Art Critiques And Ecological Perspectives Of Contextuality, Equity, And Harmony: Recommendations For Korean Art Education
Open Access
- Author:
- Koh, Hongkyu
- Graduate Program:
- Art Education
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 09, 2013
- Committee Members:
- Dr Karen Keifer Boyd, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Dr Karen Keifer Boyd, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Wanda Knight, Committee Member
Dr Kimberly Powell, Committee Member
George Richard Vahoviak, Committee Member - Keywords:
- ecological art education
art education for ecological sustainability
ecological perspective - Abstract:
- The purpose of this study is to draw implications and develop recommendations for Korean art curriculum to achieve education that supports ecological sustainability. To do so, I critique Korean contemporary environmental art and the current Korean art curriculum from an ecological perspective, incorporating values of contextuality, equity, and harmony. Through interviews and document analysis, I particularly focus an ecological art critique on two Korean contemporary artist groups: Baggat Art Group (BAG) and Korea Nature Art Association (KNAA). I analyzed BAG’s and KNAA’s artworks, exhibitions, and other activities, as well as related research or criticisms in terms of artist groups’ conceptualization of the environment and ways each group conveyed ecological concepts. In analysis of the current Korean art curriculum, I focus on nine art textbooks for secondary schools in Korea. Using an ecological perspective as art criticism to analyze contemporary Korean artworks by KNAA and BAG members, I find that works of BAG and KNAA reflect and advocate ecological values of contextuality, equity, and harmony in different ways. Creating and exhibiting their works with natural materials found in the exhibition site, KNAA endeavors to represent the beauty and spirituality of local nature. Artworks of KNAA convey values of contextuality (i.e., valuing locality), equity (i.e., between human-beings and nature), and harmony (i.e., harmonious relationships between humans and nature). BAG expands and broadens KNAA’s conceptualization of ecology in social, cultural, and political life. Similarly to KNAA, BAG creates and exhibits their works with materials found in the exhibition site. However, the messages of the artworks are mostly related to the socio-cultural or political issues of Jara Island, the site of exhibition. BAG brings social and political issues into their works and they raise their voices about those issues. BAG conveys the value of contextuality (i.e., valuing local tradition or culture), equity (i.e., empowerment of all members), and harmony (i.e., embracing diverse perspectives). Analyzing the current Korean art curriculum as to how it reflects or does not reflect ecological values (using nine art textbooks for secondary schools), I focus on examining the notion of environment, sense of place, and aesthetics embedded in the Korean art curriculum. I find that the notion of environment in the current Korean art curriculum mainly regards physical and visual features of environment. Another finding is that the sense of place embedded in the current Korean art curriculum does not encompass distinctiveness or unique values of local place. Also, I find that the current Korean art curriculum is mainly based upon the perspective of formalism, which emphasizes visual attributes such as color and proportional relationships within artworks rather than contextual meaning. Finally, I propose three suggestions for Korean art education to be more responsible to practice education for ecological sustainability. First, I argue that Korean art curriculum should convey broader ideas of environment and ecology beyond environment as physical surroundings. Second, I propose that Korean art curriculum guide activities that explore local issues of equity and harmony. Lastly, I suggest that Korean ecological art curriculum interpret environmental responsibility through an ecological lens of contextuality, equity, and harmony.