Abstract
This paper investigates the impact of educational philosophy based on multiculturalism on the construction of students' artistic identities. It specifically focuses on the rapid increase of Korean students at the Rhode Island School of Design, RI (RISD) as a case study. With analysis of fieldwork at RISD and extensive interviews with its faculty members and students, my research shows that the majority of the school community regards Koreans as "shy" and "interdependent." It also became apparent that Korean art and culture, despite the large number of Korean students on campus, had little visibility while other ethnic cultures (i.e. Japanese culture, African American culture, etc.) were highly appreciated. Therefore, as counter-action against such discouraging representations, Korean students develop the complex process of identity construction negotiating with their self-consciousness as individual artists, while at the same time appreciating their own cultural origin.
