Public art as an educational resource

Abstract

This article presents the results of a trans-disciplinary study focusing on public art and art education. It poses questions about public art as an educational resource, and acknowledges the need to clarify its educational role. The study investigated whether or not urban environments with numerous works of public art contribute positively to the development of visual literacy. A survey was conducted of fifth and sixth grade students in three schools located in urban spaces with a lot of public art and three schools in places with very little. A finding was that students who attended schools in environments with many public works were more skilled in the perception of urban space and more visually literate. This was due not only to their daily contact with them, but also to socio-cultural factors. Based on the results, the author produced an educational resource for teachers and parents interested in developing children's visual literacy.