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Implementing the Arts in Educational Curricula: A Guide on Aesthetics and the Arts for Non-Art Educators

AS | CONF 408

The following content and activity were inspired by the book Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, written by Ivy Ross and Susan Magsamen. You can access the book for purchase here or visit their website here. 

Brief Synopsis and Words of Encouragement for Educators:
https://youtu.be/1zAypOxMfyg

Content: 
Please watch the video above to see the primary synopsis of this book as well as how educators can work to activate its lessons in their own curriculum. In addition to the concepts presented in this video is the Aesthetic Mindset. The Aesthetic Mindset is the way in which a person is aware of the arts and aesthetics around them and the level of purposefulness to which they apply these ideas in their lives. It analyzes aesthetic responsiveness in a person. The purpose of this analysis is to draw attention to areas that people may not be fully activating their senses in the arts and aesthetics, allowing them to seek out ways that they can purposefully seek more creative opportunities in the world. For non-art educators, especially, an appreciation and recognition of the arts is important in curriculum development because it allows for creative learning development which leads to students being more dedicated to the learning process. 

I discovered this book after speaking with a children’s educational development professional who works on developing media for youth. Her aim is to ensure that kids see themselves as learners who love to learn, and she recommended the book to me as I am interested in youth curriculum development. My focus in particular is on arts-based learning, and this book illuminated many helpful concepts to me that I plan on exploring further. Within the realm of building peace in an educational setting, I believe that the use of arts in peacebuilding practices is essential, as it offers creative solutions to problems. Especially for youth, arts-based approaches can offer them outlets for their ideas and promote embodied practices. 

Context: 
Use of this book and implementation of its ideas are best suited for non-art teachers who teach high school. As stated in the book, “artistic expression and the creative process enhance cognitive abilities, foster greater self-awareness, and help teens regulate their emotions.” Teachers who teach in high school are able to develop new ways of thinking for teenagers that can assist in their social and professional development as well as help activate their students’ senses before they leave the education system. While the ideas presented in the book can, and often should, be implemented at the community level, for the sake of the activities presented below, an educational setting is more appropriate. That being said, for educators who engage in after school programming or sports, these opportunities can be implemented in these contexts as well.

Ways to Use This Resource:
Summary:
For non-art educators, I recommend reading this book and applying some of its key education-related content to your lesson plans. To start, take the aesthetic mindset index quiz that is outlined below. Once you have an understanding of the level of arts and aesthetics appreciation you currently have, look at the following three lesson plan suggestions based on your results. Each plan will have a series of recommendations and examples of ways to improve your curriculum to activate both your arts appreciation and your students. Challenge yourself to spend 30-45 minutes looking at your current curriculum and finding ways to integrate some of these elements into your lessons. 

Time:
Aesthetic Mindset Index Quiz – 5 minutes
Current Curriculum Overview and Changes – 30 – 45 minutes 

Materials:
– Aesthetic Mindset Index
– Computer
– Past or current curriculum 
– Pen and notepad
– A quiet space to contemplate and reflectively think

Learning Objectives:
– To understand your current arts and aesthetics shortcomings and gain recommendations suited to your experience
– To better connect with and understand the application of the arts in non-art courses 
– To develop content and curriculum revisions that will support your students 

Activity Overview:
Aesthetic Mindset Index Activity (5 minutes)
To complete the quiz online, click here. Below is a modified transcription of the quiz. Feel free to print out the table below and fill it in physically or copy it to your computer to complete digitally. Getting a higher or lower number does not make you inherently good or bad, but rather signals areas of strength and growth.

Access the downloadable and printable table here to fill out for the activity. This will allow you to answer the questions as well as score yourself. Once scored, refer to the curriculum overview and changes for suggestions.
Aesthetic Mindset Index Downloadable TableDownload

    Current Curriculum Overview and Changes (30 – 45 minutes):

    For educators who have an Aesthetic Appreciation score that is 3 or lower: 
    A lower aesthetic appreciation score indicates that a person may not be as aware or responsive to the impact of aesthetics in their environment. In the current world we live in where everything is fast paced, it can be difficult to slow down and be intentional in recognizing the beauty in moments or places. Developing a stronger aesthetic appreciation helps strengthen these skills and promotes critical thinking and emotional intelligence in students. 

