Art education spaces naturally facilitate curiosity and exploration, challenging learners to shift their perspective and explore layers of meaning within artistic creation practice. Due to these inherent qualities, art education may be an ideal space for Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers to collaborate with non-Indigenous educators to bring Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing alongside Western art theory and practice. In a recent research study in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, three Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers from the Treaty 7 territory collaborated with a non-Indigenous researcher/educator to develop a four-part workshop that brought Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing alongside Western art theory and practice. The frameworks guiding the research were Two-Eyed Seeing and Decolonization, with Storytelling as Methodology and Storywork as the methodologies. Falling within the sub-streams of Visual Arts Practice, Teaching and Learning in the Arts, Teaching and Learning, and First Nations and Indigenous Peoples, the paper aims to explore the universal benefits for similar collaborative approaches in the future, where land-based learning creates spaces to bring Indigenous and Western ways of knowing, being, and doing alongside one another. By exploring the lived experiences of participants in the recent study conducted by the author, as well as current literature related to similar land-based Indigenous research practices in countries such as Canada, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, the proposed paper falls under the overlapping themes of Humanity and Human Intelligence and Global Citizenship and Education for Peace.

Authors:
Razieh Alba, University of Calgary, Canada

About the Presenter(s)
Razieh Alba is an instructor at the Werklund School of Education and the Art and Art History Department at the University of Calgary. She focuses on Indigenous knowledges, inclusive education, and integrating Indigenous perspectives into teaching.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule

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