Annotated Bibliography & Course Connections

Reflections on my enlightening journey in the MA Art Education program, paired with a detailed list of resources that inform my practice.

A quote posted above the entrance to my art room.

Class Reflections

I entered the MA Art Ed program rather recently, this being my very first semester (Summer 26). I have taken a total of three courses: ARTEDUC6000, ARTEDUC7795, and ARTEDUC5795, which as a combination have refined both my practice and identity as an educator.

ARTEDUC7795: Art, Place, and Praxis: Geographic and Spatial Approaches to Art Education

This course, taught by Gloria Wilson, was extremely insightful and challenged my creativity in the best way possible. With an overarching theme of Space, Place, and Aesthetics we explored the essential question: How can educators formulate a spatially aware teaching practice? Diving into the ways in which our lived environment has an effect on our movement throughout the spaces we inhabit.

Week 4 Project Exploring Form & Boundary: Environment Choreography

The weekly readings paired with the meaningful art-making prompts urged us to consider not only the space our students come from, but also the space we as educators derive—reminding us our artistic pedagogy is directly shaped by our everyday surroundings. The most significant learning experience I had in this class was that spaces determine the choreography of our bodies, and how different spaces promote different choreography. Pushing us to notice that structure is not random, but strategic and packed with meaning. After taking this course I understand space is not neutral, but instead molded by its history and the cultures that continue to reside. Bringing this understanding to the forefront of my mind as I carry out my teaching practice will allow me to connect with my students on a deeper level and create meaningful art.

ARTEDUC5795: Special Topics: Arts Integration

I really enjoyed this course because we were given a chance to explore the Arts in more broader terms. Each week we explored the different carousels of art (Visual Arts, Theatre, Dance, Communal Art) and completed a project reflecting our learnings. The biggest challenge by far was a group project where we were required to formulate an interpretive dance, virtually. Initially I was extremely intimidated by this assignment, it really brought me out of my comfort zone and pushed me to utilize my creativity in a new, unfamiliar way. As a shy, introverted person, I felt really awkward at first. However, I had such an amazing group that it took no time for me to warm up and feel comfortable. After meeting my partners and getting a better understanding of the project, my apprehension slowly turned into confidence.

My biggest takeaway from this course was seeing the importance in cross connecting with other subjects (history, literature, SEL, etc.) and how this teaching method really creates a stronger foundation of knowlegde for our students. When we formulate coursework emphasizing the integration between subjects, we nuture the understanding that much of everything is connected. Adopting this approach in my teaching method supports my purpose as an educator and underlines this reoccurring theme of offering a bridge between art and the real-world.

ARTEDUC6000: Reflective Practice, Research & Portfolio

The nature of this course has allowed me to reflect on the insight gathered throughout my time in the program. Not only am I given a chance to ponder key concepts explored within both my courses, but I also have a chance to examine my identity as an educator. The coursework provides a moment of self reflection that has led me to a place where I can clearly define my mission as a Title I Elementary Art Teacher.

Trip to the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Museum with my 3rd Graders.

Annotated Bibliography

Teaching art within the very community I was raised has directly contributed to the strong bond my students and I share. As I work as an educator within an unpredictable environment, my role has become to demonstrate the ways in which art can be used as both an expressive and productive tool. The following list of annotated sources support a teaching pedagogy centered around the setting in which our practice takes place, and how the consideration of circumstances positively inform our practice. These resources share an overarching theme of environment, and reveal the importance of cultivating a spatially aware practice—as it fosters competencies across subjects beyond the arts.

Elderbrock, E., Russel, K., Ko, Y., Budd, E., Gonen, L., & Enright, C. (2024). Evaluating Urban Green Space Inequity to Promote Distributional Justice in Portland, Oregon. Land, 13(6), 720-. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13060720

Urban green space is often unequally distributed throughout cities, this scholarly journal establishes a process to assess intra-urban green space inequities at the city scale. With access and exposure to urban green space being associated with various health benefits, it is crucial to draw our attention to the ways in which our students’ lived environment affect their learning and overall success. 

