Abstract
This qualitative study merged the methodological frameworks of case study and narrative inquiry to assess the perceived impact of a local, community-engaged mural art project (Mending Walls) on undergraduate preservice art educators enrolled in foundational coursework in a university located in the United States. The study was grounded in existing research in three areas: community-engaged murals, community-engaged pedagogy, and community-engaged teacher preparation. These concepts were used to frame the study and provide further rationale for the inquiry. The purpose of this case study was to understand how undergraduate preservice art educators perceived the impact of using a local, community-engaged mural project (Mending Walls) in the development of pedagogy and curriculum in their foundational coursework and how they perceived its’ impact on their beliefs surrounding teaching and learning. This study explored and built a deeper understanding of using local, community-engaged public art projects in preservice art education. The researcher’s goals for this study included a desire to better understand the course experience with the local, community-engaged mural project (Mending Walls) from the perspective of students; to explore the intersections of community-engaged murals, community-engaged pedagogy, and community-engaged teacher preparation through the perceptions of preservice art educators; and to learn from former students’ perceptions in order to actively reflect on and improve their own teaching practice. The findings profoundly impacted the researcher and provided a variety of implications for the use of public art as pedagogy.
Presenters
Caitlin BlackAssistant Professor, Department of Teaching + Learning in Art + Design, Rhode Island School of Design, Rhode Island, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
Public Arts, Participation, Social Justice and the Arts, Inclusive Communities
