In Fall 2023 our special topic is Critical Curiosities & Creative Community Encounters: Public Art as Pedagogy. We will explore public art as a catalyst for community engagement, critical dialogue, and social change. Public spaces will serve as a site of inquiry in the development of art and design practice, considering issues of: centering the communities you work in; opportunities for interdisciplinary connections, considerations for intergenerational engagement; and promoting collaboration, critical reflection, and creative expression as tools for social justice. 

Estimated Cost of Materials: $20.00

Open to Junior, Senior or Graduate Students.

Elective

This course examines the historical developments of visual arts education in its connection to general education; contemporary theory and practices of art education; and implications for the future of the field related to equity and justice. At  each stage of the investigation, issues are examined in terms of the relationship between context, content, and pedagogical practice. There is a particular emphasis in this course on exploring the manner in which social and political constructions shape curriculum and pedagogy in art + design education. Major topics of investigation include: social theories impacting  curricular practices in visual arts and design education, and histories of advocacy, justice, and equity in art + design education.

Enrollment in this course is limited to Teaching + Learning in Art + Design Students.

Major Requirement | MAT Teaching + Learning in Art + Design

A field-based student teaching (clinical teaching) experience at the elementary level in a public school in Rhode Island or Massachusetts, supervised by school-based clinical educators and faculty from RISD's Department of Teaching + Learning in Art + Design. A student teacher's performance during this six-week teaching assignment is assessed using the performance benchmarks of the Rhode Island Professional Teaching Standards (RIPTS).

This course is a requirement for Teaching + Learning in Art + Design Students.

Major Requirement | MA, MAT Teaching + Learning in Art + Design

The most compelling arguments in support of the value of the arts in education and the case for arts as an agent of transformation in the lives of children and youth become most evident through the analysis of high-quality contemporary practices in arts pedagogy situated in a range of settings both in and out of schools. This seminar, in addition to students' personal case study investigations, utilizes conversations with visiting arts administrators, artists, curators, educators, and scholars as lenses to inform the analysis and discussion of models of practice that result in meaningful experience that inspire in children and youth creative thinking, making, and innovation. Key products from the course include response papers, a case study report and final presentation.

Please contact the instructor for permission to register. Preference is given to Teaching + Learning in Art + Design Students.

Major Requirement | MA Teaching + Learning in Art + Design