Dr. Christopher M. Strickland, a Hastings College post-doctoral fellow and art educator, had an article from his dissertation research published in the June 2020 edition of the International Journal of Education Through Art.
Strickland’s research, “The Way of the Artist Educator Paradigm: Fusing Artistic Studio Practice and Teaching Pedagogy,” examines the experiences of visual art educators who identify as “Artist Educators.”
Artist Educators are described as individuals who are committed to cultivating a creative and relational way of living and learning through their art. They ensure that education is both personally and communally communicative and transformative.
Strickland’s autoethnographic study examined a focus group of currently employed or recently retired K-12 visual arts educators who identify as Artist Educators, are certified in the state of Maine or New Hampshire and are members of the Kittery Art Association, a New England non-profit arts organization.
The study used a combination of interviews and an arts-based method for data collection, which resulted in seven findings that culminated in the Way of the Artist Educator — an alternative paradigm for a quality and holistic 21st century visual arts education.
“The seven findings from this study collectively convey that the Artist Educators’ identity is a cultural and social construct fusing artistic studio practice and teaching pedagogy,” he said.
Strickland suggests further research be done with other art disciplines, such as music, dance or drama. To read more, Strickland’s article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1386/eta_00028_1.
Hastings College is Nebraska’s premier private college. A four-year residential college that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement, Hastings’ student-centered initiatives include providing books, an iPad and a two-week study away experience at no additional cost. A block-style semester schedule allows professors and students to focus on fewer classes at a time and promotes hands-on experiences. Discover more at hastings.edu.
