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ETHICALLY ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES THROUGH ART EDUCATION: ART AND SOCIAL PRACTICE

By

CAROLINA REESE

A CAPSTONE PROJECT PRESENTED TO THE COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OFMASTER OF ARTS

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2012

ART AND SOCIAL PRACTICE 1

Acknowledgements

It is with gratitude that I acknowledge the dedicated help and support of my committee

chair, Professor Michelle Tillander. She set the bar high and championed me to reach it with her

passion and verve. Without her guidance this capstone would not be what it is, and I am indebted

to her for that. I would also like to thank my committee member, Professor Elizabeth Delacruz,

whose professional and personal advice and support throughout my studies at the University of

Florida have encouraged me to do my best. In addition, I owe a debt of gratitude to Professor

Craig Roland, whose sage advice, wisdom, and humor have given me the courage to take risks

and pursue lofty goals. I would also like to thank my classmate, Amy Cranfill, who has gone

through this process alongside me. We have been in the trenches together and her support, advice

(at all hours), and spunky encouragement has meant the world to me. Finally, I cannot imagine

successfully completing this project without the support of my family. Thank you to my mom for

putting school first and showing me what hard work looks like. My husband, David, is my

partner in every sense of the word. Graduate school as a parent is no easy task and he has

supported me in every single way. Thank you. Last but not least is my daughter, Isabella. She

inspires me everyday to be a better parent and educator. Peanut, I do this all for you.


ABSTRACT OF CAPSTONE PROJECT PRESENTED TO THE COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS

ETHICALLY ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES THROUGH ART EDUCATION: ART AND SOCIAL PRACTICE

By

Carolina Reese

December 2012

Chair: Michelle Tillander Committee Member: Elizabeth DelacruzMajor: Art Education

Abstract

This project highlights research on the connection between environmental ethics, sustainability,

and art education, emphasizing these themes within the context of art education, without

prioritizing object-making. Specifically, I propose limiting material production and emphasizing

social activism by linking art education with Social Practice as a means for addressing

environmental and sustainability issues. Using historical and philosophical inquiry research

methodologies, I produced two resources for teachers interested in adding Environmental Social

Practice to their art education curriculum. The first is an online guide via ISSUUTM which serves

as a brief starting resource on environmental ethics, sustainability and Social Practice as they

relate to art education. The second product is a sustainable, living web resource by way of a

Pinterest® page which contains current web content on environmental ethics, sustainability,

Social Practice, and environmental art education. For added search-ability, both products along

with further information are accessible on my webpage, carolinareeseart.com.


Table of Contents

.........................................................................................................................................Title Page 1

...........................................................................................................................UF Copyright page 2

.........................................................................................................................Acknowledgements 3

....................................................................................................................UF Formatted Abstract 4

.............................................................................................................................Table of Contents 5

......................................................................................................................................Introduction 7

.....................................................................................................Statement of the Problem 7

.............................................................................................Purpose or Goals of the Study 9

............................................................................................................Research Questions 11

...........................................................................Rationale and Significance of the Study 11

......................................................................................................................Assumptions 13

............................................................................................................Definition of Terms 14

..........................................................................................................................Literature Review 15

...........................................................................................The State of the Environment 15

..................................................................................Environmentalism in Art Education 16


....................................................................................................What is Social Practice? 17

.................................................................................................................................Methodology 17

..................................................................................................Data Analysis Procedures 19

.........................................................................................................................Limitations 20

Findings ........................................................................................................................................ 20

...................................................................................................Social Practice Examples 21

........................................................................................Social Practice in the classroom 29

Summary Across all Findings ........................................................................................... 31

Discussion and Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 32

Discussion and Interpretation of Findings ........................................................................ 33

Significance, Implications and Recommendations............................................................ 34

Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 37

.....................................................................................................................................References 39

..............................................................................................List of Figures and Figure Captions 43

..........................................................................................................................Author Biography 44


You may be noticing more recycling programs starting up in communities and schools.

Many of us are now reaching for environmentally conscious cleaning supplies, paying attention

to how much water we waste, buying eco-friendly light bulbs and Energy Star® appliances. It is

interesting to see how much eco-friendly products are becoming part of our mainstream markets.

In the first quarter of 2012, the Toyota Prius, which was once considered a niche oddity, was the

third best-selling car in the world (Ohnsman & Hagiwara, 2012, para.1). Environmental issues

and sustainability are now mainstream conversation, from the classroom to the White House.

How are these current environmental concerns translating into the art education classroom?

I am researching the connection between environmental ethics, sustainability issues and

art education by way of Social Practice. According to the California College of the Arts (2012)

Social Practice uses themes such as aesthetics, ethics, collaboration, and social activism (among

others) to engage art in social issues and into the public arena. As opposed to traditional object-

based methods of art creation, I believe Social Practice to be particularly important to

environmental and sustainability issues because it challenges the emphasis on and significance of

the value of art objects and is more deeply rooted in anti-materialistic movements that aim to

forge deeper bonds between people and society, and for the purposes of this project people and

the environment (Row, 2010, p. B3).

Statement of the Problem

What is our ethical duty (if any) to our planet? What do we do to affect sustainability

globally and locally? These are questions art educators face when teaching environmental issues.

Specifically, art educators who teach environmental issues need to look at environmental ethics

and sustainability as an integral part of their curriculum, that is, active sustainable solutions.


