Maps offer a means of visual communication that facilitates the understanding of space, geography, and social phenomena. Meanwhile, "cartography" refers to the science of collecting and analyzing data for the purpose of defining and representing geographic measurements of territorial areas graphically at a reduced scale on maps (Wigen…

This article explores collaborative social justice art education, community building, and activism through teacher workshops that utilized contemporary art to generate curriculum and dialogue. It models one possibility for professional development that casts teachers as learners in a supportive yet critical environment. It draws on critical…

Although all things about hip-hop culture are not positive, indigenous hip-hop offers narratives of nationhood, pride, resurgence, and calls for Indigenous sovereignty. Through this art form, one gets to see traditional dance steps merged with b-boy/girl styles and graffiti that interrupts the urban landscape with images of history and hope.…

There is a need for art education programs to foster dispositions of reflection and inquiry that inform a critical dialogue about ways in which privilege and power are deeply embedded in educational settings. Helping preservice teachers develop dispositions necessary for navigating the landscapes of learning in educational settings takes repeated…

Street artist Morley describes how his perspective on graffiti changed when more cosmopolitan art school peers introduced him to what at the time was being redefined from "vandalism" to "street art." Morley explains that, as fascinated as he was, his untrained suburban eyes couldn't make out the words or their meaning in…

This article describes how art teachers can work toward changing the power dynamics in their classrooms by using a student centered approach, as demonstrated by an example lesson about contemporary painter Kehinde Wiley. As the class unpacked the idea of power prevalent in Wiley's portraits, the students gave relevant examples of how power…

A primary goal of substantive art education is to communicate visually--to decipher art for meaning and to construct meaning through images and objects. Strategies available to engage students are the interdisciplinary activities found in performance, visual and written forms of creative expression, and related disciplines such as ethnography,…

Art as social practice encourages active, critical reflections on relevant issues among real people in locally situated engagements and with unpredictable outcomes. This instructional resource focuses on art as social practice that puts critical value on processes of engagement over the creation of art products by exploring contemporary artists…

Three artists from New Mexico who identify as lesbian or queer create work that is informed by their life experiences. Their works show no literal explanations but depict symbolic resolutions. Who they are and what they have experienced have had a strong impact on their work. Through specific materials and distinct color palettes they share…

Although virtually all contemporary art teachers list "enhancing creativity" as a key desired outcome of their programs, analysis of lesson plans used in schools suggests that in practice very little curriculum is specifically geared to developing creative abilities. In this paper, the author describes how she developed the curriculum…

This article provides a rationale for integrating folk art in an urban K-12 art classroom to provide meaningful instruction for all students. The integration of folk art can provide a safe, nurturing environment for all students to learn by acknowledging the value of art in the community. It can prepare students for participation in a democratic…

Murals in a post office can be an important way to explore how public art functions in a community because they represent stories about history, culture, people, and lives. In this lesson, middle school students will investigate murals at a local post office in Sheboygan, Wisconsin to learn about the function of public art and the social role…

Visual culture permeates women's everyday lives, affecting how they see themselves, the world, and their relationships with others. Increasing women's opportunities to recognize the power and problem of visual culture and subsequently to create new meanings through visual culture is an important teaching goal of the author. The author considered…

Most would agree that today's art education is far more complex than art activities such as making pumpkin paintings in October. For one, art education continually evolves in response to arts technology integration. What exactly are the implications for art education in the new millennium? In this article, the author presents and shows some of the…

The discourse of aesthetics appears repeatedly throughout literature in art education and is employed frequently through K-12 classroom practice. This article discusses the use and uselessness of the discourse of aesthetics in art education. Discourse, as used in this article, refers to the specific term "aesthetics," and all the individual and…