Reflect on this!

In this article we reflect on reflection. To do this, we share examples of pedagogic approaches used in undergraduate performance programmes at York St John University that re-situate reflective practice within creative practice. For example, we explore the creative, multimodal use of a catalogue document that two of the authors used to encourage students to reflect as part of the B.A. (Hons) Theatre level 2 modules entitled performing the self & artist as witness. These modules aim to encourage students to consider themselves in some sense auteurs of themselves and their art practice. The case study illustrates that we need to go beyond the familiar if we are to be reflexive about the role of reflection in creative practice education

Utilization and Transferability of Technical Skills in a Choice Based Art Unit

The study explores differences between a class who was taught technical skills prior to expressing their ideas and a class who expressed their ideas prior to learning technical skills in a TAB-Choice classroom. Two third grade art classes from a school in Ann Arbor, Michigan participated in the study where four students from each class were chosen to participate in a focus study. Students filled out pre and post surveys. The teacher as researcher used a rubric to evaluate each work of art, photographed the art for documentation, and then compared the rubrics, surveys, and responses. Collected data demonstrated how third grade students attained and choose to implement knowledge of technical skills if they practiced those skills first before utilizing them in their own unique manner. In addition, there were unexpected differences in the way boys and girls responded. The conclusion of the study showed that students benefit from the teaching and practice of technical skills and should also be allowed to explore their ideas with the mediums of their choice to create new emerging content

Expressions, Summer 2016

College of Humanities and the Arts Newsletter, Volume 1

Editorial: Art for Life: Race, Gender, Disability and Class - Critical Discourses around Participation in Arts Education

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Adams. J. (2014). Art for life: Race, gender, disability and class - critical discourses around participation in arts education: iJADE 2013 conference issue. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 33 (3), 288-290, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jade.12069.This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.A paradox that art educators often encounter in their work is that the arts, just as they are recognised for their universal and inclusive values, may also inadvertently reinforce elite and exclusive practices. Similarly, while the development of pedagogies for critical approaches to culture has positively impacted on a broad and diverse range of learners in all phases of education, the apparently democratic space of arts studio or classroom can also be a space that is governed by assessment regimes and educational conventions, and one which may also be characterised by reproduction, routine and a reliance on entrenched pedagogic practices. Such are the ways in which current arts-based educational practices may on one hand enable and include, but on the other disable and exclude. Given this state of affairs, to what extent can arts education promote an inclusive participation in ‘art for life’, and in what ways can it widen this participation? These were the questions and issues that delegates from sixteen countries at the 2013 iJADE/NSEAD research conference, held 15–16 November 2013 at the University of Chester Research and Innovation Centre, assembled to explore

“The Flow of Blood in Nature” Franz Marc’s Animal Theory

This thesis argues for a coherent theory of the animal in the written and visual works of the German Expressionist painter, Franz Marc. By contextualizing Marc’s animal theory within the history of animal studies, this thesis will analyze how Marc’s animal theory corresponds with several central concepts within this field. One of these concepts—a theory of animal death—is central to the artist’s greater theory of the animal and to the analysis this thesis provides. In examining Marc’s theory of animal death, the following work will propose that the artist’s theory of animal spirituality is his greatest legacy within the field of animal theory

Determining the Role of the Art Museum in Students\u27 Perceptions of Themselves as Artists

This single case study examines the role of the art museum in relation to students’ perceptions of themselves as artists. Within the school setting students are asked to create, study and exhibit art using similar techniques and methods of adult artists within the art community. Student artwork, however, is not perceived as art that is worthy of display within that art community and is usually limited to the school context. Additionally, if students visit museums with their school, the visit is typically limited to once per school year, if the budget allows. Students are not afforded the opportunity to visit the same museum or exhibit multiple times and are therefore limited in their ability to navigate the learning possibilities of an art museum and to establish an understanding of their role within an art community outside of school. The primary goal of this study was to understand how learning and exhibiting within the museum context affects students’ perceptions of themselves as artists. Specifically, the study focused on both the unique learning environment afforded by a museum, along with student art exhibition situated in a professional, non-school context. Using a single case study design, seven elementary school students in grades three thru five participated in learning activities within the context of an art museum. Visiting the same exhibit multiple times, the students explored the galleries at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art from the perspective of a museum visitor, docent, curator and artist. They also independently produced art work outside of the museum that culminated in a student exhibition held at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art. The findings of this research suggest that exhibition within the museum setting positively impacted the students but did not immediately influence their artist identity. The findings also demonstrate the value of providing students with the opportunity to visit not only the same museum multiple times but also the same exhibit in order to deepen student understanding and strengthen their awareness of the art community that exists outside of the classroom. The implications for art and museum educators are examined along with suggestions for further research