Community-Based Art Education - Hunters/Gathers and More!

            I never considered community-based art to utilize such terms as hunter, gatherer, or detective, yet that is exactly what was utilized in Theresa Marche’s article on community art education.  In this article, Marche describes an approach to community based art education, which was utilized in a small rural school in southern Indiana.  This program, which explores internal and external communities as a part of the Project ARTS project, was directed towards developing the talents of multicultural, rural students who show promise in the arts.

            By allowing students to be active participants by looking-outward into the community in the roles of hunter/gatherers, detectives, and activists, they developed a connection to and appreciation for the history and customs of their community.  Another important process in community-based art education is the ability to look inward in order to create a community of support and collaboration in which students feel engaged. 

            This article helped me to realize that the more students are involved in their communities, the more they want to help solve the problems found there.  This new found desire to become social activists and community planners can lead to a greater understanding of the community which, in turn, can lead to a greater sense of ownership and empowerment. 

            One of the best lessons learned from this type of experience is that it may indeed take a village to change a village.  In other words, we cannot do it alone. This group helps spread effective community-based arts practices around the world.  This sentiment was best expressed by Marche herself: 

Like a pebble thrown into a pond, effects of this decision rippled outward to the community and then reflected back again, inward to the school community, creating an ever changing pattern of connections and personal relationships that enriched all who were involved.

            Besides looking inward for help within the school community, and looking outward for help within the local community, there are also organizations online that can help teachers with the process of community based art education.  One such organization is the Crossroads Institute that is located in New Orleans, Louisiana.   This group helps spread effective community-based arts practices around the world.

Marche, T. (1998). Looking outward, looking in: community in art education. Art Education, 51(3), 6-13.