ABSTRACT
This paper explores the notion of participatory archival frameworks for art education, questioning the archive as an in/exclusive world. Who gets archived and why? What histories of art education are preserved and how? Who feels free, capable, and invited to access this material history? Theorizing feminist notions of inclusion and diversity within archives and art education practices, I explore these questions through three particular art education collections housed at Penn State Special Collections: The Mary E. Godfrey Papers, The Dr. Bea Card Kettlewood Papers (in acquisition), and The Judy Chicago Art Education Collection. I discuss factors for art educators to consider as they seek to create archives that are open, democratic, plural, and inclusive, and I address the notion of extending the invitation to the archive—what the possibilities of a participatory archive might mean for art education, being mindful that participation is shaped by issues of access, ability, and confidence.
