ABSTRACT
Progressive educators assert that classrooms should model the democratic ideals of civic space, where freedom of speech, fair representation, and freedom from unfair persecution are embraced and enacted. As artists enter civic spaces to present public art that directly address citizens, their rights, and their experiences-both past and present-educators have an opportunity to learn from their practices and their attempts to engage audiences in meaningful debate and dialogue. The public work created by the artists Krzysztof Wodiczko and the artist collective REPOhistory, co-founded by Greg Sholette, model pedagogical methods that could be considered “best practices” for teaching history. Deliberately involved in “the process of communicating knowledge about the past,” these artists treat the subject of history in very different ways (Stearns, Seixas & Wineburg, 2000). Not simply an aesthetic gesture, the process of artistic communication can be considered an “epistemological and cultural act” (ibid.). Sholette and Wodiczko are both interested in civic engagement, but their artistic practices offer unique connections to historical knowledge and methods. As educators interested in finding dynamic approaches for teaching students critical historical and visual literacy skills, as well as for encouraging them to become engaged in civic issues, we are interested in exploring these artists’ methods in order to connect them with classroom practice. Educators have much to learn from artists, not just by looking at the images and objects they produce, but through a critical examination of their creative process, their motivations, and their sources of inspiration.
