Digital Commons Network^™

Garment Making As A Practice Of Freedom, Emily Bennison

Masters Theses

This Thesis investigates sewing education in schools as a transformative experience for teenagers. Through teacher-based research methodology, this study delves into the implementation of fashion design classes aimed to foster creative expression. Critical thinking, and social engagement among teens. The research draws upon scholarly work that engaged with home economics, community sewing classes, and trauma informed pedagogical approaches. The qualitative data gathered from classroom observations and the teacher reflections have informed a socially engaged sewing zine that comprises lesson plans. The findings shed light on the potential of fashion design education to empower students, cultivate their artistic skill, and encouragement …

Community Engagement In Art & Design Colleges, Mah Rukh Raja

Masters Theses

This thesis titled ‘Community Engagement in Art & Design Colleges: Case Studies from Pakistan’ highlights the importance of community-engaged practices in education, specifically within the realm of art and design, and examines the effect of community engagement on student learning. It focuses on the importance of creating opportunities for reciprocal, community-engaged learning where responsibilities, roles and credit are shared equally among students, community partners, and educational institutions to develop projects that are in the best interest of communities.

This research coincides with the introduction of community and civic engagement in undergraduate education in Pakistan. Its primary objective is to serve …

Things I'Ve Learned From Doing Cosplay: An Investigation On Incorporating “Atypical” Creative Practices Into Art Education, Yvonne Liang

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the pedagogical value of cosplay through a focused case study and autoethnography, highlighting its influence on identity formation and community engagement among youth. The autoethnographic component provides a personal perspective, enriching the empirical data collected from participants in a cosplay workshop. The case study delves into how cosplay encourages skill development, creativity, and emotional resilience, facilitating a supportive and dynamic learning environment for young adults. Insights from this research demonstrate the significant benefits of integrating cosplay into art education, suggesting it can greatly enhance student engagement and promote diverse educational experiences. This study contributes to the understanding …

A Study Of Art Education Strategies For Remote Learning During The Pandemic, Stephanie Cook

Theses and Dissertations

In the wake of COVID-19, educators had to adjust their curriculum and pedagogies to create an environment of learning while their students couldn't come into the classroom. As teachers and students alike adapted to this new distance learning, they encountered many obstacles which made it difficult to teach and to learn compared to what they were used to in a traditional in-person classroom setting. This thesis document compiles my research about the advantages and disadvantages of remote learning before, during, and post-pandemic. The research component of this project consists of the commentary of four art educators who share what they …

Harnessing The Power Of Student Voice: A Case Study Of Hybrid Proficiency-Based And Co-Created Curriculum And Assessment, Kaitlyn A. Seamons

Theses and Dissertations

Assessment has become a dirty word in arts education, because art is notoriously difficult to assess. Assessment, which is often disliked or even disavowed by arts educators, due to its history of incompatibility with the idiosyncratic nature of arts learning, should ideally be utilized as a means of measuring student progress and help teachers understand how to help students succeed. While assessment can also be used to evaluate programs and teachers and to compare student successes relative to those of other students, I will be focusing on measuring individual student progress for my thesis and building a curriculum to support …

How I Came To Jam With The Angels Of The Dirty South: A Journey Into Art And Art Education, Miki Skak

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper dives into my personal journey from a far-left activist youth into becoming an artist. It explains how a poet saw artistic potential within me, introduced me to the world of art and eventually art education. I reflect on the art education I have received from several different art schools and how they try to adapt to the demands of the contemporary art world that has been in a constant condition of reshaping itself since Marcel Duchamp’s readymade. As an artist who is less focused on the techniques of traditional artistic mediums, I investigate how the state of art …

A Queered Exhibition: Lgbtqia+ Artists Expressing Identity And Visibility Through Art-Based Research, Christy D. Paris

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Too often museums, galleries, and art curriculum ignore or erase the lives and art of LGBTQIA+ individuals. This exhibition aimed to make the diverse lives and art from the queer community visible. Integrating queer perspectives and visibility is empowering and creates a sense of belonging. Queering the art world can present alternative perspectives, promote diversity, and provide exposure to a more inclusive experience for all. The aim of this inquiry is to inform institutional practices within museums on queer inclusivity and further scholarship on this topic by engaging with the queer art community and public during an exhibition held in …

