Engaging Classrooms and Communities through Art

Beth Krensky Beth Krensky is an assistant professor of art education and the Area Head of Art Teaching at the University of Utah. She is an artist, activist and educator. She is one of the founding members of the international artist collective, the Artnauts.Seana Lowe Steffen currently works with Mapleton Public Schools as an instructional guide training and coaching teachers in Expeditionary Learning. She has been a faculty member and was the founding director of INVST Community Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

• Section I. Understanding Community ArtChapter 1. Introduction to Community Art and Community-Based Art EducationChapter 2. The Practice of Community Art: From Setting the Stage to Making ArtChapter 3. The Art Practitioner: Making the most of Opportunities and ChallengesChapter 4. The Participants: Seeing the Power of Community ArtChapter 5. The Theory behind the PracticeSection II. Modeling the Practice of Community ArtChapter 6. MuralsChapter 7. PhotographyChapter 8. Graphics in Posters and BillboardsChapter 9. VideoChapter 10. DanceAppendicesAppendix A. A Brief History of MuralsAppendix B. A Brief History of PhotographyAppendix C. A Brief History of Posters and BillboardsAppendix D. A Brief History of VideoAppendix E. A Brief History of DanceAppendix F. General Resources

This is an indispensable book for educators, activists, and anyone interested in social justice. Krensky and Lowe Steffen's guide to community-based arts education challenges the notion that art is a luxury reserved for elites and practiced by the gifted. In their hands, art education becomes a democratic, transformative tool for invigorating blighted communities, reducing student dropout and alienation, and inspiring participants to solve social problems. Krensky and Lowe Steffen's clear, step-by-step examples show how to build partnerships between non-artists and professional artists, kids and seniors, and local communities and schools. Engaging Classrooms andCommunities through Art will inspire citizens, politicians and social service agencies to previously unheard of levels of performance, reflection and creation.