Learning Things: Material Culture in Art Education

by Doug Blandy, Paul E. Bolin

Overview

Through activities, approaches, and examples, this resource highlights concrete strategies for incorporating material culture into K–16 art classrooms, as well as museum and community settings. Chapters are written by luminaries in the field and organized around various aspects of material culture, including object study, the role of technology, and multisensory art.

“Learning Things is a resource abounding in lucid insights into how everyday objects impact teaching and learning in art. I am certain this book will quickly become a foundational text in our field.”
—Juan Carlos Castro, chair, NAEA Research Commission

“Filled with excellent examples and teaching strategies, this book brings to life the interdisciplinary stories objects hold and the ways we can use them in research and teaching.”
—Deborah L. Smith-Shank, The Ohio State University

“In this intimate and educative book, Doug Blandy and Paul Bolin invite us to consider how things come into appearance and take form in the uses to which they are put. If you have ever wondered how we find and lose ourselves in the things that we create, collect, or carry with us, then, this book is for you.”
—Dónal O’Donoghue, The University of British Columbia

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807777022
Publisher:	Teachers College Press
Publication date:	06/22/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	617,408
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Doug Blandy is a professor of cultural leadership in the School of Planning, Public Policy, and Management and core faculty in folklore and public culture at the University of Oregon. Paul E. Bolin is a professor of art education and visual art studies at The University of Texas at Austin.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

Why Material Culture? 2

1 What is Material Culture? Twelve Keys to Understanding Material Culture and This Book 7

What Is Material Culture? 8

What Is Not Material Culture? 12

A Confluence Between Material Culture and Art Education 13

Key Ideas for Engaging with This Book 15

Conclusion 25

2 Objects and the Stories of Our Lives 27

Approaching Objects 29

Conclusion 37

3 Collecting and Collections 38

Objects of Passion 40

Beyond the Visual in Material Culture Studies 42

Collectors and Collecting on the Internet 43

Collecting in the Midst of Catastrophe and Grief 45

Conclusion 48

4 Material Culture: Investigations Spanning Time, People, and Location 49

Object Investigation 50

Conclusion 62

5 Technology and Material Culture 63

A Systems Approach to Technology 66

Technology and Narrative 67

Object Ethnography 68

The Biography of Things 69

The Tetrad 70

The Taxonomy of the Sensorium 71

Videogames and Virtual Environments 73

Conclusion 74

6 Multisensory Art, Artists, and Art Education 75

Superiority Given the Visual 75

Multisensory Art and Artists 77

Ten Artists/Artistic Teams Whose Work Transcends the Visual 78

Additional Multisensory Artists/Curators, Virtual/Physical Sites, and Events/Exhibitions Readers Are Urged to Explore 84

Multisensory Art and Art Education 85

7 Conclusion: Strategies and Approaches for Teaching About and Studying Material Culture 87

Ten Instructional Strategies to Use with Students 87

Ten Approaches to Material Culture Study 93

Selected Books Relating to Material Culture, with Interest Toward Art Education 103

References 115

Index 121

About the Authors 133

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“In the field of art education, Blandy and Bolin have led the way in thinking about the importance of material culture. Learning Things offers art education scholars, researchers, and teachers a resource abounding in lucid insights into how everyday objects impact teaching and learning in art. I am certain this book will quickly become a foundational text in our field.”
—Juan Carlos Castro, chair, NAEA Research Commission

“Learning Things is for anyone who collects, researches, teaches, or simply delights in the human-formed objects in our world. It takes readers on a comprehensive and fascinating journey into the myriad ways we are impacted by the multisensory nature of material culture, or as the authors note, “the material of a culture.” Filled with excellent examples and teaching strategies, this book brings to life the interdisciplinary stories objects hold and the ways we can use them in research and teaching.”
—Deborah L. Smith- Shank, The Ohio State University

“In this intimate and educative book, Doug Blandy and Paul Bolin invite us to consider how things come into appearance and take form in the uses to which they are put. Through the stories they tell, the pedagogical practices they share, and the many questions they pose, Blandy and Bolin reveal how things animate thought and action. If you have ever wondered how we find and lose ourselves in the things that we create, collect, or carry with us when we venture into the world, then, this book is for you.”
— Dónal O’Donoghue, The University of British Columbia

Editorial Reviews

…a foundational guide to the confluence of art education and the material culture of our daily lives. An introductory resource for pre-service students and art educators alike, this well-organized volume smoothly articulates the narratives, theories, and potentialities for praxis in an ever-expanding field… In Learning Things, Bolin and Blandy have made an inspiring contribution to this progress by underscoring the enormous potential of a material culture perspective in art education.”

―Teachers College Record

“While many of their instructional methods can be used in K-12, we believe a college course could benefit by adopting this book.”

―Arts & Activities

"a very useful resource...a rewarding read for anyone working as a museum educator or interpreter."

―History News

From the Publisher