    Recommendations to adjust the curriculum to address aesthetic appreciation include the following: 
    – Environmental Education: Implementing elements within the curriculum that force students to slow down and experience the beauty of their lived environments. Examples include nature studies or sustainability lessons. 
    – Cultural Exposure: Increasing cultural awareness and exposure to different traditions will widen students’ understanding of what constitutes beauty and art. Examples include World Culture Days. 
    – Mindfulness Exercises: Promoting mind-body awareness in students will allow them to engage more of their senses and focus on the details that surround them. Examples include grounding exercises at the start of class and breathing exercises integrated into more stressful lessons. 

    You can learn more about the importance of aesthetics in education and other recommendations here: https://www.scribd.com/document/968296739/Aesthetic. 

    For educators who have an Intense Aesthetic Experience score that is 3 or lower: 
    A lower intensity aesthetic experience score shows that a person responds to aesthetic experiences on a less powerful scale. As a result, they may not reap the full benefits that the aesthetics offer within the field of education. As it stands, aesthetics are important to promote innovation and emotional well-being alongside personal development. They do so by stimulating the imagination, evoking emotions, and refining perceptions of others. Aesthetic responses are learned reactions that align with societal and cultural beliefs. As a result, teaching aesthetics and increasing students’ aesthetic reactions allow for critical reflection and meaning-making to occur in the classroom. Once students gain familiarity with pulling meaning from sources of aesthetics, they are able to translate these skills into other subjects. 

    Within the scope of education, developing an intense aesthetic experience can manifest in the following ways:
    – Rethinking Examinations: Instead of focusing on timed exams, integrate oral and participatory projects into your curriculum. Examples include oral presentations, case studies, and peer assessments of homework. 
    – Apply Gamification: Several educational platforms have taken on elements of online gaming to incentivize homework and additional work toward students. Examples include Kahoot! and Duolingo.

    You can learn more about the importance of aesthetics in education and other recommendations here: https://www.scribd.com/document/968296739/Aesthetic and https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/how-aesthetic-pedagogy-can-get-attention-your-gen-z-students. 

    For educators who have a Creative Behavior score that is 3 or lower: 
    The lower creative behavior score displays a lack of art-making on the educator’s end. However, I would like to propose that the very act of curriculum development is considered an art. A way to further activate this process and integrate art-making and creativity into the curriculum can be achieved in a myriad of ways. When creative behaviors are added to lesson plans, students can delve deeper into their interests and gain insights into their readiness and learning profile. 

    Ways that educators can implement creativity in the curriculum are the following: 
    – Doing Differentiated Instruction: This approach means that the educator uses multiple approaches to learning that individually fit with students to support them best. This can extend to both the content and the process of learning. Examples include using embodied movements to explain scientific or mathematical concepts. 
    – Emphasize the Process, Not the Product: In lessons that have clear academic achievement benchmarks that you have to hit, ensure that your students engage deeply in the process of learning rather than attempting to only do well during the end examination. Examples of implementing this include having students lead lessons for the day or teach their concepts to other students. 

    You can learn more about the importance of creativity in education and other recommendations here: https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/articles-and-how-tos/articles/collections/arts-integration-resources/arts-integration-and-differentiated-instruction/#:~:text=Through%20arts%20integration%2C%20students%20use,well%20as%20culminating%20summative%20products and https://teachingstrategies.com/blog/educating-the-whole-child-the-arts-in-the-creative-curriculum/#:~:text=Emphasizing%20the%20Process,process%2C%20not%20the%20final%20product.&text=For%20example%2C%20teachers%20can%20best,part%20of%20the%20classroom%20community. 

    Goal:
    The goal of this resource is to expand educators’ understanding of the importance of adding the arts to their curriculum, as well as help them gain clarity on their personal shortcomings in art appreciation. Opening up the possibility to edit curriculum to match the recommendations above offers ways for educators to broaden their lesson plans to embrace the arts despite not belonging to an arts field. Within the realm of peace education, implementing these approaches to curricula opens up strategic arts-based peacebuilding techniques, such as familiarizing youth with embodied practices that allow them to reclaim their body and become more grounded in their perspectives (Shank and Schirch, 2008). In addition, the arts in curricula help transform worldviews and offer alternative approaches to resolving issues.

