“The real value in arts education is to provide opportunity for learners to better understand themselves and their relationship with the world.” (Bolden, 2022).
For my second last post, I wanted to look into visions of sustainability for Arts Education. Throughout my research, I have discussed pedagogies and practices that honour student voices and described culturally relevant teaching practices. Part of sustainability in Arts Education involves community involvement and engagement, sustaining culture, making Art accessible for all, and considering the role of technology in the present-day classroom. Bolden et al. (2021) describe four key takeaways to visions for sustainability in Arts education: cultural sustainability, community, honoring voices, and accessibility.
Bolden (2022) suggests that Arts education can be supported by the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG #4 is Quality Education. The United Nations Development Programme (2022) states, "achieving inclusive and quality education for all reaffirms the belief that education is one of the most powerful and proven vehicles for sustainable development."
Researching, advocating, and improving Arts education are universal goals for educators across the world, but these all look slightly different depending on context. Benefits and challenges are conceptualized differently across the world. Bolden (2022) encourages us to use Art as a tool for building understanding. “By receiving art – listening to music, experiencing drama and dance, spending time with creative writing and visual artworks – we can gain new perspectives.” (Bolden, 2022).
There is real value to using Art to educate learners on the challenges of sustainability, cultural diversity, climate change, inequality, peace, and justice.
Additional resources I would recommend to educators looking to find out more information on how they can align their teaching practices with SDGs:
References
Bolden, B., & Chagas, C. (2022, March 24). Creating meaningful change through the arts. Queen's Gazette | Queen's University. Retrieved August 11, 2022, from https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/creating-meaningful-change-through-arts
Bolden, B., Jeanneret, N., & Kukkonen, T. (2021). Visions of sustainability for arts education: Value, challenge and potential. Visions of Sustainability for Arts Education, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6174-7_1
Sustainable development goals - resources for educators. UNESCO. (2019, August 28). Retrieved August 11, 2022, from https://en.unesco.org/themes/education/sdgs/material
United Nations Development Programme. (2022). Sustainable development goals: United Nations Development Programme. Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved August 11, 2022, from https://www.undp.org/eswatini/sustainable-development-goals?utm_source=EN&utm_medium=GSR&utm_content=US_UNDP_PaidSearch_Brand_English&utm_campaign=CENTRAL&c_src=CENTRAL&c_src2=GSR&gclid=CjwKCAjw0dKXBhBPEiwA2bmObVu5Y65hEqOqEyYVo7Twlw7xaUJiM0yNceXTa1GYwHVycRsqSHMmTBoCSVEQAvD_BwE
Toronto, May 2022
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