IN-PERSON MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY. SECTION A

Abstract

Art history education is at a pivotal moment. Shaken by paradigm shifts in education and art, the discipline requires a profound reimagining of its pedagogy as evidenced by the Art History Pedagogy and Practice journal since 2016. Current introductory courses employ a formal, didactic approach that stems from the discipline’s institutionalization in the 19th century and its relationship to the canon (Ishii 2022; Juneja 2023; 2018; Langfeld 2018; Sienkewicz 2016). Although critical studies have identified the Canon’s foundational biases (masculinist, heterocentric, Western-centric, and teleological), their integration into the introductory material remains additive, which increases the pressure on curricular coverage (Juneja 2018; Kerin et Lepage 2016). This indicates that there has been no epistemic change in teaching since the 19th century. This curricular status quo raises the question: What didactic shift can bring history of art into the 21st century? The aim of this paper is to suggest a didactic-paradigmatic re-actualization in adopting a transcultural episteme. Transcultural didactics is a form of world-making and co-creation allowing the teacher to curate the material (Juneja 2023; 2018). This ontological shift also allows for the development of critical skills (critical thinking and critical perception), empathy, visual literacy, and creativity (Ishii 2022; Joranson 2023; Kellogg Disalvo et Ross 2022; L. Reymond 2022; Sienkewicz 2016). These competencies are essential for young individuals to navigate 21rst century challenges such as eco-anxiety, militarized borders, mass migration, artificial intelligence (AI), and the rise of political extremism (Juneja 2023; 2018; Robinson et Aronica 2015; Robinson et Robinson 2022).