    Audience:
    The contents of this post will be sent to the aforementioned educational development specialist as well as a curriculum developer.

    References:
    Shank, M. and Schirch, L. (2008), Strategic Arts-Based Peacebuilding. Peace & Change, 33: 217-242. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0130.2008.00490.x
    Laura D’Olimpio, Aesthetica and eudaimonia: Education for flourishing must include the arts, Journal of Philosophy of Education, Volume 56, Issue 2, April 2022, Pages 238–250, https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.12661

    Dolls4Peace: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Community Healing and Social Action

    This activity was inspired by this resource: View of Dolls4Peace Memorial | Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy  

    By: Gabrielle Jacobs 

    Peacebuilding is often framed as a large-scale issue requiring massive funding and high-level policy work and Organizations. Peacebuilding is typically viewed as a proactive response, or an effort after the fact, to global crises like war. This perspective overlooks the fact that conflict can occur anywhere. Peace is just as necessary when dealing with neighbors, friends, family, and educators. In many urban environments conflict is systemic and purposeful.  

    Content:Click on this link to find out more background on the original Dolls4peace project 

    The Resource (Content) Where to Place It (Context) 
    This resource focuses on a grassroots initiative in Chicago designed to grapple with the effects of gun violence against Black communities. By centering the community’s voice and healing, this program accepts the reality that local healing is the only way to address a cycle of systemic trauma. This resource is best placed in urban elementary or middle school settings, particularly in communities impacted by high levels of structural violence. It is effective in school and educational settings like Art or Social Studies classes. 

    Depending on the age group, the level of context and storytelling would change. Its most powerful placement is in informal contexts where students are given a third space to process. This allows the participants to separate from the strict lines of school-based freedom, where play is supervised and structured. The original use for this project was for a community in mourning, but this may apply to many communities.  

    Implementation: Ways to use this resource 

    In order to incorporate this resource, a classroom activity would have to be planned and implemented. 

    The Lesson Plan:  

    Contextualizing Violence: Students can participate in a storytelling circle or be given time to reflect on their own experiences in relation to violence and loss. 

    Pedagogical Grounding: Such an implementation needs to be rooted in the concepts of Trauma Informed Pedagogy and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy. Both are beneficial since they emphasize the importance of emotional security for the child, analyze the systemic patterns of trauma, and develop a community where the expressions of the participant can be validated as a form of resistance and healing. With restorative justice pedagogy, the educator ensures that this vulnerability can occur. 

    Logistics and Materials: 

    An educator should organize these into kits or stations to ensure a smooth flow. Materials used should have emotional connections to the students but could be anything. 

    Common Supplies Found Objects & Fabric 
     Acrylic paints and brushes  Fine point black drawing markers  Needles, yarn, and crochet hooks  Scissors and glue Buttons, shells, and stones  Ribbons, string, costume jewelry  Lace, velvet, burlap, and satin swatches 

    The Creative Process:  

    The teacher would explain physical act of wrapping/binding the dolls as a meditative practice for containing or holding a memory. The reflection should include the voice for their doll to express their personal journeys or thoughts on the process of community healing. This could be enacted with a small paragraph written by the participants.  

    While the physical construction can be done in a single session, the full implementation, including the storytelling circle and the final reflection, should be structured over 3 to 4 separate classes. This prevents participants from becoming emotionally overwhelmed and allows for deep processing. This would also help remove any kind of time pressure, where students would feel rushed to finish their work.  

    To make this into a collective project, the dolls and short explanations for each could be publicly displayed to memorialize this grief as a community. This final step is essential for Social Action Pedagogy, as it moves the art from a private experience to a public statement of peace and a demand for systemic change. 

    Goal: Peace Education and skill development 

    This project addresses Holistic Peace Education and Trauma-Informed Pedagogy. Students develop: 

    • Knowledge: Understanding of structural violence and the historical context of their own communities. 
    • Skills: Narrative expression through the arts and bonding in community settings. 
    • Attitudes: Global agency and conflict competency in relation to community-based violence. 

