As we have at our University, in the library a space apart where students learn, do activities and create their own work. This room is not a traditional exhibition room, always I see people inside are sitting on the floor drawing or discussing. Totally different what it should be: in silence, observing and standing up. It has been my reference to write this article and to move this concept to a Primary Education school. It is related to the concept we saw in the last post, about María Acaso and her iniciative about transforming non-places into inhabited places.
This idea is directly related with our Art teacher Alfredo, then it is almost forced to ask him about his opinion and inspiration of this new model of learning, not just relevant for art subject. Here is the interview I did to him based on his opinion about art education nowadays, his methodoogy used at the art room and activities in museums.
INTERVIEW TO ALFREDO
PALACIOS
Alfredo
Palacios Garrido. PhD in Fine Arts.
I
work as a lecturer in Cardenal Cisneros University College, I teach
art education in the Infant and Primary Education Degrees.
1. HAVE YOUR CLASSES
CHANGED BEFORE AND AFTER THIS EXHIBITION ROOM? HOW HAVE YOUR CLASSES
CHANGED? HOW DO YOU USE THIS SPACE?
Yes.
Since
this space was opened I have had several classess in it. It is a
great opportunity of having a first hand approach to works of art. It
is highly motivating. Leaving the classroom and entering an “art
gallery” makes you think in a different way. In
these classes I ask my student to observe, analyse, discuss, and also
create artistic work in response to the works of art.
There
has been also some workshops with the artist who is exhibiting her
work in this space in these days: Gracia Bondía.
2. DO YOU THINK IS THIS
PLACE USEFUL AT THIS UNIVERSITY? AND IN OTHER UNIVERSITIES?
Absolutely.
It is a way to make art closer to the students and also to the rest
of the people who work here. These kind of spaces, apart from the
Fine Arts Faculties, are quite unusual. As fas as I am concerned, you
can find spaces that you can use, from time to time as exhibition
rooms, but not an specific exhibition room like this.
3. WOULD YOU CONSIDER
USEFUL EXHIBITION SPACES IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL? WHAT BENEFITS COULD IT
HAVE?
Of
course.
It would make art more real, more connected to pupils’
life, and art could be integrated in the curriculum. Art Education
could definitely be a more interesting subject for the students with
this resource in the schools, but not only for the students;
teaching staff, families and the whole educational commuity could
benefit of the opportunity of bringing art into the schools.
If
you want to learn more about exhibition spaces in primary schools,
there is a very interesting article that we published in Pulso
in 2010:
http://revistapulso.cardenalcisneros.es/documentos/articulos/120.pdf
4. DO YOU THINK
EXHIBITION SPACES COULD BE A GOOD RESOURCE TO CHANGE METHODOLOGIES IN
ART EDUCATION?
Yes,
I think so.
But not only for art education, methodologies could
become crosscurricular, with several subjects connected through art
and artists could collaborate with teachers and families, making
learning more engaging.
5. DO YOU CONSIDER THAT
ART EDUCATION IS CHANGING NOWADAYS?
There
are very challenging and new ideas in the world of art education that
connect this subject with very interesting social issues like
multiculturalism, environmental issues, ICT, feminism, etc. Ideas
that explore how art deals with these topics. These tendencies are
trying to make the subject more connected with the real world. But,
I am afraid that this is still far to be part of the contents of the
subject in primary schools.
6. DO YOU KNOW THE
MULTIPLE TEACHING TENDENCIES, VERY CLOSE RELATED WITH ART EDUCATION,
AS EDUPUNK, REDUVOLUTION, ETC.? ARE YOUR CLASSES INSPIRED IN SOME OF
THEM?
No.
But these names sound quite interesting, and I think I am going to do
a little research about that after I finish this interview…
7. DO YOU CONSIDER
NECESARY TO PRIMARY STUDENTS GO TO MUSEUMS AND EXHIBITIONS? HOW
SHOULD BE THE ACTIVITIES PROGRAMMED IN THIS SPACES? ARE THIS SPACES
ADDAPTED TO DYNAMIC METHODOLOGIES OR NOWADAYS ARE STILL PLACES WHERE
YOU HAVE TO BE IN SILENCE JUST OBSERVING?
Of
course.
Museums and galleries can be fantastic places for learning.
These places have changed a lot in recent years in terms of
educational methodologies and pedagogical projects, now they are much
more dynamic and engaging as learning spaces.
In
fact, museums and art galleries are places where very experimental
and new experiences in art education are taking place.
8. TO CONCLUDE, ANY
ADVICE OR COMMENT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY US, LAST YEAR STUDENTS, AS
FUTURE TEACHERS. THANK YOU!
Yes,
of course.
Be creative and critical and don’t forget that the arts
can be a very powerful tool for change in education, use them!
From this blog I invite you to read the article recomended by Arturo, I'm right now reading it and maybe I have to add many other ideas when I finish to this posts.
Summarizing, the strong point of the art galery in a school is the motivation. It changes your perspective, your way of working, also to the teacher, connecting art and reality. The exhibition room is a space where students and teacher observe and discuss, with the final aim of your own creation. This space could be not only use in art education, it is closely related with literature, music and other arts, not just drawing, also to multiculturalism, feminism, ITC and other cross-curricular topics. Museums and art galleries are fantantic places where students can learn, and not only these places have changed even these are spaces closely related to experiment education.
To conclude, the idea of an art gallery in a Primary school is not just a place where an artist can exhibit his/her work, also it should be a place where all educative community can exhibit their day by day work. The organization of the space should be dynamic, and large where students can move, dance, sing, draw, write and discuss, contextualizing their learning and motivating, because all people can see what they do.
Summarizing, the strong point of the art galery in a school is the motivation. It changes your perspective, your way of working, also to the teacher, connecting art and reality. The exhibition room is a space where students and teacher observe and discuss, with the final aim of your own creation. This space could be not only use in art education, it is closely related with literature, music and other arts, not just drawing, also to multiculturalism, feminism, ITC and other cross-curricular topics. Museums and art galleries are fantantic places where students can learn, and not only these places have changed even these are spaces closely related to experiment education.
To conclude, the idea of an art gallery in a Primary school is not just a place where an artist can exhibit his/her work, also it should be a place where all educative community can exhibit their day by day work. The organization of the space should be dynamic, and large where students can move, dance, sing, draw, write and discuss, contextualizing their learning and motivating, because all people can see what they do.
