Abstract
This paper explores Maxine Greene’s views on aesthetic pedagogy and the notion of social imagination, in addition to Grant Kester’s views on dialogical art. These approaches are a call for action in art education, in addition to aesthetic approaches that can be applied in other fields of education. Aesthetic pedagogy offers educators and students a sense of intellectual autonomy, and may also facilitate alternative ways of generating meaning. I argue that making art is one part of the educational experience, however, aesthetic experiences also occur when people look at art and discuss it collectively. I encourage educators to adopt an approach of discovery, which is fueled by the outcome of open-ended discussions, and mainly focuses on different individual experiences. Educators may create opportunities for change through engaging in aesthetic experiences in their own daily lives and practices. Aesthetic experiences and aesthetic education foster independent thinking in students and encourages them to be more mindful of their feelings, surroundings, and expressions. Young minds should be educated to be inquisitive, to critique, and become open to possibilities and experiences they may have not considered, which transforms learning from passive to active.
Highlights
Aesthetic pedagogy approaches art from the perspective of understanding experiences, and creating individual meanings from those experiences
Vol 3, No 1, 2020 works of art were created (Flannery, 1973). Another meaning of aesthetic education does not require knowledge about art, but rather an awareness of one’s own senses and feelings; these are known as sensory knowledge and sensuous knowledge, respectively (Flannery, 1973; Kovach, 1970)
Relational aesthetics, according to Bourriaud (2004), takes place through an “encounter”, which is centered on a participatory perspective of art; it becomes what ignites the relationship between artist and audience through dialogue (p. 18). This points to how relational aesthetics explores various artistic practices as complex, layered, and crucial in creating a dialogic path that is situated in society, politics, the economy, and any other aspects one may encounter
Summary
Aesthetic pedagogy approaches art from the perspective of understanding experiences, and creating individual meanings from those experiences This school of thought has the capacity to approach education in a more ethical and relational way anywhere in the world, and at different levels of education. This points to how relational aesthetics explores various artistic practices as complex, layered, and crucial in creating a dialogic path that is situated in society, politics, the economy, and any other aspects one may encounter This simple shift in perception positions art as a product that is never straightforward that it may not be further contemplated, nor isolated from its everyday surroundings (Kohli, 2016). The project became a departure point that opened our eyes to the fact that a simple search for an idea, and the act of collecting and transforming an everyday object physically and visually led us to alternative ways of imagining a world that that could be constantly re-imagined (Figure 1)
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