Creating the Conditions for Youthspaces: Social Justice Art as Liberatory Praxis

• In Event: Arts Education, Social Justice, and Identity Formation

Abstract

"Youthspaces” are a particular “place of possibility,” defined as literal and metaphorical spaces where people are afforded the tools and resources necessary to imagine things (systems, identities, etc.) as though they could be otherwise through art and creative practices (Author, 2017). This paper provides a roadmap for designing youthspaces that recognize and elevate young people’s local knowledges through arts-based research practices. The youthspace framework includes five guiding principles, a living curriculum, and core practices. This paper elaborates the social justice art principle, situates the living curriculum in art and learning, and provides examples of arts-based practices. This work aims to catalyze a sense of possibilities for engaging with youth in social justice art to advance collective struggles for liberation.

Author

• Kristen P. Goessling, The Pennsylvania State University - Brandywine