    By creating a “living memorial,” they learn that they are not just victims of their environment but active “creators” of peace and memory, as stated by Rochele Royster: 

    Audience: The two stakeholders in this project are a local teacher History teacher in the NOVA area, and the administration at the Brockton Public school in Massachusetts. Both can benefit from this project because it provides an outline for educational activities in which students can gain autonomy of how they deal with violence. I will email these stakeholders a link to this post and website and specifically invite them to leave a comment regarding how they might adapt the wrap doll method for their specific student communities.  

    An Art Activity for Reflection and Generalization of Learning

    Designed by Yuriko Noda

    This is an activity designed and can be utilized effectively at the end of a series of training, seminar, course, etc. that is conducted based on the principles of experiential learning which facilitates participants learning through their experiences.

    Based on the experiential learning cycle adapted from Kolb (2015), it is argued that people can learn from experiences, but just experiencing something is not enough to actually learn from it. For the effective experiential learning, the process of “Reflection” and “Generalization” are important in order to be able to “Apply” the learning in the future. Therefore, this activity is designed to be helpful for participants to reflect and generalize their learning from their experiences.


    Outline of the activity:

    • Overview: The participants take time to work on their own to reflect their series of experiences, make a short story about it, and put it into an art piece. After that, the participants present it to the group, and the facilitator lead a short discussion about each presentation with the group, as well as a short reflection about this entire activity.
    • Time: 45-60 minutes
    • Number of participants: Any number more than 3
    • Age group: Any age, depending on the expected depth of the reflections, generalizations, and discussions
    • Settings: In-person or online.
      • For in-person settings, a variety of materials need to be prepared.
      • For online settings, it’s helpful to notify the participants in advance so that they can bring their own materials ready.
    • Goals: By the end of this activity, the participants would be able to
      • Become more aware of their biggest learning from the series of experiences
      • Express and present their biggest learning from the series of experiences
      • Have ideas how to apply their biggest learning from the series of experiences in their future
      • Remember their biggest learning from the series of experiences even after the completion
    • Pre-Work:
      • This 45–60-minutes activity is designed to be conducted after each participant taking time to reflect their series of experiences. So it is recommended to either give them heads-up to reflect the experiences on their own or set time for reflection together before this activity.
      • If it’s conducted online, it is also helpful to tell the participants briefly what we are going to do, and ask them to bring materials they may want to use (paper, pens, musical instruments, etc.).
    • Flow and instructions:
      • Introduction (1 min): Why we are doing this activity (purpose).
        • Presenting the learning cycle of DO – REFLECT – GENERALIZE – APPLY from the experiential learning, explain that this activity will help their reflection and generalization process of their learning and their preparation for application. DO part should have been done during the series of experiences.
        • Motivate them to try to grab the most important learning and express it in the form of art.
      • Instructions (4 min):
        • You will have 10 minutes to work on your piece of art by yourself. You are going to think and express the followings in a form of art, and present with the group after that (how to present, time to present depends on the number of the participants).
        • You can use any form of art. It could be a little one-man sketch or skit, making a song, rewriting lyrics of a famous song, drawing a picture, drawing a poster, making a sculpture using what you have at hand, write a poem, etc. But please try to avoid long sentences or wordy explanations. Using hands like handwriting is encouraged rather than typing or drawing on computer. Be creative!
        • Contents of the art is like a story which should include ALL of the following:
          1. BEFORE: How were you before this experience
          2. DURING: What you have learned the most in this experience (it could be several but the biggest one should be highlighted)
          3. AFTER: How it changed you and how/who you are right now
          4. FUTURE: How you can imagine yourself in the future (specify when) based on this experience
        • Time to work by yourself is 10 minutes. Time for you to present is 2 minutes. The facilitator will give you reminders of time (5 minutes to go, 1 mininute to go).
        • Any questions?
      • Individual crafting time (10-15 min). Playing a nice music is a good option. Set a timer and facilitator will give reminders 5 minutes and 1 minute before the end.
      • Presentation and discussion (20 min):
        • We get together after the crafting time is over.
        • Some or all of the partiicpants present their art pieces.
        • After each person’s presentation, other participants are welcome to make short comments, if any.
        • Facilitator will also acknowledge and make a comment on the presentation.
      • Small reflection of this activity (5 min):
        • Open to the floor to share their reflections and learning (if any) of this activity.
      • Wrap up (5 min):
        • Show appreciation for their works and make a brief comment by the facilitator
        • Put up the learning cycle again to highlight that in the experiential learning, it starts with DO but through the process of REFLECT and GENERALIZE, the learners can bring their learning as transferable or applicable knowledge, skills or attitudes. That’s why we did this activity and hope it will be helpful for you to utilize or apply your learning (not only the biggest one but other small ones, too) in your life in the future in different contexts

