Photography as a Transformative, Aesthetic Experience afor Rural Seniors

This paper discusses a transformative aesthetic experience project that was carried out as one potential way to approach some of the new issues that arise with an aging population It explores how contemporary community-based art practices may help seniorsliving in rural areas adopt a positive and active approach toward life Such activities may serve an important role in the curriculum of senior centers in the futur

Intergenerational Gaps: Collaborative Projects for Social Studies Curricula

The purpose of this research is to investigate whether this collaborative intergenerational project can be a bridge between seniors from rural areas and students who were raised in a nuclear family The following questions guided this research Can seniors participation in photography activities help to build intergenerational solidarity between seniors and elementary school students Can the collaborative program between seniors and elementary school students serve as a useful tool for the students social studies classes Can the collaborative program between seniors and elementary school students affect the students attitudes towards seniors What kinds of learning opportunities can this provide the participants The overall goal of the project was to examine if we could establish a meaningful relationship between rural seniors and urban elementary school students and to see how such a project could help connect schools and broader societie

Shifting Awareness: Recycled Plastic Bag Art

This paper considers how educators can raise the issue of plastic bag usage to spark creative thinking about environmental issues, while educating students on the science and history of plastic bag usage and how to reduce, use, and re-use properly. Using the arts in this curriculum can compel engagement by students and encourage creativity and spontaneity, which may lead to unforeseen conclusions and potential solutions. This paper illustrates four environmental artists’ works created using recycled plastic bags, as possible examples for teachers to incorporate into the K-12 curricula. It also discusses a middle school project called “Why Not Plastic Bag Art”, where students explored the environmental issues of plastic bag use by creating environmental artworks. The students became motivated about promoting environmental awareness and becoming environmental stewards

Foreign Film as a Gateway to Cultural Studies

The purpose of this article is to share an example of how a foreign film has been used as a pedagogical vehicle to understand and study the culture and society of a foreign country. It also explains how this teaching method was used to go beyond just showing the film, through a post-viewing artistic activity that used a medium reflective of the culture portrayed in the film. This article considers the following questions: How was the foreign film used as an interactive teaching tool? How did the foreign film capture and portray the country’s culture and societal issues in a visual manner? What was the role of metaphor and symbolism in the film? What were the viewer’s connections with the images, dialogues and sounds in the film? Did the activity of creating a visual artwork using the materials native to the culture in the film enhance the viewer’s understanding of the foreign culture

Tire Art: Environmental Education through Science, Visual and Language Arts

This international project examined the use of an arts-integrated approach to teaching and learning 8th grade science and language art. It involved two arts faculty collaborating with classroom teachers in the US and South Korea. In the context of the "Tire Art project”, students and teachers were guided through several 2D and 3D creative interactions emphasizing innovative uses for recycled car tires and bicycle wheels. In this paper, authors discuss the learning that happened through the arts, and the learning that happened (by teachers) of arts integration methods. It is to be noted that integration is not only about the arts. In fact, if teachers take advantage of this approach, they will discover more connections and bridges between various non-art subjects. When teachers are as affected by innovative approaches as the students, they often feel more confident and empowered in their professional competencies