Cultivating Visual Analysis and Critical Thinking Skills Through Experiential Art

Employing visual analysis in the production and critique of artwork is an essential task of an art educator. By encouraging the basic principles of Edmund Burke Feldman's Practical Art Criticism in the development of art making and art analysis, art educators can create a learning environment that guides students toward the practice of higher order thinking skills. Examples of immersive art education that activates space and invites participation from the viewer will be cited as systems for inspiring civic engagement in the classroom.

A personal perspective on pedagogical structures and strategies that uphold Indigenous ways of knowing

This article gives a brief background of where I come from and how my experiences in Africa and North America have framed the ‘philosophy of teaching’ that defines me as a visual art educator. I reflect on the postcolonial concept of ‘decolonization’ as a means to identifying possible pedagogical alternatives of practice. Acknowledging that my knowledge embraces both ‘western’ and ‘Indigenous’ ways of knowing, poses a question for me as an art educator about ways to design and implement pedagogies that embrace contextualized experiences in order to achieve meaningful learning within formal education. I conclude by stating that nothing will effect change within Uganda’s education sector, particularly in reference to visual art education and practice, without educators having a firmer grasp of their scholarly standpoint on knowledge and learning. Development of concrete ways of bringing together diverse ontological, epistemological and axiological positions of western and Indigenous knowledge systems as well as art pedagogies to facilitate learning, will require educators to develop structures and strategies that progress from the bottom up in order to benefit from the values, beliefs and ways of knowing within diverse local communities.

The suitcase project: Historical inquiry, arts integration and the Holocaust

In this article, we – a history teacher and visual art educator – present a unique, arts-integrated history project that engaged grade eleven history students in creating an installation of suitcase assemblages exploring the lives of young victims of the Holocaust. While we recognize that there exist numerous strategies for teaching about the Holocaust, we assert not only that arts integration is useful in enhancing student learning and engagement in history but also that the curricular approach is ideally suited for the teaching of difficult history such as the history of the Holocaust. In addition to examples of the student artworks produced, we provide evidence of the project’s success in increasing students’ understandings of the assigned historical content as well as its success in complicating two dominant Holocaust narratives. In sharing our own experiences of using an arts-integrated approach to teaching the history of the Holocaust, we hope to inspire both history teachers who are looking for alternative ways to tackle the complex challenge of teaching difficult history as well as art teachers who are looking to integrate sound historical inquiry into their issues-based art projects.

From social art practice to environmental aesthetic awakening and civil engagement: The case study of Cijin Kitchen

This article focuses on the nature of socially engaged art as environmental aesthetics in a particular project that has spanned several years from 2014 onwards: the ‘Cijin Kitchen’ project initiated and curated by artist, curator, art educator and activist Wu Mali (b. 1957). The project is set in an underdeveloped seaside community on the outskirts of Kaohsiung with a sizeable population of fishermen, labour workers and diverse immigrants. Importantly, the place has a historical significance due to its rich maritime memories. The Cijin Kitchen project has involved various artists, designers, urban planners, scholars as well as local communities and it has allowed such a marginalized area to be empowered and renewed for its future development. The communities at stake have, indeed, developed an awareness of their cultural uniqueness, their local colours and flavours. The transformative power of art no longer solely lies in its ability to be displayed in museums or alternative spaces within the confines of the ‘art world’. Its power extends to the ‘real world’ whereby artistic or curatorial concepts become genuine platforms for urban change and community reconstruction.

Artistic License: Celebrating the talents of students and educators

This monthly column features a colored pencil drawing of his brother by student Flynn Scorzelli and a drawing of school buses by art educator Pete Edwards.

Artistic License: Celebrating the talents of students and educators

This monthly column features a scratchboard drawing of her dog by student Eleanor Goodwin and a painting of magnolias by art educator Jade Xia.

Artistic License: Celebrating the talents of students and educators

This monthly column features a self-portrait by student Katja Moody and a woodblock print by art educator Audrey Delgado.

“Drawing out” understandings through arts-based inquiry in teacher education

PurposeThis paper explains a collaborative self-study research project that included an evolving arts-based inquiry (ABI) approach. The combined experiences of a visual artist/art educator and a drama educator, informed the design and use of ABI strategies to investigate practices of Australian teacher educator-researchers. These strategies are shared along with results from interviews that reveal the dynamics and value of this particular model of ABI within a larger research project.Design/methodology/approachABI was included in the methodology of collaborative self-study. It involved listening to participants’ arts-based and written responses then basing the next provocations on these outcomes. This gave ownership to the group members and reinforced the community of practice foci.FindingsABI challenged academic identities and practices. It allowed for more enjoyment in the workplace, for reflection and reflective practice to develop. It provided opportunities for shifting perspectives and perceiving teaching practice differently, inspiring more creativity in teaching. It also improved relationships with co-workers and held the group together.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors share this research to recommend others a way to collaborate within group research projects.Practical implicationsThe authors found it vital to have a co-ABI facilitator from within the group to collaborate with, in order to develop the most appropriate ABI provocations within an emerging research project.Social implicationsThis model of research can generate honest and in-depth insights for participants (members of a community of practice) as to how and why they do the work (practices) they do.Originality/valueThe study’s use of ABI offers an original perspective in the use of this methodology.