A Queered Exhibition: Lgbtqia+ Artists Expressing Identity And Visibility Through Art-Based Research, Christy D. Paris

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Too often museums, galleries, and art curriculum ignore or erase the lives and art of LGBTQIA+ individuals. This exhibition aimed to make the diverse lives and art from the queer community visible. Integrating queer perspectives and visibility is empowering and creates a sense of belonging. Queering the art world can present alternative perspectives, promote diversity, and provide exposure to a more inclusive experience for all. The aim of this inquiry is to inform institutional practices within museums on queer inclusivity and further scholarship on this topic by engaging with the queer art community and public during an exhibition held in …

Addressing Ecoanxiety Through The Lens Of Children’S Literature In The Elementary Art Classroom, Dara E. Andre

Art and Design Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the how as an art educator I can incorporate environmentalism into my art lessons without furthering ecoanxiety in my elementary classroom. Through looking into the many years of research behind the field of eco-art education I found that there were many teachers already finding ways to make their classrooms environmentally conscious. I chose to further explore this topic through the medium of illustrated children’s literature in an attempt to uncover new ways to address environmentalism in the classroom without causing further harm to student mental health. Through the process of writing and …

Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Pedagogy In Art Education, Amelia Guido

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This thesis explores the implementation of Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed (ECTI) ecosystem in art education. With the increasing levels of anxiety and depression among adolescents and the growing emphasis on social-emotion learning (SEL), this study sought to address the ways art education may benefit students socially and emotionally. However, through research, an understanding and a need for an equity-centered education was formed. While SEL practices place emphasis on utilizing the social and emotional skills-based core competencies, ECTI education focuses on addressing trauma and systemic inequities to create supportive and inclusive learning environments.

The literature review encompasses an understanding of trauma and its …

The Border Crosser's Pocketbook: A Guide To Engaged Pedagogy In After School Arts, Britney Coppick

Masters Theses

The questions that sparked this research were developed after spending time working internationally and locally with youth in after school arts programs. These inquiries aim to critically examine the way after school arts programs are run in relation to the culturally and racially diverse communities they serve, discuss how these methods engage with the field of arts education as a whole, and ultimately provide practical approaches, strategies, and tools that educators can implement in these programs. Written from the perspective of a white, female educator who works in racially diverse learning spaces, this project is aimed at enabling educators in …

Design: A Path To Agency, Design Thinking: An Educational Imperative, Seva Simone

Masters Theses

Design(ing) and Design Thinking are valuable frameworks that should be used to drive agency: This thesis explores what design and design thinking are and builds a case for incorporating design into art education.

Design isn’t a mainstream subject of study in public school curricula. Design offers a unique body of knowledge that is highly relevant to the inner-workings of our world: knowledge imperative to teach if we want to succeed in solving wicked problems like global warming and mitigating global injustices. Studying design allows students to connect academic learning to the world outside the ivy, bridging the gap between the …

Impact Of Art Educators: Artistic Practices, Political Advocacy And Pedagogy Of Frida Kahlo And Faith Ringgold, Gabriela P. Cantu

Masters Theses

Throughout the accomplished careers of Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) and Faith Ringgold (b. 1930), both women produced intimate autobiographical art that was exhibited in major institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum of Modern Art, and The Louvre. Beyond their art, I present an analysis of their commitments to work as political activists and arts educators which reveals their prioritization of the social, political, and economic advancement of their respective communities. I argue that their pedagogy, as a culmination of personal and cultural interrogation and celebration, produced measurable success in impacting future generations of diverse artists and …

Design Thinking Process: Visual Art Curriculum Design Tool For Students With Severe And Multiple Disabilities, Kendall Le Siddiqui

Art and Design Theses

All students enter the art room and deserve the opportunity to participate in learning about and creating art. Planning for students with severe and multiple disabilities can be difficult because there is a lack of training and exposure before becoming an art educator. The design thinking process centers the student in the art educator’s research and planning. The design thinking process as a curriculum tool could be a clear path for art educators to plan for success for this population of students.