With climate change at the forefront of social consciousness, curricula that aim to address

such issues by solely making tribute-type art objects or recycle art materials, may not be

adequately helping the environment and can possibly be exacerbating the problem by making

more objects that ultimately end up in landfills. It is becoming ethically more necessary for

educators across disciplines to address our human connection to the environment. Becoming

more critical, art educators can move beyond the status quo and examine different strategies that

will have a greater impact on environmental change.

We need only listen to the current discourse in newspapers and news channels to see that

climate change and environmental destruction is of great concern to scientists, economists,

politicians, and citizens alike. On a national scale, President Obama’s campaign platform states,

“We know that global climate change is one of the biggest threats of this generation—an

economic, environmental, and national security catastrophe in the making” (DNC, 2012).

Locally, communities are struggling to limit waste, recycle, and change the current course of

climate change. Examples of this can be seen most recently in San Francisco, California where

on October 1, 2012, a new city-wide legislation goes into effect to try to curb waste. Matt Richtel

(2012) reported for The New York Times on this legislation as “one of the nation’s most far-

reaching bag ordinances, banning bags at all retailers - big and small, and also restaurants - and

eventually requiring they charge 10 cents for paper and compostable carryout bags” (para. 14).

Ordinances like these are becoming more common as communities struggle to address

sustainability issues with a growing population and limited resources.

Art Education’s has a long standing history of teaching environmentalism and linking

sustainability issues to artmaking. According to Blandy & Hoffman (1993), two active voices in


environmental art education, April 22, 1970 - Earth Day - started the modern environmental

movement (p. 24). Earth Day not only served as a major political and social catalyst for

environmental change, but also sparked conversations between educators and artists about the

relationship of aesthetics and environmentalism (Blandy &Hoffman, 1993, p. 24). Conversations

continued, but the eco-art education movement was slow to gain acceptance. Not until 1992 did

The National Art Education Association (NAEA) recognize environmentalism by making it the

theme of its annual convention, “the land, the people, the ecology of art education” (Blandy

&Hoffman, 1993, p. 31). However, according to Blandy and Hoffman (1993), “it was

disappointing that conference organizers did not capitalize on the provocative theme the 1992

NAEA Convention offered by providing ecologically responsible alternatives to usual

convention practice” (p. 31).

From the nineties onward, scholars, educators, and artists have collaborated to provide

suggestions for developing environmental art education pedagogy. Inwood (2010) states that,

“whether grounded on scientific or aesthetic footings, they recommend a pedagogy that is

community-based, interdisciplinary, experiential, interactive, dialogic, ideologically aware, and

built on the values of empathy, sustainability, and respect for the environment” (para. 8). As the

environment is now a global issue, the values of empathy, sustainability, and respect for the

environment need to be grounded in an active art educational practice, responsibly connected to

research, reality, and social practice movements.

Purpose or Goals of the Study

I am looking to move away from the historical value and practice of traditional object

making and create a guide on Environmental Social Practice, a different model under which to


address environmental ethics and sustainability. As a tool for professional development, I have

developed and produced an online guide for art educators that serves as an entry point through

which art educators can become familiar with Environmental Social Practice. Additionally, I also

developed a timely art education and social media platform on which to follow current trends in

Environmental Social Practice. Thus, my research resulted in two products, an online guide and a

Pinterest® page.

The online guide will address environmental and sustainability issues in art education via

Social Practice. The guide will be published on ISSUUTM online, an online platform that allows

people to publish online material in a professional way. Furthermore, ISSUETM is useful as a

publishing resource because educators can search the site for subject specific publications,

making it easily accessible. The online guide will have content on environmental ethics,

sustainability and social practice as they relate to art education. The guide includes a brief history

of environmental art education, Social Practice projects, and a rationale for social practice as an

environmentally ethical way to address environmental and sustainability. In addition, the guide

will contain suggestions of ways in which teachers can incorporate Social Practice into their

school culture.

Because environmental issues change over time it is important that this project not be

static, but rather a living, sustainable, product responsive to changes in the environment and art

education. Thus, an extension to the guide will be a Pinterest® page that will hold links as well as

be dynamic to what is new and trending in environmental issues as they pertain to art education.

Environmental Social Practice is a fully accessable digital reference that does not require the use

of paper, ink, or fuel for distribution. According to Best Colleges Online, Pinterest® has become


a new favorite technology tool among educators to connect with other educators, get ideas for

classroom activities, and find inspiration (“37 ways,” 2012). Pinterest® is available on the web

and through a smart phone app, making it mobile and convenient. Among its millions of users,

university faculty are now using the interface as a way to share images and ideas with students,

for the curatorial processes and what Finchman (Glenn, 2012) calls ‘SPACE’ “S is for sourcing

story ideas and trending topics; P is for promotion and publishing students' work. A is for

aggregation of pictures; C is for curating top news, and E is for engaging with others.” Through a

dynamic journalistic view and process, ‘SPACE’ extends the guide dynamically and into the

future.

Research Questions

For my research project, I am guided by specific research questions. The three questions

below direct my research into the connection between environmental ethics, sustainability issues,

and art education by way of Social Practice as well as how to disseminate the findings in a

sustainable way.

1. How do we tackle contemporary environmental issues in Art Education programs using

Social Practice?

2. How does Social Practice differ from traditional object-based art education?

3. How can technology such as Pinterest®, a social media app, be used as a vehicle for

addressing environmental issues in Art Education?