    Resource:
    Kolb. (2015). Experiential learning : experience as the source of learning and development (Second edition.). Pearson Education Ltd.

    *This activity was designed by Yuriko Noda, a PhD stuent at from Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University

    Music and the Mobilization of Nonviolence: Conflict Skills/Peacemaking Facilitation Activity

    Designed by Yong June Kim

    Background/Contents

    Art is a powerful medium to de-escalate the tension of conflict when it is utilized at an appropriate time. Especially, music could bring strong emotional connectivity among people worldwide; it has been constantly used as a simple but strong tool to overcome social oppression and to strengthen the voice of the public with a nonviolent approach. This activity, Music and the Mobilization of Nonviolence, aims to teach how music could greatly impact emotional connectivity and de-escalation of conflict and contribute to a significant nonviolent movement against conflicts we face in our society. The activity was fully conducted online; due to this condition, the online meeting software Zoom was the main tool to proceed with the activity. Since Zoom provided an interactive whiteboard and screen-sharing option which enable the participants to be simultaneously engaged throughout the activity, it was sufficient to facilitate the exchange of emotions and ideas that are stimulated from the session. The resources for this activity are gathered based on self-research; one song deeply connected to social conflicts is selected per genre: Blues, Gospel, Rock, Hip-hop, Classic, Grassroot music, etc.

    This type of education could be effectively utilized in any group regardless of age or community level when it is conducted in an informal setting since it is based on experiential learning; however, it could be especially practical for students at the K-12 level. As music itself contains entertaining elements, it could help the students maintain their focus and be fully engaged by actively listening and watching music videos during the activity. The debriefing questions are also based on their emotions and feelings that are directly reflected by the musical contents; this simple discussion could make them feel comfortable and safe to learn the key points of this activity that music itself could connect people and contribute to peacebuilding processes in the long term perspective. Furthermore, they will have the opportunity to have a deeper understanding of the backgrounds of musical genres and pieces that they are used to listen but are not actually aware of the hidden stories they embody.

    Implementation

    • Activity Time Duration: 45-60 minutes, depending on the number of songs an educator would like to use.
      • 3 min: Brief introduction and learning objectives
      • 10 min: introduction of a particular genre (it would be helpful to go through research or ask for support from those who have musical expertise during the preparation.)
      • 10 min: Music introduction, listening (4-5 min) and debriefing (5 min) activities #1
      • 10 min: Music introduction, listening (4-5 min) and debriefing (5 min) activities #2
      • 10 min: Music introduction, listening (4-5 min) and debriefing (5 min) activities #3
      • 10-15 min: Review of the activity, simple quiz activities about the music based on debriefing
    • Orientation of the Session: The educator may have multiple sessions, introducing one genre for each session. The first session, however, needs to introduce the overall learning point, which is the music’s impact on peacebuilding and the mobilization of the nonviolence movement in society. Guiding the main theme at the beginning session will help both educators and students to be consistent with understanding the music’s role in the strategic peacebuilding process while engaging in the activity throughout the sessions. For example, sessions could be categorized like the example below:
      • Session 1: Introduction_How Music Helps Strategic Peacebuilding?
      • Session 2: Understanding the Origin of Blues Through Learning the Black History
      • Session 3: Learning Gospel through Analyzing Amazing Grace
      • Session 4: How did Hip-hop Become a Powerful Medium for Raising Voices for Social Issues
      • Session 5: Rock for Peace
    • Each session will start by introducing two to three songs that are relevant to the genre. The educator may briefly introduce the background of the songs and share the lyrics with the participants to help them have a better understanding of the contexts. The facilitator could also have a simple quiz about the music so that the participants can guess the information about the music, providing much more interaction during the session.
    • After appreciating those musical pieces, the educator can move into a debriefing session. When it is conducted online, shared whiteboard and brainstorming programs  through Zoom or Mural could be utilized to have students engaged in the activity. When it is conducted in person, however, the educator may use a large size of paper so that the participants could simultaneously add their thoughts of impression and engaged emotions to the paper. The Questions after listening to the musical pieces could be like below:
      • Let’s share your thoughts; what was the most impressive part for you when thinking of peacebuilding, nonviolence, and conflict?
      • What were the implications of the lyrics, rhythms, melodies?
      • Are there any other elements that seem powerful for the nonviolent process? Why?
      • If you want to introduce other songs you particularly find relevant, please share and explain why it is connected to the topic.

