At the Crossroads: Situating Place-based Art Education

Abstract

This article explores the intersection of art education and place-based education as a means of developing ecological literacy. The author advocates the development of a model of place-based art education, one that integrates the real-world, community-centred learning of place-based education with the affective, subjective orientation of art education. Drawing inspiration from the work of environmentalists and eco-artists alike, this model is seen as a way for art and environmental educators to create powerful and mem- orable experiences for students by bringing self and community into dia- logue with place. Examples of place-based art education are cited, and an ongoing research study involving this model is introduced.