Open AccessTeens Challenged to Re-think the Concept of European Identity in the Museum
Author(s) -
Sofia Trouli
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
higher education studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1925-475X
pISSN - 1925-4741
DOI - 10.5539/hes.v11n3p156
Subject(s) - polyphony , inclusion (mineral) , identity (music) , sociology , democratization , democracy , space (punctuation) , critical thinking , contemporary art , pedagogy , visual arts education , visual arts , media studies , aesthetics , social science , art history , art , the arts , political science , computer science , law , performance art , politics , operating system
Museums seek to be places for democratization, inclusion and polyphony. In this paper we present the multimodal conversations of the participating adolescents in the course of a museum pedagogical program in the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete. The program’s topic is Europe and the concept of European identity. Firstly, we prepare the ground through creating an environment of safety and confidence, and next, together with our groups we study the selected artworks, following the routines of ‘Artful Thinking’, which propose the development of critical thinking through specific questions. This process reinforces reflective thinking and skills of participating in a dialogue. Our aim is to describe and share how a museum through its collections and programs can constitute a space where democratic dialogue and healthy debate are cultivated. In this space, everybody is invited to participate in inquiring, reflecting on self, answering, sharing, with and through the art.