    Goal

    The objective is to connect music with peacebuilding and the nonviolence movement by emphasizing its contribution to emotional connectivity between groups, individuals, and communities. Through such experiential learning processes utilizing basic senses that are based on auditory, visionary, and somatic senses, it aims to help students to maintain their interest in learning in non-academic approaches. Also, this activity could help the students have better accessibility to understanding past and current major conflicts that are occurring worldwide by appreciating the musical pieces that directly reflect them. By doing so, it could facilitate the process of conscientization (Freire, 1970), which enables the participants to understand the social issues that could be directly related to themselves in a critical manner. The contents illustrated below could be the main learning objectives:

    Resources Used for the Activity

    Musical pieces that are used for the activity could various depending on the educator’s preferences or participants’ suggestions through discussion at the beginning of the session:

    1. Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Seabury Press.
    2. B.   Shank, M., & Schirch, L. (2008). Strategic Arts-Based Peacebuilding. Peace & Change, 33(2), 217–242. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0130.2008.00490.
    3. 12 years a slave – choir song – ”roll jordan roll” 2013
    4. President Obama Sings Amazing Grace (C-SPAN)
    5. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – The Message (Official Video)
    6. U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday
    7. ‘Stop the war in Ukraine’: Orchestra plays national anthem in central Kyiv as Russians advance
    8. [경향신문]19차 촛불집회 광화문에 울려퍼진 ‘임을 위한 행진곡’

    *This activity was designed by Yong June Kim, an undergraduate student at George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, based on Dr. Arthur Romano’s Graduate Course (CONF 695) “Peace and Conflict Resolution Pedagogy” in Fall 2022. 

    Inside Out: a global participatory art project


    “I wish for you to stand up for what you care about by participating in a global art project, and together we’ll turn the world…INSIDE OUT.” – JR

    Connecting with people across lines of difference is a fundamental goal in conflict resolution and this process has, in some ways, become more accessible due to the presence of the internet and social media tools. Through a course I am taking focusing on Art as a means of social change, I came across a project called the Inside Out Project started by a Parisian street artists known as JR. Winner of the TED Prize in 2011 (awarded annually to an exceptional individual who receives $100,000 and, much more important, “One Wish to Change the World”), this project tackles causes like peace, diversity, sustainability, and justice through photography as well are large scale displays of these works. According to the inside out project website http://www.insideoutproject.net:

    INSIDE OUT is a large-scale participatory art project that transforms messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work. Everyone is challenged to use black and white photographic portraits to discover, reveal and share the untold stories and images of people around the world. These digitally uploaded images will be made into posters and sent back to the project’s co-creators for them to exhibit in their own communities. People can participate as an individual or in a group; posters can be placed anywhere, from a solitary image in an office window to a wall of portraits on an abandoned building or a full stadium. These exhibitions will be documented, archived and viewable virtually.

    This resource presents a unique opportunity to actively engage students in a global movement aimed at highlighting identity and diversity.  The project can either used a stimulated visual example in the classroom that would display the ways in which people around the world are getting involeved in social justice and human rights issues creativily, or you could chose to collaborate!  For example, this nonprofit group in Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Olhar Coletivo, an organization that seeks to empower impoverished youth between the ages of 13 and 15 through the art of photography) participated in the project.

    Inside out project is an ambitious experiment in civic engagement through art and would serve to facilitate dialogue about social issues like freedom and diversity as well as actively engage student in a global initiative to respond creatively and nonviolently to response to the political, social, and religious conflicts that are prolific in our contemporary landscape.