The findings of this selected case study for the city of Portland, Oregon, USA is a direct reflection of a larger global design— specifically the greater North America. Because of this, the discussion of distributional green space justice must be associated within similar socioeconomic contexts. According to this study, from 2014 to 2020 lower income communities, as well as communities with greater non-white population densities, experienced significant decreases in tree canopy cover compared to whiter and wealthier communities in Portland, Oregon, USA. Similarly, in Montreal, Canada, neighborhoods with greater low-income and minoritized racial populations had significantly less tree canopy cover overall as well (p. 2). This finding mirrors the environment of my own, as well as that of my students. These findings underline clear evidence of disparities in tree cover based on race and income. This study also points out that while numerous city and national scale assessments have found evidence of urban green space inequities, they stop at providing data-informed, spatially explicit recommendations for addressing existing disparities (p. 3). This scholarly article takes things a step further by addressing these gaps, proposing a multi-step process towards identifying and combating these green space inequalities at a city scale. 

Understanding how urban landscapes affect human health is imperative when working as an educator for children existing in these particular environments. This scholarly article reveals that urban environments have been linked to serious public health concerns (poor mental health, physical inactivity, air pollution, extreme heat, etc.) all of which being risk factors for premature mortality. This source speaks to the ways in which spatial circumstances impact our students, as well as our teaching.  

Nelson, S. (2016). Theaster Gates in Chicago. Art in the twenty-first century (Season 8, Episode 1). https://art21.org/watch/art-in-the-twenty-first-century/s8/theaster-gates- in-chicago-segment/

In this Art21 episode, Theaster Gates introduces art as a form of intervention. We are taken to his childhood neighborbood on the southside of Chicago, where has has began a profound project focusing on the revitalization of his community. With an aim to combat violence and crime, Gates walks us through his decision making as he combines art and culture to counter the conditions of his environment.

In Chicago, Theaster Gates reminds us that the "things we imagine have no value, are things we simply have stopped seeing as having value." He emphasizes this perspective through the repurposing of abandoned buildings on the block he was raised, naming this project of renewal Buildings on the Block: House for Repositories. With a mission to slow down violence and an act to see beauty where it lives without pretense, Gates transformed these forgotten spaces into art intervention establishments: Album Collection House, Black Cinema House, Mixed Income Housing for Artists, and most importantly, the Stoney Arts Bank. These houses stand as a new repository for the Black image and the Black American historical experience. As we watch this video, we are urged to consider the ways in which we can create spaces ample in culture and impactful art making. The use of rejuvenation as a tool of resistance speaks to the profound question Gates leaves us with at the end of his interview: "What would the Black world look like if we invested in Art?"

Considering the work of Theaster Gates as I teach art at two Title I schools, reminds me to cultivate such a space within my classroom. Emphasing the importance of art as a tool within my teaching practice establishes an understanding that, in the words of Theaster Gates, when art and culture are present it serves as a magnet for possibilities.

Wieczorek, L., Scholten, N., & Bienert, N. (2025). Pupils as Spatial Citizens: Design Principles for Education for Sustainable Development Projects to Promote Pupils’ Participation. In M. Hardouin & C. Leininger-Frézal (Eds.), Curricular Changes in Geography Education (pp. 171–186). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-96551-7_13

Our social climate is increasingly complex, and the need for youth participation in addressing these challenges is also increasing. This scholarly article describes an educator's role in enhancing the competencies necessary for active youth engagement, examining current participation practices that directly strengthen a student's ability to engage more deeply in societal discourses. This journal provides us with ten design principles to consider when aiming to formulate sustainable development projects.

This journal informs us that Participatory Competencies can be defined as "the ability to gain knowledge about various forms and opportunities for participation and to utilize them effectively; this encompasses the capacity to articulate and express personal interests, share them, and contribute to public discourses" (p.172) Wieczorek, Scholten, and Bienert stress our duty as educators to implement these processes within our classrooms, as schools are "pivotal institutions for education and socialization and aim to prepare young adults to become responsible citizens, which encompasses the fostering of participatory competencies." Putting these processes into play can be seen as aligning classroom content closely with our pupils' everyday experiences, which allows us to address their needs and recognize them as experts of their own world. (p. 180). Such practices will establish a learning environment where young adults feel more motivated to "engage actively with spatial issues through practical methods (hands on) that facilitate more profound and sustainable learning experiences" (p.181). This scholarly article emphasizes the importance of spatial awareness and the profound impact it has on both a student's learning and participatory competencies.

Adopting a teaching method that directly contributes to a young adult's participatory proficiencies is imperative as an educator. This source speaks to the importance in preparing our students for real-world engagements through the use of meaningful art making.