Rationale and Significance of the Study

Social Practice is beneficial to art education as it integrates different strategies with the

purpose of creatively bringing about social change. Authors Blandy, Congdon & Krug (1998)


stated the connection between art, art education, and ecological restoration as "a form of

stewardship; it is about working together to direct people's creative energies to heal fragile places

by cleaning up rivers, planting trees, detoxifying water and soil, and working with alternative

waste disposal and waste water systems in the natural environment and urban landscape" (p.

238). Stewardship engages integration and collaboration. Thus, the rationale for this project

stems from the belief that the environment can benefit from the integration and collaboration

between the arts, sciences, and other disciplines. Cross subject integration is not only key for

Environmental Social Practice, but is a fundamental component of art education.

Researchers like Lynch (2007) argue specifically that integrated curricula allow for

richer, more meaningful learning as they allow students to use their bodies, minds, and voices to

express meaning. In allowing students to be hands on in their learning, by making art (or in this

instance ecologically restoring), collaborating with others, and voicing their ideas, art educators

are empowering students to be responsible for their own learning. Specific to art education, art

educators use integrated curricula because it mimics the practices of contemporary artists,

showing that it often takes stepping outside the subject of art to successfully create a visual

representation of an idea.(Stewart & Walker, 2005). It is common in contemporary art that artists

research and reference biology, anthropology, history, environmental science, geography, etc. in

order to make their social / political points.

This project is of significance to art educators not only because of its innovative support

of environmental activism as a method of art education, but because it also bridges newer

technology (ISSUUTM and Pinterest®) with relevant environmental and art education information.

The research engages innovation as it also addresses environmental ethics. The online guide


provides the introduction while Pinterest®’s online ‘pinboards’ can save web content from photos

to blogs and can be easily accessed whether on computer, smartphone, or iPad making this

information not only current but readily available via a popular technological tool (see Figure 1).

Assumptions

To begin, this project suggests that art teachers put object-making secondary and not as

the primary focus; thus, I assume that art educators will be open-minded or receptive to an art

practice which does not emphasize making objects. In addition, I assume that teachers will

understand that moving away from object making might present challenges for them as

traditional school culture (administrators, parents, and even students) may be uncomfortable

deviating from traditional art practices. My capstone is composed of all digital components,

using the websites ISSUUTM and Pinterest®. I assume that art educators have access to a


Figure 1. Environmental Social Practice page for iPhone.

computer, smart phone, and/or iPad in order to access the ISSUUTM and Pinterest® webpages.

Additionally, I assume that art educators reference ISSUUTM for art education periodicals or, if

not, that my online guide will come up in GoogleTM web engine searches for environmental art

education, sustainability, art education, or environmental issues in art education. Finally, I

assume art educators know of the existence of Pinterest® and use it to search for art education

information.

Definition of Terms

Environmental Ethics. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2011) defines

environmental ethics as “the discipline in philosophy that studies the moral relationship of

human beings to, and also the value and moral status of, the environment and its nonhuman

contents” (Brennan & Lo, 2011).

Sustainability. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (n.d.),

sustainability is “Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly

or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions

under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social,

economic and other requirements of present and future generations” (What is Sustainability?,

para. 1).

Environmental Art Education. Hilary Inwood (2010), university art educator, defines

Environmental Art Education (or eco-art education as she calls it) as the integration of “art

education with environmental education as a means of developing awareness of and engagement

with concepts such as interdependence, biodiversity, conservation, restoration, and

sustainability” (para. 4)


Social Practice. According to the California College of the Arts (2012) Social Practice

uses themes such as aesthetics, ethics, collaboration, and social activism (among others) to

engage art in social issues and into the public arena (Overview, para. 1).

Literature Review

Literature for this project started with searches on environmental art education and Social

Practice. Scholarship on Environmental Social Practice as it relates to art education is scarce,

however, there is research within the context of social activism and the benefits and importance

of social activism as a method of teaching art education. Additionally, there is scholarship on the

importance of ecological and environmental connections to art education. The lack of

information on Environmental Social Practice coupled with significant literature on climate

change and the state of the planet led me to believe that more research and scholarship was

needed on the topic of Environmental Social Practice within the context of environmental art

education.

The State of the Environment

Literature on the state of the environment ranged from government sources such as the

United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Democratic National Committee, to

reporters such as Matt Richtel from the New York Times. I specifically chose not to overwhelm

this project with excessively complicated scientific data on climate change, but rather wanted to

bring to light the mainstream effort and attention paid to sustainability issues and the

environment both nationally and locally. The Democratic National Committee (2012) platform

revealed that climate change is not only of importance but considered “one of the biggest threats

of this generation.” This platform came in time to see the Northeast devastated in October 2012


by the rare Hurricane, turned super storm, Sandy. New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg,

after viewing the devastation in his city, noted the importance with which government needs to

regard climate change, writing,

The floods and fires that swept through our city left a path of destruction that will require

years of recovery and rebuilding work. ... In just 14 months, two hurricanes have forced

us to evacuate neighborhoods — something our city government had never done before.

If this is a trend, it is simply not sustainable. Our climate is changing. And while the

increase in extreme weather we have experienced in New York City and around the world

may or may not be the result of it, the risk that it might be — given this week’s

devastation — should compel all elected leaders to take immediate action. (Harper, 2012,

para. 1)

In following this sense of urgency, Richtel (2012) reported for The New York Times that

communities are starting to not only take notice, but pass drastic legislation to curb waste, such

as San Francisco’s new ordinance banning all plastic bags.

