The Only Artist in My Family: Selective Self‐Identification in University‐Level Art Students

Abstract Self‐identification is essential to the mediation of educational outcomes, however the selective self‐identification of students as an artist remains a relatively unexplored area of research in art education. This project uses qualitative narrative analysis to deconstruct the life stories of university‐level art students, to examine formative processes underlying selective artistic self‐identification, and to discern how dispositions developed in earlier experiences impact student engagement, performance and motivation at the university level. Research findings indicate students‐as‐artist identities develop along two distinct dramaturgical positions and emphasise the importance of mentor relationships, student‐choice, open exploration, and environmental support to the development of emerging student‐as‐art identities. The researcher reviews literature broadly supporting an examination of selective self‐identification, outlines methods used to deconstruct the life stories of university‐level art students, examines evidence of emerging patterns in the data, and concludes with a short discussion of how findings of this project impact the teacher’s role in corroborating selective artistic self‐identification in students.