Live-Art: A Business Plan Of A Start-Up For Art Education And Art Collection, Chuzhe Wang

MA Projects

Live-Art is a start-up venture in New York City that combines online and offline art
experiences, which blurs the boundaries between art education and art collection and organically integrates the two fields. Our philosophy is to inspire people to live with art and create their own art kingdom. By strengthening each individual’s engagement in the art world, we aim to improve our users’ art appreciation perception through art education and to encourage them to create an aesthetic atmosphere for their living environment through art collection. Traditionally, education is more focused on non-profit, while art collection is more on commercialized consumption. …

Assessing The Perceived Impact Of A Local, Community-Engaged Mural Project On Preservice Art Educators In Foundational Coursework, Caitlin M. Black

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study merged the methodological frameworks of qualitative case study and narrative inquiry (Sonday et. al, 2020) to assess the perceived impact of a local, community-engaged mural art project (Mending Walls) on undergraduate preservice art educators in foundational coursework. 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 Significance Of Art Education: Creating A Digital Classroom Advocating Art Education, Keri K. O'Connell

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Art programs have always been essential to education; they have provided students with a safe place to express themselves and make risk-free choices. However, due to budget cuts to the public school systems, art education is in jeopardy. The impact of the budget cuts on art education is widespread and has reduced student access to the arts and lowered the quality of the art education programs within our public school system. Schools can only provide students with the necessary resources, such as art supplies, technology, and professional development for art educators, with adequate funding. When schools are not receiving adequate …

Tiktok As Art: Visual Culture Art Education In An Afterschool Art Program, Chloe C. Morrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research and the objective were to investigate the firsthand experience of

visual culture art education in an after-school art program. The after-school

program was focused mainly on an underserved population. We focused our

concentration on the social media app TikTok. The author investigated visual

culture theorists and discovered ideas from Terry Barrett and his use of

denotations and connotations and their relationship to art. The participants were

members of the Boys and Girls Club of Nacogdoches who analyzed TikTok

videos using annotations and denotations, then in return created their own

individual videos inspired by an original TikTok video. The …

Revolution Of Steam Education: The Importance Of Interdisciplinary Art Education (Steam) In Elementary Education, Suyu Chen

Masters Theses

This thesis discusses how interdisciplinary art education benefits young children from different aspects, including gender bias in disciplines, developing creativity and imagination, motivating children to engage the class and improving their efficiency of studying. Through an interview with a STEAM educator and my own curriculum development, I show some examples of what STEAM can look like in the elementary class. I demonstrate that there is evidence showing that STEAM education can create an engaging learning environment for young children. When STEAM projects are introduced, children are more focused and interested in classroom activities when compared to STEM projects alone.

Artful Healing: Exploring Creative Expression And Play In Children's Hospitals, Phoebe Strobino

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the role and accessibility of creative expression and play in children’s hospitals, and the impact these ideas have on patients. I explored these ideas through teaching four lessons at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. Two of these lessons were taught in group sessions, and two were taught in one-on-one sessions, with participants ranging in age. Following an introduction to each lesson, I provide the plan itself along with general observations and reflections on teaching. Due to the nature of the setting, information is kept purposefully broad throughout my observations in order to respect the anonymity …

Contemporary Eco Theory In Art Education: Field Notes And Desire Paths, Margaret K. Mccullough

Masters Theses

This thesis is an investigation into patterns and overlaps of three critical elements in our world, art, nature, and education. Integral to this investigation and the contributions to humanity of these three are the accurate depiction of specific realities, upon which Science and the majority of global citizens agree, aesthetic sensibility, as well as beneficent solutions (i.e. those which do no harm.) Together we will examine the intersection of subjects, what they combine to achieve. We will consider how, taught and learned in unison, they may take on a position of greater prominence in efforts to solve real world problems. …

Care, Inclusivity, And Accessibility In Glass Art Education, Bridget Provan

Masters Theses

In glass art education care, inclusivity, and accessibility have been recurring themes that have kept arising in my journey. Specifically, why are they absent? As an art educator, I feel it is important to support and educate all students and their entire being. As an art student when I received any care I felt it was extraordinary but, in reflection, I feel it should be the minimum an educator provides. In my thesis I explore the importance of care, inclusivity, and accessibility in glass education and how to incorporate all three into multiple educational settings. This thesis is a culmination …