    Visual Peacemakers

    Image

    Connecting with people across lines of difference is a fundamental goal in conflict resolution and this process has, in some ways, become more accessible due to the presence of the internet and social media tools.  Through a course I am taking focusing on Art as a means of social change, I came across the online resource visualpeacemaker.org.  This site is essentially a host for the collaborative project coordinated by the International Guild of Visual Peacemakers.  Working with such partners as Peace Catalyst International, the Guild of visual artist and photographers challenge stereotypes and prejudices by capturing the beauty of diversity.

    The International Guild of Visual Peacemakers resource consists of collections of photographs, documentaries, and photo blogs that work to promote the message of the Guild as described in their manifesto.  By capturing the human elements of cultures, the project seeks to build peace.

    Throughout history people have fallen into the trap of making enemies with, demonizing, stereotyping, and fighting the “other.” There has been a flood of conflict based on ethnic, cultural, and religious identity in the post-cold war era that has ended the lives of millions, destroyed economies, and torn apart families.

    Much of this has been fueled by the growing availability of technology, especially photography and videography. While the written word carries an expectation for honesty, there is a void regarding the ethics of images due to their subjective nature. This void has opened the door for photographers to exploit people’s desire to confirm their thoughts about the “other”—mobilizing innumerable people towards slander, violence, and other fear-based responses.

    Since 9/11, conflicts between Muslim cultures and western cultures have been growing in intensity. There are deep misunderstandings and stereotypes that are producing widespread fear and anger.

    The International Guild of Visual Peacemakers (IGVP) was created to build bridges of peace across ethnic, cultural, and religious lines through visual communication that is both accountable to an ethical standard and created by those who authentically care about people.

    This resource can be used in both the formal and informal learning space due to its accessibility and the intelligible nature of the content.  Visually the images are powerful and the stories that the pictures tell are worth sharing with students and learners of all ages.  This resource can incite discussions about toleration, diversity, and the beauty and dignity of human life which is aptly illustrated in this project.  This approach to facilitating understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures while also educating the international audience about global issues is creative response to the political, social, and religious conflicts that are prolific in our contemporary landscape.

    Using this resources students will not only be exposed to global conflict as humanized by the International Guild of Visual Peacemakers, but will also gain insight into the varied approaches experts in the field of Conflict Analysis and Resolution are tackling and implementing.

    Art + Sports = Peace Education!

    In order to meet children where they are developmentally and intellectually, the Arts Olympiad program combines art, sports, and technology in a multi-level program to teach children aged eight to 12 years about peace. The program, implemented by the International Child Art Foundation (ICAF), is a worldwide initiative that engages children in peace-building on local (classroom), national, regional, and global levels, teaching them cooperation, positive identity formation, empathy, creativity, leadership, and multiculturalism (see more information here).

    This specific program is intended be utilized by elementary school teachers (and possibly after-school childcare providers and other informal educators), and adaptations of it could be effective for children from early elementary school through middle school. By employing media that are universally accessible – visual art and sports – this program is both highly inclusive and successful at connecting children from vastly different regions and cultures. At the same time, the elements of collaboration and cooperation built into the program (for example, classes work together to select which artworks will be submitted to the next level of the competition) teach children tolerance and community.

    Participation in the Arts Olympiad could be easily implemented in classrooms as well as in informal settings. Because the only materials required are art supplies (crayons, markers, paper, pencils), this project needs virtually no preparation. Ninety minutes should be plenty of time for children to draw their favorite sport, share their artworks, and decide together which pieces will be entered to the next level of the competition. Teachers should supplement the project with a discussion of sports in an international context, such as exploring the Olympic Games or the World Cup. They could even go one step further and use sports as a metaphor to talk to young students about conflict, collaboration, and healthy behaviors.

    The Arts Olympiad supports learning about cooperation, tolerance, identity, empathy, creativity, and leadership throughout the four levels of the competition, as children are increasingly exposed to their larger local, national, regional, and global communities. It teaches multiculturalism and international relations in a way young children can understand, and exposes them to the understanding that, though people may have many differences, they also have much in common.

    (By Emily Ludwin Miller, emillerk@gmu.edu)