Environmentalism in Art Education

Scholarship on environmentalism, sustainability, and art education promote

environmental consideration, however, few scholars from my literature review call for activism

and environmental restoration. A leading researcher in the field of Environmental Social Practice

in art education, Blandy (2011) supports participatory environmental restoration, or activism, as

a necessary method for addressing environmental issues in art education. Similarly, Hicks (2007)

also expresses the importance of physically working with and restoring the environment as art

education. She states, “place can also be re-created by a public process that restores ecological


health, while building social justice, community, and democratic engagement” (p. 335). Blandy

and Hick’s scholarship is pivotal to the purpose of this capstone as their research emphasizes the

distinct difference between art object-making and Social Practice, giving precedence to activism

as an ethically responsible method of addressing environmental issues. In contrast, other

researchers such as Rademaekers (2011) believe that the sustainability movement needs art to

survive as material practice and sticks with traditional object-making as a preferred method.

What is Social Practice?

Fletcher (2011) and Blandy (2011) are two scholars in art education who give an

insightful view into Social Practice within art education. Blandy (2011) offers examples, of what

he calls sustainability and participatory culture, in which art education explores bioregional

problems and physically contributes to solutions via ecological restoration. Particularly, one

program is The Sustainable Cities Initiative at the University of Oregon which partners the

University with one city per year to find sustainable city design solutions. Fletcher (2011) goes

further, discussing the Art and Social Practice MFA program at Portland State University (PSU).

His speech, Art, Society, and Sustainability describes field trips and experiential learning that

merge art and environmental activism. Furthermore, he highlights the difference between Social

Practice and traditional studio work, giving examples of student projects that emphasize

collaboration between art and environmentalism. While Blandy’s writing is theoretical in its

coverage of ecological restoration, Fletcher details examples of what constitutes Social Practice.

Beyond Blandy and Fletcher, my literature search on scholarship linking Social Practice to

environmental art education is nonexistent.

Methodology


My research will focus primarily on three themes; environmental ethics (and by extension

environmental issues), sustainability, and Social Practice. I used a combination of research

methods, specifically, both historical and philosophical inquiry to learn about these themes and

put together the online guide and Pinterest® page.

According to authors Koroscik, J., & Kowalchuk (1997), historical inquiry involves

collecting, evaluating, and interpreting data related to past events. For this project, I collected

information on the history of environmental art education, what has been done in the past, as

well as searches for Environmental Social Practice projects, and evaluated their connection with

art education.

Philosophical inquiry, as a research method, according to Koroscik, J., & Kowalchuk

(1997), uses “[t]he analysis of key features of a concept or discipline with the purpose of adding

to or articulating relevant paradigm within the field” (p. 80). For the purposes of this project, I

collected information on environmental issues and sustainability within the field of art education

with a specific focus on articulating the relevance of Social Practice as a method for addressing

environmental and sustainability issues in art education.

The research is needed as curricula that aim to address environmental and sustainability

issues with tribute-type art objects or recycle art materials, are not actively participating in

environmental improvement. It is critical that art educators address the human connection to the

environment and examine Social Practice as a method with which art education can inspire

change.

Specifically as it pertains to the online guide, I researched the following areas:

• Definitions of environmental ethics, sustainability, and social practice.


• Content that links environmental ethics and sustainability to art education.

• The history of art education with regards to environmental projects.

• Current practices in Social Practice education with connections to art education.

• Environmental social practice projects that connect sustainability to art.

This research was conducted through searching written articles, published interviews,

books, scholarly publications, lectures, videos, and content on existing Art & Social Practice

programs in higher education. Searches were conducted on JSTOR, EBSCO, and Google search

engines as well as the University of Oregon’s Architecture and Allied Arts Library. In addition, I

obtained permission from the artists referred to in this paper, Katherine Ball and Newton and

Mayer Harrison, for use of all images pertaining to their work contained herein.

For the Pinterest® page on Environmental Social Practice, I researched web content (text,

images, and videos) of the following:

• Current Social and Political content on environmental issues.

• Art education projects on environmental issues and sustainability.

• Professional Social Practice projects that address the environment and sustainability.

• Images related to environmental ethics, sustainability, and environmental art.

• Blogs on environmental art, environmental ethics, and environmental art education.

Data Analysis Procedures

First, in order to find out how to tackle contemporary environmental issues in Art

Education programs using Social Practice, I used historical inquiry as a research method to

gather historical context and provide an overview of art education’s historical strategies toward

addressing environmental issues. Data resulting from this research was processed and compiled


into a narrative, reporting a sequence of events on environmental art education’s history.

Next, in suggesting that art educators adopt Social Practice as a method for addressing

environmental and sustainability issues, I conducted philosophical inquiry research which

required analyzing features of environmental issues, sustainability, environmental ethics, and

Social Practice. I took the information and analyzed for relevance to art education.

Limitations

This research project did not intend to include human subjects or personal observations of either

Social Practice projects or art educational programs. The project is exploratory in nature meant to

introduce art educators to Environmental Social Practice. Not using human subjects limits the

possibility of seeing Environmental Social Practice in the classroom. Future research on

environmental issues and sustainability in art education via Social Practice would benefit from

first hand observations of Environmental Social Practice curricula, case studies, and analyzing

human subjects involved in Environmental Social Practice projects.

