What We Can't Say: Ain't We Artists?

Abstract

National Art Education Association (NAEA) presentations on Arts-Based Educational Research (ABER) have been few and far between the past few years. Twelve ABER related presentations were included during the 2006 convention in Chicago. Yet the American Educational Research Association (AERA) has housed an ABER special interest group for 11 years. Many scholars from colleges of education and departments of curriculum and instruction, especially in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, have enthusiastically explored the potential of Arts-Based Educational Research for innovation and meaningful, reflexive artistic research and teaching rigor. Historically, the preponderance of art education departments in the U.S. higher education system, except for a few innovative scholars, have resisted this innovative methodology or, at the very least, have treated it and its practitioners with harsh skepticism.As the publication of this special issue of Studies in Art Education attests, arts-based educational research is now beginning to be considered more seriously in university art education departments in the United States. Following such a challenging start, however, we wonder where we really are in this conversation as a national field. After a decade of exploration, collaboration and publication surrounding various approaches to ABER, such as artistic inquiry, arts-informed research, arts-based educational research and a/r/tography, committed scholars (nationally and internationally) are now delving further into examining these methodologies for a clearer identification of theoretical perspectives, while also comparing and contrasting the defining characteristics of each approach (i.e. Irwin & de Cosson, 2004; Keys, 2003; Kiljunen & Hannula, 2002; Neilsen, Cole & Knowles, 2001; Knowles, Neilsen, Cole & Luciani, 2004; Springgay, 2004; Sullivan, 2004; Suominen, 2003). These scholars continue to act as formative pioneers in the ABER movement while the broader field of education continues to resist Arts-Based Education Research, plaguing these ground-breaking scholars with charges of flagrant narcissism, fears of questionable artistic quality, and accusations of invalidity and irresponsibility.Speaking from Experience: Historical WarningsAnniina (AS), Kathleen (KK): As a word of warning for the young, passionate, idealistic scholars, a full professor shared a story about entering the academy in a department of art education. The professor was strongly advised to stop making art by a senior faculty member in the department. Relegating any and all related manifestations to a hobby status was the advice provided, along with the warning that art production would cause her scholarship to be taken far less seriously. Clearly missed by the senior professor, were the integral ties between art-creation and the viable processes of arts inquiry.Nearly 20 years later, that early rejection of artistic production compared to the now evolving ABER methods, absurdly suggests to us a denial of visual art creation as a vivid and valid learning modality for arts educators and likewise our students. Isn't this the essential claim of our field? Do we not try to provide through extensive evidence and example that art practice and contemplation are an extremely rich learning endeavor for all students? Interestingly, it is (has been) acceptable for art education academics to take on research interest areas in art history, aesthetics and criticism-and publish or present accordingly. Why then is the role of art educator as artist so historically and currently contested within the field of art education? What fears or threats are associated with the concept of art educator as artist? How can such a modernist view of research and art education ever support ABER? Why is the symbiotic relationship of artistic practice and art education research so difficult for others to accept?Adversarial ProtectionCombined with the warning from our shared advisor as we, the authors, were finishing our doctoral research, was her emphatic and firm, yet cautious, support strengthened three-fold by the additional support (protection) from our art education committee members. …