Community and Art
A guidebook of Community-based art education and the benefits it provides to the curriculum
AliciaBagley
2014 ARE6049: History of Teaching Art
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Community-based Art Education I have designed this guidebook to show the importance of the art and community, and how it can benefit the student and commonwealth of society.
The world outside the classroom is far grander, more compelling, and ultimately more instructive than the world inside the classroom. To confine the resources of the teacher only to what can be found in the classroom is to shrink the curriculum and hobble both teacher and learner. -Peter London
I want to give a special thank you to Caitlin Baker for all her help.
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Table of Contents Community-based Art Education" " 5 History " " " " " " " " " " " " " 7 Why it is Important" " " " " " " " 10 Example Lessons" " " " " " " "
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Programs and Organizations"" " "
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Additional Information"" " " " " " 17 References" " " " " " " " " " " " 18 iv
Community-based Art Education " Peter London defines “community-based art education as a term to describe works of art produced by people living within the same locality and defined by common interest such as shared concerns, cultural heritages, traditions, and language patterns� (London, 1994, p. xiii). " " Community-based art education has grown and today society includes outreach programs as a form of community art. Outreach programs are designed for local citizens, at risk youth, homeless, handicaps, gifted and talented, the incarcerated, an many other groups of people. The intent of outreach programs are to create a supportive art environment and promote values, morals, and bridge a gap between art and the community. " In Looking Outward, Looking In: Community in Art Education, Marche describes several variations of community-based art education including informal and formal ways like taking from, learning about, acting upon, and looking outward. and informal ways. Taking from is one method of curriculum integration that involves students going outside to discover and experience the community and environment. Students become gatherers and hunters, searching for things to use. The environment becomes the supply close for the art room. Learning about is another mode of learning where students go out to explore the history and culture of their community, students take on the role as 5
detectives. The other basic variation Marche mentions is acting upon. In this stage of curriculum integration students become activist and community planners; they work to create harmony with the natural world (Marche, 1998). Looking inward and looking outward are in-depth ways to integrate the community into the curriculum. In these methods, students discover communities and create opportunities to communicate, cooperate, and practice conflict resolution. “Looking outward creates wider connections where the students are connected to social good, preservation, communication, and appreciations of history” (Marche, 1998, p. 10). Regardless of the type of education or how it is integrated, community-based art education is a child-centered pedagogy with the interest of students’ relation to the local environment. Learning through interaction with the community is different from conventional education because students are receiving experiences first hand. The art room should be part of the world and not separate from it. “The instruction provided to the children should be critical to what they see and encounter outside the classroom” (Lawton, 2010, p. 7). “There are no substitutions for direct encounters with the real world. It is in wrestling with the wonders and uncertainties of life that we come to know and love it most” (London, 1994, p. xiii). Learning is not a field trip either; when a student can visit a site and learn, authentic experiences come from one-on-one in depth interaction with the community.
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How it started There were many factors that helped contribute to how community-based art education began, some of the more significant early factors can be contributed to the early nineteenth century. In the nineteenth century “the Village Improvement Movement was established to make communities more beautiful and encouraged the residents to play an active role in civic life and bring the arts into the community” (Stankiewicz, 1998, p. 5). The drawing curriculum started to see a heavy influence from the community during the Industrial Revolution. Society had a need for the students to accurately draw and read mechanical drawings since the technology was becoming more advanced; therefore, they pushed for linear and perspective drawing lessons to be taught. In addition to the needs for industrial drawings, certain towns wanted to start exporting goods and needed skilled workers to create beautiful and decorative designs. To address the needs and advancement of the community, Walter Smith, an educator, was hired to help assist with linear drawing instructions (Stankiewicz, 2001). This led to the development of the Owatonna Art Education Project that lasted from 1933-38. The Owatonna Art Education Project was funded by the Carnegie Corporation and was directed by Melvin Haggerty. “The Owatonna Art Education Project sought to improve life by incorporating the visual arts into one rural community’s daily life” (Stankiewicz, 2001, p. 79). Haggerty believed that integrating art into the 7
community would enhance people’s lives and stop the grinding monotony of a machine-made day. The mission was to establish an appreciation of art; this aesthetic taste would improve home life and make people more pleased (Freedman, 1989).
" The Pageant Movement, another addition to the arts curriculum, promoted values and good morals through the inclusion of holiday celebration in the arts. By teaching the students morals through holidays, it promoted goodwill in the community and cut back on bad morals and poor use of leisure time such as drinking, gambling, etc.. School events based around holidays “brought the community together to see what the children had learned, inculcate ideas of democratic citizenship, and encourage respect for the old world heritage” (Stankiewicz, 2001, p.80). Another movement similar to the Pageant Movement was the Beautification Movement, “the Beautification Movement created a bridge between school and community. Schools were meant to visually display values of caring; studes were expected to translate those values into the service of others” (Stankiewicz, 2001, p. 78). Students became active participants in the community and participated in service learning pro8
jects. Henry Turner Bailey, who was behind both movements, would travel to different cities lecturing on the importance of strong aesthetics and morals within the community, and through service learning and holiday inclusion the commonwealth of the community would flourish (Freedman, 1989; Stankiewicz, 2001).