Social Practice is not solely limited to environmentalism, however this project is. It is

possible that this limits my research as Social Practice is expansive and includes several different

areas of social justice which may be applicable to broader themes in art education beyond

environmentalism.

Findings

The goal of this project was to create online resources on Environmental Social Practice

for art educators. The main research question I addressed was how to tackle contemporary

environmental issues in Art Education programs using Social Practice. Consequently, I

challenged traditional art education thinking to consider activism, by way of Social Practice,


when teaching environmental issues.

The findings are divided into two sections. The first section highlights a range of

professional artist projects that employ Social Practice.The projects in the first section may seem

beyond the scope of what can be accomplished in a classroom setting; thus, the second section

puts said projects into context by suggesting adaptations that make Social Practice doable at a

K-12 level.

Social Practice Examples

Readers may recall as established earlier in this paper that Social Practice involves

engaging art in addressing social issues by using (to varying degrees) aesthetics, ethics,

collaboration, and social activism (among others). Below are samples of projects that used Social

Practice to address environmental issues. While there are countless other samples of

environmental Social Practice work I could have used, these projects were particularly touching

for me because of their commitment to the environment. The artists highlighted in the subsequent

sections went above and beyond traditional studio work to spark social change.

No Swimming. Katherine Ball is a great example of an artist who chooses to employ

ecological activism and social engagement in her work ("Art and Social Practice," n.d.). In 2011,

Katherine’s project on Indianapolis Island (in conjunction with the Indianapolis Museum of Art),

titled No Swimming, took her on a six-week-long residency aboard a floating self-sustainable

igloo-like structure (see Figure 2) to ecologically intervene and clean the 100 Acres Lake of

E.coli and toxic waste from illegal dumping ("Art and Social Practice," n.d.). After scientifically

researching clean water methods and consulting with clean water specialists, she constructed a

mycoboom, a long burlap sack filled with straw and inoculated with mushroom spawn. The


mushroom spawn (see Figure 3) created a web within the straw which then acts as a filter, thus

cleaning the water (Ball, 2011).

In addition, Ball wanted to educate the community, involving them in the process of

cleaning their water system by welcoming regular visitors, holding tours, and workshops (see


Figure 2. Katherine Ball aboard her row boat on the 100 Acres Lake.

Figure 3. Oyster mushrooms growing off of the mycoboom and cleaning the water.

Figure 4). She taught children and adults about the environmental issues within the 100 Acres

Lake, why clean water is important, and how to check water for bacteria, etc (Ball, 2010).

No Swimming solidifies Fletcher’s distinction between Social Practice versus traditional

object-based work. Ball had to collaborate to make several objects, from the Igloo structure to

the mycoboom sacks. However, as Fletcher points out:

the objects are designed to function as having a utility within a greater project that has

some other goal other than a commercial one. Commerciality is deemphasized. You still

might make an object, but they are at the service of a larger project with a different

concept other than commercial sale. (Fletcher, 2011)

Ecological intervention within the lake served a greater purpose than the objects Ball

made. Moreover, her inclusion of the community stresses the importance of participatory


Figure 4. One of the weekly community workshops Katherine held along the lake.

learning experiences, those in which the community (not just the artist) are involved and learn

from the project. Blandy (2011) describes participatory culture as necessary to art because there

is strong support for sharing what an artist creates with others and even mentoring, or passing

along experiences to novices.

Solutions Revolution. Unsatisfied with simply writing to their local officials and hoping

for legislation on climate change, artists Katherine Ball and Alec Neal of SEA Change in

Portland, Oregon and environmentalist Paul Thompson of Cool Planet Edina, Minnesota set out

on a cross country bike journey (see Figure 5) to film local communities actively working on

solving climate issues ("Solutions Revolution," n.d.). The project, entitled Solutions Revolution,

started in Portland, OR and ended in Washington, D.C., stopping in several cities and

documenting innovative solutions and programs that employ homegrown local solutions and

sharing them with legislators in D.C.. The route was made public and the artists encouraged


Figure 5. Riding through an oil derrick in Montana.

people to join them and participate in the ride for as long as they wished (see Figure 6).

After the bike trip, Katherine and Alec went to Cancun, Mexico for the United Nations

Climate Change Conference where they volunteered and shared their findings with U.N.


Figure 6.Riding through the Walker Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Figure 7. Documenting the journey of communities’ programs to solve climate change.

delegates ("Solutions Revolution," n.d.). Katherine and Alec’s determination to spread the

message of climate change not only through their documentary (see Figure 7) but in meeting

with delegates at the United Nations shows a commitment to what Blandy calls performing

democracy. He quotes John Dewey in stating, “[d]emocracy is performed by working with

others, building consensus, designing inclusive discussions, resolving conflict, acting on

common concerns, and planning for the future” (Blandy, 2011, p. 10).

Greenhouse Britain. Newton and Helen Harrison are some of the pioneers of eco-art.

According to Boetzkes (2010) “[t]hrough their collaboration with scientists, engineers,

architects, and other specialists, in sustainable development, the artists have attempted to narrow

the gap between the labor or restoration and aesthetic appreciation of the living environment” (p.

196).

