Social and critical practices in art education

This exciting book shows how children and students can use art to explore personal, social and cultural issues that touch their lives.

It covers new ground, responding to increasing diversity and to recent government initiatives worldwide to support active citizenship.

That art has a place in this dynamic is clear from the comments of art educators from several countries and working with all ages who write here about their innovative projects with young people. Tim Rollins discusses his work over two decades with disaffected youths in the Bronx and John Johnston describes work in art to bring communities together in Northern Ireland.

Dennis Atkinson questions the traditions of art teaching in English Schools, while Henry Ward describes how he engages his secondary school students in contemporary art practice.

Danielle Souness and Rob Fairley describe room 13, a dynamic space for art in practice in a Scottish primary school. Viv Golding looks at the use of museums and galleries for teaching young children about art, while Diedre Prins, curator of the Robben Island museum in South Africa, describes some of the art based projects for youngsters.

Folami Bayode and Lucy Davies describe a gallery project with disaffected teenagers. Identity is explored or expressed through art by Sarnath Banarjee from India, who uses comics, and by Susan pui san Lok, who explores Chinese and English-Chinese identifications.

The rich diversity of our society needs to be incorporated into the art curriculum in schools, argues Paul Dash.

This exciting volume is rounded off by Leslie Burgess and Nick Addison's account of how they have developed critical and social practices in teacher education at London's Institute of Education. This wide-ranging and groundbreaking book is for all those working in art education, in museums and galleries, schools and communities.