Creative confluences. An interpretative approach to the contribution of artists in school settings

Abstract

The contributions of professional artists in educational settings are a quite new practice in our context, but countries such as United Kingdom, the United States or Australia have a long experience in this area. In such countries, there has long been a concern to assess the impact of artists-in-school programs. However, this concern has not been without controversy. While many scholars argue that objective indicators can confirm (or, eventually, refute) the benefits of such programs, some other object the possible confirmation bias and the difficulty of assessing complex issues relying on objective registers.  An alternative are the ethnographic or interpretative researches that can give us a glimpse of what actually occurs in a specific case study. Following this option, we summarize an interpretative research based on the XXX program. Beyond the (perhaps) foreseeable positive appreciation of the participants, the research reveals the interactions between teachers, artists and students, their perception of the experience, and the meaning and scope the projects had for them. Findings show that positions of the three groups are quite consistent in some aspects, while in other divergences and frictions can be remarkable.