Educating for cultural citizenship: Reframing the goals of arts education

Abstract

Arts education does more than transfer the skills and knowledge needed to create artistic works. It also helps to shape young people's orientations towards participation in the cultural life of their communities. In this article, Paul Kuttner argues for reframing arts education as a process of developing cultural citizenship. Cultural citizenship, a concept from political theory and cultural studies, is concerned with the development of diverse cultural practices and identities alongside full participation in cultural and political life. Using this lens, we can look at different forms of arts education and ask, “What types of cultural citizens are these programs developing?” Building on the work of civic education scholars Westheimer and Kahne (2004), Kuttner suggests a few initial types before delving into a fuller description of what he calls the “justice-oriented cultural citizen.” This concept is illustrated with data from an ethnographic case study of one arts organization that is developing such citizens: Project HIP-HOP, a Boston-based youth organization that trains young artists as cultural organizers who can use their art to catalyze change in their communities. This reframing of arts education as a form of civic education helps to situate artistic practices in their larger socio-political contexts, while contributing to an ongoing dialogue about the role of arts education in supporting participatory democracy and social change.