" Another influential person to help establish the development for community-based art education was philosopher and educator John Dewey. Dewey believed that “the
arts is the most effective medium for perpetuating a culture and that it ensured an enduring place in history” (Dennis, 1970, p. 4). Dewey argued that art is a potent form of communication that helps community development and political action to be undertaken. Dewey believed art was tied to everyone’s lives and can teach similarities and understanding between people and communities. (Mattern, 1999). Since art was a form of direct experience, art could be made to express meanings and art was able to tie the artist to their own history. These components of art had the opportunity to develop communities and bring people together. Dewey felt schools should provide the children with a strong foundation in art so they could in turn make meaningful contributions to society (Mattern, 1999).
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“The arts is the most effective medium for perpetuating a culture and that it ensured an enduring place in history”
Why it is Important “By going beyond the classroom and getting involved in community-based projects, students become connected to the outside world and are offered opportunities to change the public’s attitude toward art” (Chang, Lim, Song, 2013, p. 9). When learning is supported and meaningful, personal experiences arrive and artistic expression is born. The community is the arena for creative expression and personal encounters with the environment. Kids are taught about society best by being in it but it is not always happening. “Schooling often substitutes second hand experience for raw reality, it also fosters a passive intellect through a school day composed of adult design, prearranged problems that neither emerge from nor relate back to the actual lives of children” (London, 1994, p. 11). The curriculum that should be taught in the arts needs to be relevant to the student and meet his or her individual needs. By adjusting the curriculum to meet the needs of the student, teachers enhance the capacity to contribute to the well-being of the communities in which they must live, grow, and compete (London, 1994, p. 12). There are numerous reasons why the arts should be community-based, the overall main reason is that it has the interest of the student in mind. Community based arts promotes curi10
osity, it is accessible and relevant to the time and place of any school or environment and is contemporary. Art begins “with the here and now rather than with someone else’s there and then” (London, 1994, p. 33). In a society where safety is becoming an issue, the community can acknowledge concern about safety by promoting an education that will ensure their survival at in their town and neighborhood regardless if it is safe or not. As budgets become an issue with schooling today, community arts is another reason to be used because it is inexpensive because it is natural. " Learning from the environment and focusing on the community is multi-sensory. “A very nice thing about the environment is that is always comes in full living color and high fidelity, quadrophonic sound. It is infinitely available and inviting to touch, taste, look at, and smell” (London, 1994, p. 38). Gregory Bateson, a theorist and anthropologist, suggest the importance of learning through all senses, seeing and hearing is not enough these days, students need to be reached and engaged on all levels and the community, regardless of the economic status can provide the students these opportunities. " Community-based learning is interdisciplinary and enhances the transferability of 11
learning. Learning through the community regardless of the subject provides the students with real life scenarios they can apply to other areas of life. By studying one aspect of the community it makes the student more informed. " By having art curriculum centered around the community it becomes more individual for the students. Students are able to bring in their own personal experiences and heritage to the work. In addition to learning about their own identity the students are exposed to others background and therefore promotes and nurtures self-identity and self-esteem. “People who esteem themselves positively engage more frequently and successfully with their world than do people who have selfregard and who consequently experience
themselves as alienated rom the world” (London, 1994, p. 43). " Another benefit of community-based art education is that it is universal for all types of students and people. Lessons with the concept of community can help at risk students by offering practical experiences that have immediate rewards. This type of curriculum also provides support to the students they may not be receiving from their home environment through community members, professionals, or other learners. " Along with benefiting the student it also benefits the community and the arts as a whole by bringing people together, creates deeper understandings of culture, and builds cohesion. Community-based art education also bridges gaps between the school and community and provides a chance for stronger relationships to be built. This type of curriculum encourages and depends on participation and visibility between schools and the community. A great way to advocate on behalf of the arts is through the community. Working with the community builds support from the parents, citizens, and community creating a stronger passion for the arts. The awards gained from the awards also benefits everyone’s quality of life and works to enhance the support of the people (London, 1994).
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" Certain projects, rather it is more through school or service learning can build meaning making opportunities, develop thinking through planning, execution, and reflection. Working in a project requires reciprocal expertise among partners, and extending students learning to include the experiences of others in the community” (Chang, 2013, p. 11). Art can also serve as a “therapeutic method to comfort each other in times of trouble, heal personal wounds, inspire community participation, and foster a more compassionate society” (Chang, 2013, p. 11).
