Art Practice as Research: An Example of Praxis

• In Event: 66.057 - Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: 66.057-7 - Practice and Process in Arts-Based Educational Research

Abstract

Creating meaningful artwork about personal, cultural and social issues, symbolic representations, and disruptive acts within the secondary art classroom is an educational opportunity that can lead to individual knowledge creation and broaden student perspectives. It is student centered and extends beyond formalist aesthetics and technical prowess. This case study examines how a New South Wales, Australia visual arts educator used scaffolded curriculum, philosophical frameworks, artists’ interviews, and critics’ reviews to engage her students in art practice as research. Student products and interviews revealed that students thought conceptually, explored interdisciplinary ideas, and metacognitively used their artwork as a basis for learning. Students acknowledged that study of artists’ material and cognitive practice helped them see and know the world in different ways.

Author

• Judith Ann Briggs, Illinois State University