Toona Sinensis 桃花心木, Li Yang

Masters Theses

This thesis is my journey as an artist and art educator in search of creativity through the lens of sustainability, which may reveal the existence of questions one wonders about but does not provide a specific answer or solution to this within a limited time frame. Through this inquiry, questions are repeatedly asked: What is the definition of art? If art and education have a tremendous impact on human thought and perception, do they point people in the right direction when confronted with global issues such as cultural and natural sustainability? If so, what is the essential difference between art …

The Mind’S Eyes: An Autoethnographic Exploration Of Learning To Draw In Adulthood, Ramona Crawford

Educational Studies Dissertations

Amid a long period of deskilling in art school curricula, craft has been denigrated as inferior to art and confining for artists, but can craft liberate imagination? The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between an adult learner’s self-perceived capacity for imaginative expression in representational drawing and the development of her artisanal judgment during a self-directed program of classical study, online and in-person, over a period of 22 months (mostly during the coronavirus pandemic). The researcher created, coded, and analyzed drawings, photographs, field notes, diaries, and video recordings to track cognitive events and situative factors encountered in …

Using Art Education To Cultivate Self-Efficacy And Divergent Thinking, Julian Flores Rubalcaba

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of an art teacher implementing art education with creative learning principles to cultivate students’ creative self-efficacy and divergent thinking at one middle school in the Inland Empire located in Southern California. The research continues to focus on how self-efficacy and divergent thinking cultivate through the process of art creation through project-based learning (Puente-Díaz & Cavazos-Arroyo, 2017). An art education is not a requirement for students to receive throughout their PK-12 general education in low socioeconomic schools due to an emphasis on the general education curriculum to focus on high-stakes standardized …

The Collaboration Of Art Museums And Art Education In The School Setting, Breanna S. Daugherty

Masters Theses

Many schools offer visual arts as an elective, so an art field trip could be seen as a fun reward instead of a required component of the curriculum. However, certain evidence has contradicted this idea. For instance, students who are able to visit an art museum, view original artworks, and discover the process of real artists have displayed long-term benefits. The latter range from enhanced behaviors, questioning, critical thinking, and empathy in students after visiting an art museum. This paper is a study of how an art museum’s educational resources can benefit and be implemented into a school setting. First, …

Art Education As Mutual Aid: Community And Social Justice Based Initiatives, Janelle O'Malley

Student Projects

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, education has drastically changed. The months of pandemic coupled with rising political upheaval left issues with schooling at the bottom of the list. Yet, the repercussions of the pandemic have forever changed the face of our educational system. Especially hard hit during this time was subjects deemed unimportant such as music and art. These classes, which already have faced their fair amount of cutbacks, were once again left on the chopping block. Even though the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015 ensured that art would be treated as a core subject, it …

Game-Based Learning: Building Competence In Visual Literacy Through Simulation, Carol Record

Theses

Game-based learning is an ideal experiential learning framework for introducing the critique process to reduce student anxiety and create competence in visual literacy and self-assessment. Critique, the assessment, and analysis of one’s work is an essential step in any creative process. It is an integral part of art school. However, it can also be a source of high anxiety for new students. This paper discusses the importance of critique, the challenges associated with teaching critique, and the benefits of utilizing game-based learning. Examples of game-based learning solutions are explored, including the development of, and response to, Lumen, a card game …

The Teaching Artist Experience: An Art-Based Study Exploring Teaching Artists' Perspectives On The Efficacy Of Employment-Based Training And Support, Tessa Bry Taylor

Educational Studies Dissertations

This art-based research study seeks to examine teaching artists’ current perspectives on the models of training and support provided to them by their employers. The study was conducted with a group of teaching artists exploring two key research questions: What models of training and support do teaching artists receive? What are teaching artists perspectives on the efficacy of those models? Responses were explored collaboratively through a cyclical process of artmaking, reflection, and discussion designed and facilitated by the artist-researcher. The study yielded the following outcomes: teaching artists believe training and support received from employers is inefficient and inconsistent; teaching artists …

Online Art Education: Teaching Through A Pandemic, Jordan Pepper

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020, most school systems have been forced to move to online instruction presenting a unique set of unprecedented challenges for art educators. This thesis analyzed what three individual art teachers experienced when transitioning from an in-person art classroom to a virtual one through the use of interviews as the primary source of data collection. This research project examined what art teachers experienced with online art education; how art teachers learned about, adjusted to, or prepared for an online visual art education; and the ways in which art teachers responded to issues of inequity related …