Example Lessons There are many ways to incorporate the community into the arts curriculum either by working with local artist, creating pieces to show culture or heritage, or interacting with citizens to train art skills. The easiest way to incorporate the curriculum is by following the taking from method could. This could happen by taking the students on a walk around the community and studying buildings or artifacts that have historical meaning and investigating the significance then creating their own drawing or sculpture or even draw a picture of your family history. To progress further one could display works of community related art in galleries, businesses, agencies, around town (London, 1994, & Marche, 1998). Some ways to incorporate the curriculum through the learning about method would by by asking questions “What is the community about, and how did it come to be this way� (Marche, 1998, p. 8) then creating works of art based of their discoveries. "
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For elementary schools, students could adopt a pet and use drawing as a way to document and record information. Once students have an adequate amount of submissions in their journal or sketchbook the students can display it at the library. " Another example could be for students to identify an area at school or in the community and create a flower or vegetable garden. The students could visit them often and record the progress by drawings of photographs. " Students could also go on a blind walk around the school with a sighted partner. The “blind� student would have to establish where they are by sound, tough, and sense of place. Following that the partners could switch places then collaborate about their experiences. " Students could also make a newspaper as an art forum and as a forum for artistic concerns. Students could request a column
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in the paper on a regular basis and start discussions on aesthetics, local art, and the community. " Students could also research their town history and how it became established and changed through the years. After thorough research and investigation the students could create an exhibit based on their town for the community. " Students could also discover their community and find areas that need improvement. Following these findings students could establish a way to make it better and bring it to the attention of the town through art, using art for social change. The following is a poster from my town where the students exhibited work for the community. The previous page shows art documenting Fort Mill, S.C. during different stages in the past century by students from my drawing 2 class.
Outreach Programs and Organizations to Look At Project ARTS (Arts for Rural Teachers and Students) is an example of a program that uses the looking outward, looking in method. Project ARTS was a project directed by Gilbert Clark an Enid Zimmerman based in Indiana that involved around “elementary schools meeting needs of multi-ethnic, rural, gifted/talented visual and performing arts students” (Marche, 1998, p. 10) and worked with the community.
Totally Cool, Totally Art is an outreach program designed to offer art opportunities to teenagers who do not have the opportunities. It is a free after school program with the intention to get the students more involved into the community and become aware.
The Creatives project based in Georgia is a program designed to strengthen and build the community through art-based education.
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4culture is an organization to help foster art and collaboration for the public benefit. Imagine Art is program for artist with disabilities. They aim to create a community that fosters creativity through religion and arts. Sketch is a program that engages at-risk youth and the homeless of local communities through art. Sketch uses art skills to promote talents and capacities of the members. The program also engages in cultural and artistic expression through job projects and related arts. The National Guild for Community Arts Education supports arts and the arts education in the community.
For additional Information:
Here are some websites to check out and some other articles not listed in my references. A Real “Community Bridge�: Informing Community-Based Learning through a Model of Participatory Public Art by Pamela Geiger Stephens in Art Education vol. 59 No. 2 National Guild Homepage http://www.nationalguild.org Also check out your local arts council. If they are like mine, they can be a tremendous help to get you started.
References:
Chang, E. & Lim, M. & Song, B. (2013). Three initiatives for community based art education practices. Art Education 66(4), 7-13. Clark, G. & Zimmerman, E. (2000). Greater understanding of the local community: a community-based art education program for rural schools. Art Education, 43(2), 33-39. Dennis, L. (1970). Dewey’s brief for the fine arts. Studies in Art Education, 11(3), 3-8 Dewey, J. (1915). School and Society. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. Freedman, K. (1989). The Philanthropic vision: the owatonna art education project as an example of private interest in public schooling. Art Education, 31(1), 15-26. Lawton, P. (2010). Hand-in hand, building community on common ground. Art Education 63(6), 6-12. London, P. (1994). Step Outside Community-Based Art Education. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Marche, T. (1998). Looking outward, looking in: community in art education. ArtEducation, 51(3), 6-13. Mattern, M. (1999). John Dewey, art and public life. The Journal of Politics, 61(1) 54-75. Stankiewicz, M. (1998). Community, art, and culture. Art Education, 51(3), 4-5. Stankiewicz, M. A. (2001). Roots of art education practice. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications. Ulbricht, J. (2005). What is community-based art education. Art Education. 58(2).
Image References in order " [Community Graphic}. Retrieved February 10, 2014, From: http://www.socialstrategies.net.au/community-is-the-catalyst-to-social-media-success/ " [Hand and globe Photograph]. Retrieved February 14, 2014, From:http://escueladelsol.org/index.php/escuela/about/our_school " [Art classes Photographs]. Retrieved February 12, 2014, From; http://chestofbooks.com/food/household/Woman-Encyclopaedia-1/Brighton-Municipal-Art-School.html " (Owatonna Art Flyer Photograph]. Retrieved February 13, 2014, From; http://uoflabyrinthkf.weebly.com/owatonna-art-education-project.html " [It matters graphic]. Retrieved February 10, 2014, From: http://northpoint.org/messages/it-matters/ {Community arts for social change Graphic]. Retrieved February 10, 2014, From: http://communityartspractice.blogspot.com/ Images from page 13 and 14 or personal images [Sketch Graphic]. Retrieved February 10, 2014, From:http://sketch.ca/about/ [Ecology Graph]. Retrieved February 11, 2014, From:http://communityinnovation.berkeley.edu/presentations/William-Cleveland.pdf