The Harrisons’ project, Greenhouse Britain (2007-2009), aimed to find design solutions

to an alternative landscape as waters rise and populations seek to move inland and live more

sustainably (Greenhouse Britain, n.d., para. 2). Figure 8 shows the impact of flooding as


Figure 8. How the rising waters displace people.

projected by how many people would be displaced given different rises in water levels. Whereas

Ball and Neal had specific real-time problems with which to contend in No Swimming and

Solutions Revolution, the Harrisons focused on proactive design solutions to potential

environmental problems, specifically, rising waters due to global warming. The exhibition,

Mayer & Harrison (2007) note, was to generate thinking and design around four key issues:


Figure 9. Eco Tower for high-rise living.

(1) [m]oving some percentage of millions of people to high ground, (2) [c]reating

appropriate habitat for them while looking at creating a more carbon sequestering

landscape, (3) [m]oving endangered means of production to high ground, and (4)

[p]roducing the amount of energy necessary to do so when low ground power plants

become dysfunctional from flooding (p. 13).

While this project seems more like traditional artwork in that it is an exhibition to be

viewed in museums; it falls under the guidelines of social practice in that it combines aesthetics,

ethics, collaboration and social activism. The Harrisons collaborated with scientists and

architects in devising plans for the withdrawal of populations displaced by rising waters

(Boetzkes, 2010, p. 199). Boetzkes (2010) notes that one of the phases of the Greenhouse Britain

project is the design of an eco-tower (see Figure 9), a high rise city encased in a tower that

“would hold schools, offices, shops, and public spaces at its base and gardens and two-story

apartments in the upper floors, and each would be topped with a wind turbine” (p. 199). Each

tower would house fifteen thousand people.

It is important to note that design can play an important function in Social Practice when

physical activism is not yet possible, i.e., when educators cannot take students outdoors to work

or have access to a local environmental issue in which to become involved. This need not deter

educators from pursuing Social Practice. Hicks and King (2007) discuss the importance of first

being able to confront the possibility of environmental collapse. Thus, projects like the

Harrisons’ are important because they bring awareness to the looming threat of flooding and as

Hicks and King (2007) put it, “help guide human beings towards a more informed and

responsible engagement with the natural world” (p. 332). They also state that the arts (e.g.,


Greenhouse Britain) “can help us to develop a sophisticated awareness of how our place is

created not just by the ecological processes of nature, but also by the human narratives and

practices that integrate civic life into the biotic community” (Hicks & King, 2007, p. 335). Thus,

the investigational nature of design and design thinking can be just as beneficial to the

environment as is working with nature directly.

Social Practice in the classroom

The examples above are a variety of Social Practice projects. It is understood that in a

K-12 setting, it may not be possible for teachers to go off campus, have access to

environmentally destroyed land on-site, or even the permission from administration to pursue

activism-type projects. However, Social Practice is still possible in the classroom as the projects

above can be adapted for K-12 education. The following subsections give examples of ways

K-12 educators might adapt these examples to the classroom. The examples range from full

involvement in environmental activities with nature, to more subdued activities emphasizing

design and problem solving. The range of student and teacher involvement provides different

options for teachers who may have access to the outdoors or natural material, or those who might

be in highly urban areas and need to stay inside.

No Swimming is an example of creatively using scientific research and collaboration with

experts to achieve a greater goal, clean water. While students may not have access to a dirty lake,

they can have an in-class unit of study on environmentalism and water issues. A teacher can (in

possible collaboration with the science department and local water experts) guide students to

study the affects of contaminated water and do smaller experiments on cleaning water using

plants and/or mushrooms. Students can document the process of cleaning smaller tubs of water


via photography, documentary film-making, blogs, and even class webpages. Conclusively,

students can then present their findings, photographs, documentary film, etc to administrators,

other students, or parents.

Solutions Revolution involves documenting the process of fact-finding as Ball, Neal, and

Thompson take their cross-country bike tour in search of communities that are actively engaging

in sustainable activities. While students in a traditional K-12 setting most likely do not have the

possibility of doing this, there is nothing to suggest they cannot actively learn more about how

their community is addressing sustainability and environmental issues. Furthermore, students can

take their findings via documentary filmmaking or photography and present them to their local

city council. Active involvement in the political process for the benefit of the environment is

Social Practice. Organizations like the Brooklyn Children’s Museum’s Green Threads program

aim to teach educators exactly how to teach students about the environment and conservationism

(Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 2012). Green Threads has a published in-depth guide, “My

Green Community: An Educator Guide,” in which they cover ways to take students into the

community and observe environmental challenges such as water issues, waste management, food

production, energy consumption, and wildlife conservation (Brooklyn Children’s Museum,

2012). This guide shows that Social Practice is viable in a K-12 setting.

Greenhouse Britain is unlike the other two projects in section one because it employs

design thinking to address environmental problems that have not yet occurred. For more

traditional art educators who may be uncomfortable with abandoning object-making and adding

activism into their curriculum, Greenhouse Britain is a good example of how simple design and

design thinking can aim to find solutions to environmental issues and connect students with their


environment. Students can follow the example of the Harrisons by exploring the possible

ecological dangers to their community, or even just their school, should waters rise or climates

change. The recent Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast is a sobering reminder that any coastline is

vulnerable to flooding. Art educators can encourage students to study the physical structure of

their school or homes and come up with design solutions that would better protect their

community or school from environmental dangers. Similar to the eco-tower the Harrisons’

designed, students can consult with local builders or architects to design safer structures.

