Social Reconstructionism in Art Education: Art, Critical Pedagogy, and Empowerment in a Junior High Setting

Social reconstructionist art education strives to empower human agency to understand and transform unjust social relationships through aesthetic experience. Scholarly work in art education conducted with respect to social reconstructionism has been largely theoretical. This study thus investigated the manner in which junior high students understand, interpret, and act upon a social reconstructionist art curriculum. Specific research questions included: 1) what kinds of artistic and verbal expression were generated by students as they engaged in social issues-based art inquiry? 2) to what extent are their visual and verbal artifacts reflective of social reconstructionist positions? Social reconstructionist art education has significant potential for empowering students to examine contemporary issues and become informed citizens capable of confronting unjust social relationships. However, to promote art education for social betterment, art educators must reconceptualize the field of art education and move beyond appreciating art as a form of aesthetic construct. Several recommendations concerning future implementation of social reconstructionist art education are drawn.