When I first started thinking about the best approach to build this class, I began with the understanding that I needed a starting point that embraced a holistic way of being. This approach is something that I have been advocating for in my artistic and educational practices for what feels like a lifetime- when invited to lead this class, I envisioned this as my entry point. I very much wanted to approach Arts Education from a way of “” rather than the Western approach of skill-based, product-centred approach methodologies. Art education has shaped all of our cultures and it is part of who we all are, not just what we do. What I found to be the most fascinating discovery is described by Dr. Ann Patteson, Dr. Jean-Paul Restoule, Dr. Indrani Margolin Ms. Conely de Leon, MA in their paper “Arts-Based Teaching as an Alternative Approach for Aboriginal Learners and Their Teachers“:
Arts-based education was considered as an approach to education for Aboriginal learners worthy of exploration because it shares many of the qualities that the literature describes as the holistic, traditional approach to learning that is congruent with Aboriginal values: it is experiential and has the capacity to engage learners physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996; Dewey, 1934; 1938; Willis & Mann, 2000; George, 2004; Antone, Gamlin, & Provost-Turchetti, 2003)
CONSIDER: How do you know what you know? Are opportunities offered by modern art education an effective tool for the preservation of the cultural identity of indigenous peoples? List the ways Indigenous Ways of Knowing informs Arts Education.
Above images from Indigenous Ways of Knowing found here.
Below is example lesson plans, projects and ideas that are fantastic examples of come various ways Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Arts Education work in relationship to one another-please review: