbooks. The study is based on Visual Culture Studies and critical approaches to art education, engaging with authors such as Stuart Hall, Fernando Hernández, Ana Mae Barbosa, João Baliscei, Luciana Loponte, and Carla Abreu. The methodology adopted a qualitative approach, of an exploratory-descriptive nature, articulated with action research, integrating documentary analysis of textbooks, participant observation, discussion groups, pedagogical workshops, critical reading of images, and the production of authorial zines. Data collection instruments included diagnostic questionnaires, written, visual, and photographic records, as well as a field diary. The investigation was carried out with high school students from the Lucília Moreira Teaching Center in Pinheiro/MA, a context marked by the territorial, cultural, and social specificities of the Baixada Maranhense region. The results highlighted the predominance of masculine and Eurocentric artistic references in the textbooks analyzed. In contrast, the inclusion of works by female artists from Maranhão broadened the students' visual and cultural repertoire. Furthermore, it strengthened feelings of belonging and stimulated critical readings of the images and narratives present in the school environment. The pedagogical practices developed fostered reflections on identity, territory, gender, and representation, promoting shifts in the ways of perceiving art and the processes of female invisibility. It is concluded that the articulation between critical image reading, appreciation of female artists from Maranhão, and students' original production strengthens more pluralistic, contextualized, and sensitive educational practices, reaffirming art education as a space for aesthetic and critical formation and social transformation.