Discourse and Disjuncture between the Arts and Higher Education

"Davis' skilful compilation of essays should be required reading for arts education graduate students who will recognize the factors of marginalization that devalue the arts in the Academy and K-12 and will find in the programmatic and curricular innovations promising visions of change for recalibrating arts' role in the educational landscape." (Paul Sproll, Head of Rhode Island School of Design's Department of Teaching and Learning in Art and Design, USA) "If you care about individual creativity and the nation's capacity for innovation, you must read Discourse and Disjunction Between the Arts and Higher Education. These intellectually and emotionally stimulating essays convincingly make the case for arts engagement for all students and demonstrate the crucial role of informed teaching in the midst of cultural change. Jessica Hoffmann Davis contributes decades of experience in education in the arts in a volume that teaches the reader through all the authors' effective examples and lessons learned. This is a worthwhile source-book of both sound theory and promising practices for teachers, education leaders, and parents." (Ellen McCulloch-Lovell, Former President, Marlboro College (2004-2015), USA)

This accessible and compelling collection of faculty reflections examines the tensions between the arts and academics and offers interdisciplinary alternatives for higher education.This accessible and compelling collection of faculty reflections examines the tensions between the arts and academics and offers interdisciplinary alternatives for higher education. With an eye to teacher training, these artist scholars share insights, models, and personal experience that will engage and inspire educators in a range of post-secondary settings. The authors represent a variety of art forms, perspectives, and purposes for arts inclusive learning ranging from studio work to classroom teaching to urban settings in which the subject is equity and social justice. From the struggles of an arts concentrator at an Ivy League college to the challenge of reconciling the dual identities as artists and arts educators, the issues at hand are candid and compelling. The examples of discourse ranging from the broad stage of arts advocacy to an individual course or program give testimony to the power and promise of the arts in higher education.