Summary Across all Findings

The main research question in this paper asked how to tackle contemporary

environmental issues in Art Education programs using Social Practice. The findings, three

different environmental Social Practice projects, show how contemporary artists tackle real-life

and potential environmental problems using activism. The link between these projects (No

Swimming, Solutions Revolution, and Greenhouse Britain) and the research question of doable

work at the K-12 level comes with the adaptations I set forth above. All three projects above are

broad in scheme and demand collaboration and extensive resources to achieve. It certainly is no

small feat to bike across the country, live isolated on a floating igloo, or design the fate of

millions displaced by rising water. However, the adaptations all take a broad scope and narrow it

down to a local community level; asking students to study water issues in their classrooms,

explore their immediate communities for environmental problems, and design safer structures to

aid their school (or home) in the event of rising water or other natural disasters.

Discussion and Conclusion

The goal of this research was to address environmental and sustainability issues in art


education by challenging traditional object-making and suggesting Social Practice as an

alternative method. This project stemmed from a combination of a scarcity of scholarship on

Social Practice with an abundance of scholarship on the pressing urgency of climate change and

the importance of environmentalism in art education. Human interaction with nature is an

important enduring idea, emphasizing meaningful connections with the environment and

allowing students to explore their sense of place.

I used a combination of both historical and philosophical inquiry research methods to

explore environmental ethics and issues, sustainability, and Social Practice. I found three

environmental Social Practice projects with a wide range of differences in necessary materials

and physical involvement. The results of my research were made into an online guide published

on ISSUUTM (see Figure 10) and an ongoing environmental Social Practice page on Pinterest®


Figure 10. A screenshot of one of the pages of the online publication, the rest of which is available at http://issuu.com/c_reese/docs/reese_publication_pdf_nov24_singlepage?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222 and at carolinareeseart.com

http://issuu.com/c_reese/docs/reese_publication_pdf_nov24_singlepage?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222




(see Figure 11). For added exposure and search-ability, I have also included links to both pages

on my personal teaching website, carolinareeseart.com. The following discussion addresses

strategies and recommendations for art educators wishing to incorporate Environmental Social

Practice into their curriculum.

Discussion and Interpretation of Findings

Based on the findings of my research, environmental Social Practice for K-12 education

is fascinating unchartered territory. It is unchartered because the lack of scholarship on

environmental Social Practice in K-12 art education creates a challenge in promoting a different

methodology than solely focused object-making. Given the discourse on climate change and the

continued pressure on government to curb carbon emissions and look for alternative fuel sources,

sustainability and the environment will continue to permeate the classroom.


Figure 11. Environmental Social Practice on Pinterest, which is available at http://pinterest.com/CarolinaReese/environmental-social-practice/ and carolinareeseart.com .

http://pinterest.com/CarolinaReese/environmental-social-practice/




I found three Social Practice projects that address environmental issues in three different

ways; No Swimming physically intervenes with an existing environmental problem, Solutions

Revolution takes an exploratory and documentary look at climate change solutions and presents

those to legislators, and Greenhouse Britain takes a preventive approach to climate change

dangers by designing alternate living scenarios for millions of displaced citizens. The wide

spectrum of Social Practice work means there is a variety of ways for art educators to either dip

their toes in the activist waters or dive right in.

Significance, Implications, and Recommendations

With the lack of scholarship on environmental Social Practice in art education and

teachers’ limited time to thoroughly research new methodologies in the field (planning time

never seems long enough) the online guide and the Pinterest® page serve to be significant

resources on Social Practice in art education. Both resources are designed for time-crunched

educators who are in search of easily accessible information on environmental art education.

However, projects with significant environmental goals and impacts can seem overwhelming,

leaving teachers to wonder how they can make large projects doable within their schools.

Having taught in public elementary and high school, I understand that proposing new or

different methods of curriculum is not easy and can be met with resistance or trepidation. The

implications of the findings within this research mean approaching school administrators,

parents, and students with lessons that may not involve traditional art object making. I encourage

art educators to prepare themselves with information not just from my research but from

scholarship that shows the benefits of activism and the need for environmental education at the

K-12 level.


To start, Stewart and Walker’s Rethinking Curriculum in Art discusses how meaningful

learning involves enduring ideas, meaningful integration, and mimicking contemporary art

methods (Steward & Walker, 2005, p.108). The authors explain that contemporary artists often

“cross knowledge boundaries as part of their artmaking practice” (Steward & Walker, 2005, p.

110). This means art educators can take the opportunity to partner with their school’s science

department and incorporate scientific practice and research into their Social Practice lessons.

Inter-department collaboration, specifically in today’s climate that values science as a core

subject, is a good way to open the door to acceptance of Social Practice. In addition, books like

Teaching Meaning in Artmaking emphasize that by teaching big ideas (of which nature is a part)

they are instilling relevance and personal connections between students and their work (Walker,

2001, p. 1). Furthermore, community involvement and activism to help our environment fits in

line with service learning and all the benefits that come with it. While service learning is a topic

for another paper, there are similarities in the benefits students gain from activism. According to

the Hands On Network (2012) there are numerous benefits to service projects that are tied to

school lessons, some of which include:

