Investigating Intersections of Art Educator Practices and Creative Placemaking Practices Through a Participatory Action Research Study

Download or read book Investigating Intersections of Art Educator Practices and Creative Placemaking Practices Through a Participatory Action Research Study written by Ketal Patel and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Though art education and creative placemaking are two established fields within the arts and culture ecosystem, very little research examines the intersections of these two domains. Specifically, a gap exists in practitioner voices to share their practical knowledge and experiences in the field. This study is an investigation of intersections between the self-identified practices of specific art educators and the field of creative placemaking. As a participant researcher, I worked with three art educators from around the United States to engage in collaborative inquiry. This study took place from November of 2020 to March of 2021 and the team worked virtually due to a global pandemic. The team of art educators engaged in a participatory action research (PAR) study to investigate their own practice(s) and potential intersections with the field of creative placemaking. This PAR study is grounded in critical theory to engage in inquiry that can promote a deeper understanding of our own contexts and support transformation through dialogic work with people to elevate and voice the unique experiences and expertise they bring to the research. My participant collaborators brought their expertise as a high school art educator, a museum educator, and an arts education consultant. Utilizing a PAR framework, dialogic work occurred virtually through semi-structured interviews, a group call, and individual arts-based inquiry to answer research questions surrounding their work within art education and intersection and divergence with the field of creative placemaking. Using narrative and arts-based methods, the PAR team shared specific stories where their work as art education professionals converges with creative placemaking and the distinct separation they find among the fields. Through this emergent and collaborative process, participant collaborators and I found intersection with their art education practice(s) and the practices identified within creative placemaking literature. The results showcase four emergent intersections that arose through a diffractive analysis of the data. These emergent themes are: art educator as “creative initiator”, the ability to not work in a silo, a willingness to experiment, and the ability to recognize tensions among our two fields. I posit that these four themes not only demonstrate the intersection with creative placemaking, but also showcase the varying strategies art educators employ to successfully support and serve their respective stakeholders. The divergences that were reveled through this study are specific to this research occurring during the time of COVID-19. The group identified how in this contemporary moment, concepts of place, community, and social unrest need to be further interrogated to fully understand the ways their practices as art education professionals and the field of creative placemaking diverge during and post pandemic. The narratives and arts-based work of specific art educators within this PAR study have implications within the field of art education. Foremost the ability to articulate, document, and share stories regarding art educator practices demonstrate the broad cadre of pedagogical expertise professionals utilize to serve their stakeholders. Secondly this research is starting point in placing art education professionals in a broader discourse regarding the arts and culture ecosystem.