Connecting the Past and the Present

Abstract

Given our deep history of socially-situated artmaking and the human propensity for learning in social contexts, participation in community art offers a wealth of educational potential. Supported by research from neuroscience, anthropology, psychology, education and the arts, as well as concrete examples from higher education, this chapter will outline the theoretical basis for a curriculum rich in community art and establish such practices as a potential antidote to student apathy in contemporary classrooms. This body of interdisciplinary research situates community-based art education at the intersection of transformative community art, social learning theory, and student engagement. By first generating a community of practice within the classroom, then providing students with an opportunity to apply course content, contribute to their immediate culture, and take advantage of some of our most entrenched educational tendencies, community-based art education can be invaluable to student learning and engagement.