• Service learning can enhance personal development in areas such as self esteem,

moral reasoning, social skills, communication skills, problem-solving abilities and

concern for others and society

• Involvement in service learning makes the subject matter in school real and relevant

for students as they try out their knowledge and skills

• When young people serve others, they can see that they are valued and can make a

real difference


• As young people discover their own abilities to address issues, they are empowered

to become active citizens and communities begin to see them in a different light

• Young people learn leadership skills as they take responsibility for designing and

implementing service experiences. (para. 3)

The tide is changing as higher education institutions increasingly provide concentrations

of study in Social Practice. As of 2012, the first art college opened an environmental social

practice undergraduate concentration option. According to The Maryland Institute College of Art

(MICA) (2012) its Sustainability & Social Practice program “gives students the opportunity to

contribute to a fine arts discourse around environmental and urban issues, and to pursue new

knowledge as they discover ways to engage the concepts of sustainability through social

engagement” (para. 3). MICA (2012) emphasizes Social Practice as an important part of its

academic offerings because:

Arts and social organizations, government and the business community will require

participation and creative problem solving from artists and designers as they move

toward ecologically- and socially-responsible practices. Students in the program can go

on to work for architectural and urban planning firms, form socially-engaged

collaborative art groups, or work in urban agriculture, among many other possibilities.

(para. 3)

Once teachers have approval to add environmental Social Practice to their curriculum, it

is imperative that they plan accordingly. If working outdoors, nature can be slow or

unpredictable, and thus teachers should know planting and harvesting schedules and adjust for

changes in weather. Accordingly, teachers may want to start the unit at the beginning of the


semester or year, giving plants, observations, etc. enough time to grow or change and revisit it

after the appropriate time has passed. Teachers should research the plants they might be using

and refrain from any which may cause allergic reactions to students or possibly be invasive to

other local plant life. While working with mushrooms spores is safe, teachers should be aware of

any students with chronic asthma and make accommodations for them. If working indoors, either

documenting, photographing, or otherwise, the necessary equipment should be available and

enough time given for environmental change to take place. For example, if the class is doing a

clean water project using mushrooms or plants, these elements need a certain amount of time to

grow, cultivate and clean the water. Finally, teachers should be prepared for projects to possibly

fail. Despite research, experiments come with risk and not all succeed. Katherine Ball mentioned

that the mushrooms were not a silver bullet to clean the lake and she continued to research a

plant/mushroom combination (personal communication, October 31, 2012).

Going forward I would like to see more case study research on what Environmental

Social Practice looks like in the classroom. Further research needs to be done on the practical

application of Environmental Social Practice in a K-12 setting.

Conclusion

Before starting this project, I recycled, turned out the lights when I left the room, and

drove a hybrid, all the makings of an environmentalist. After viewing Dr. Fletcher’s speech at

PSU I came to the realization that I should be doing more, specifically within my classroom. I

hope this project proves to be eye-opening for other art educators as well. We may not be able to

live on a floating igloo or ride cross-country, but there is definitely more we can do to expose our

students to the significance of climate change. The artists included in this project, Ball, Alec, &


The Harrisons, all exemplify the potential to become the change we wish to see in our planet.

Now is the time to advocate for Social Practice within our curriculum and adapt what we have

seen in this project and on the Environmental Social Practice Pinterest page to bring

environmental activism to our students.


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List of Figures and Figure Captions

1. ...............................................................Environmental Social Practice page for iPhone. 13

2. ............................................Katherine Ball aboard her row boat on the 100 Acres Lake. 22

3. ......................Oyster mushrooms growing off of the mycoboom and cleaning the water. 22

4. .....................One of the weekly community workshops Katherine held along the lake. 23

5. .........................................................................Riding through an oil derrick in Montana 24

6. .......................Riding through the Walker Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis, Minnesota 25

7. ...............Documenting the journey of communities’ programs to solve climate change. 25

8. .............................................................................How the rising waters displace people. 26

9. ........................................................................................Eco Tower for high-rise living. 27

10. A screenshot of one of the pages of the online publication, the rest of which is available at

http://issuu.com/c_reese/docs/reese_publication_pdf_nov24_singlepage?

mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222 ................ and at carolinareeseart.com 32

11. Environmental Social Practice on Pinterest, which is available at http://pinterest.com/

CarolinaReese/environmental-social-practice/ ...................... and carolinareeseart.com . 33










Author Biography

Carolina Reese was born in Bogota, Colombia and moved to the United States when she

was 4 years old. Her path to Art Education is unorthodox but brings with it experience from

several different fields. She holds a Bachelors in Business Administration in International

Finance and Marketing from the University of Miami. It was during her undergraduate studies

that she discovered a love of art, studying art history abroad at the American University of Paris

and completing an internship at Christie’s Fine Art Auctioneers. After working as a Private

Banker for a few years, Carolina changed careers and attended New School University’s Parsons

School of Design where she obtained an Associate Degree in Fashion Design. She worked as an

Assistant Buyer for Macy’s until the loss of her husband, George, and single motherhood forced

a career change due to the extensive travel. A fortuitous opportunity to teach art at a local

elementary school arose and became the start of an exciting career. After two years of teaching

elementary art, Carolina chose to expand her teaching skills and enrolled in the University of

Florida’s Masters of Art Education program.

Happily remarried, Carolina, her husband David and daughter Isabella now reside in

Eugene, Oregon. In addition to Art Education, she works as a photographer, specializing in

sports documentary photography. She is interested in Social Practice and how activism in social

issues plays a role in art education. After graduation, Carolina hopes to expand on her knowledge

of Social Practice and is considering a PhD.


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