Art Education

ISSN: 0004-3125 (Print) 2325-5161 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uare20

Visual Artifact Journals as Creative and Critical

Springboards for Meaning Making

Lynn Sanders-Bustle

To cite this article: Lynn Sanders-Bustle (2008) Visual Artifact Journals as Creative and Critical
Springboards for Meaning Making, Art Education, 61:3, 8-14

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/00043125.2008.11652054

Published online: 21 Dec 2015.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 25

View related articles

Citing articles: 1 View citing articles

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=uare20
 If it's one day I would erase from history it would be August 29, 2005 ...
this is the day that Hurricane Katrina hit. When we were first allowed to return to the house
about two months after the storm wefound what was onceour home wassetting{sic.] in the
backyard of the neighbor's house. But, the most ironic thingof all was when I look through the
wall-less house, I noticedthat the tea-sets that my greatgreat-grandmother onceowned was
still in placeon top of the china cabinet. (Claire's V. A. (Visual Artifact) entry, 2-15-07}

Visual ArtifactJournals
as Creative and
Critical Springboardsfor
Meaning Making
BY LYNN SANDERS -BUSTLE

C
la ire' de cri ption of a pho tograph taken of
wha t on ce was her home profoundly cap tures
th e impo rtance of th ose everyday contents of
our lives to wh ich we arc so deepl y attached . Visual
artifacts such as th is ph otograph serve as valuab le
springboards for mea nin g makin g in visua l artifact
journ als, wh ich I usc with my students.
It has bee n 5 years since I bega n m)' job as an art edu cation
professor at a Louisiana university where I teach an introd uc-
tory "Art in Ed ucatio n" cour e. '(he majority of m)' students
are studyi ng to becom e classroom teachers, while a small
percent age arc art educatio n major s. Many willingl y inform
me th at they have had little o r no forma l ar t instruction since
elementar y or midd le schoo l. Some confess. "I can't draw a
straig ht line!" However. I remai n und au nted. determined to
erase m isguided not ion s and to replace them with a sense of
ar tistic agency.

Figure 1. Claire's Visual Art if act Journal Entry.

8 ART EDUCATION I MAY 2008

 Given this context, I created a visual artifact journal assignment that
would encourage students to enter the world of art through the contents Purposes of Visual Artifact
of their everyday lives. In this article I show how visual artifact journals are used Journals (In their words):
with beginning students as creative and critical springboards for visual study and
meaning making (see Figure 2).1
To find unexpected visual qualities in
everyday objects.
Revisiting and Revising Art Journals To help us pay more attention to
Typically, we consider sketchbooks as places designed solely for drawing. If you detaill to see the beauty of nature
drew well, you participated with a certain level of confidence. If you did not, the around us.
experience was somewhat frustrating and for some, a place to which they never
To give importance to small things in
returned. At the same time, art educators understand the magic of the sketchbook as
life.
a space for ideas to take shape, imaginations to wander, and drawing skills to be
practiced. Blecher and Jaffee (1998) suggest that sketchbooks can become liberatory To document life.
tools for "widening the learning circle" to include often marginalized learners.
To implement the art language and
The use of sketchbooks, journals, and reflective writing in art education is nothing terms we have learned in class.
new. Yet, a contemporary shift from a modernist to a post modern paradigm
challenges educators to revisit and revise practices to include experiences that are not To keep a record for our personal use
solely about formal content and the development of art skills but those which cross
in the future.
disciplinary boundaries, encourage conceptual development, and foster creative and To be able to expressour thoughts
critical inquiry, all within the context of an ever-changing contemporary world. about these things.
Many have embraced this challenge by rethinking what it means to practice, To make us think critically.
sketch, draw, or fill a page or a screen. Grauer and Naths (1998) suggested the use of
visual journals that represent "visual thinking in a variety of forms: drawings, To help us know that anything can be
sketches, collages, photographs, graphics, and personally meaningful symbols" art, not just paintings or drawings.
(p, 14). Anderson and Milbrandt (2005) recommend the use of research notebooks, To use this as an example for future
which "incorporate visual exploration, contextual research, critiques and other teaching ... As in what we find in the
visual and verbal forms of art criticism, aesthetic inquiry, and above all personal world that interests us but might not
reflection ..." (p, 237). Altered books can be employed as personal creative and interest others (future students).
critical explorations of social issues (Sanders-Bustle, 2007).2 Drucker (2004)
reviewed artists' books as important art forms, which support "the use of cross Figure 2. Purposes of Visual Artifact Journals:
disciplinary media, the production of work through an accessible means, and the In their words.
reaction against the established art world/market" (p. 7):' Finally, technological
innovations offer learners a world of possibilities to search for, capture, and
manipulate visual and textual representations (Madeja, 1997).
Criteria for the Assessment of Visual
The Visual Artifact Assignment Artifact Journals:
Visual artifact journals provide learners with a creative and critical space to explore 1. Completion: Correct number of
and represent the contents-or visual artifacts-of their daily lives. Visual artifacts artifacts
are simply described as everyday artifacts that students find to be visually engaging.
This definition is purposefully broad, which allows students to happen upon artifacts 2. Thorough description of visual
with few restrictions. Weekly, students select a visual artifact and mount or display qualities: Useof art terminology
the artifact (or a photo of the artifact) in an II"' x 14"' sketchbook.' After carefully and descriptive language
studying the artifact, students write a two-part reflection that includes a contextual 3. Contextual discussion of artifact
account and a detailed description of the artifact. The contextual account describes
how and/or why the artifact was selected and why it is important to them. The 4. Variety of artifacts: Ex: found
detailed description includes newly learned art terminology and the use of descrip- objects,both man-made, and
tive language. For an overview of criteria for assessment, see Figure 3. natural, photos...

Figure 3. Criteria for the Assessment of

Visual Artifact Journals.

Art educators understand the magic ofthe sketchbook

as a space for ideas to take shape, imaginations to wander,
and drawing skills to be practiced.

MAY 2008 I ART EDUCATION 9

 Selec tio n , visual St ud)", a nd
wrtuen Retlectfon A~
Proces ..es fur Vi\ ua l Ar ti fillc l
Engagement
/ Sd«lion
l ht:'""""" tlf .he- v"lUl arnfect
~....ip:n mm l lin p.trtl y In the' ~ uJrnf,
p OWn' 10 td«t lhe- .. ruf....t m041 -
viIIl l ng fUr1hn mll:'r N .lnd inquiry.
Viw.al ",n ,f.k h mdudt ..UlU lurOilly
found Of m.an -~ob,«h. Sl:uJrnl .
dw.lok:~ Iu.."r t--n \'.l~. ranging fn>m
..mf....b (U"nJ In N l u rC' ~h a,
m'o«t~ r1..nl ~ "oJ " :0I:k" to m.anuf....•
turn! item' "",h ... undy wnrJ"'tTlo.
;o.-dry. and nc ket \tuM. W}lIk linn
bc1,,"~ \'iw.ll u!'f.... h ;llnd m.l1~1
culture Ihn-.ryca n be- nuok, nul('ril.l
culture In'M:illly Trfcn III IhoW' oh,«t\
"created, used, anJ modlfinJ b)'
hunu.n,· (M.kr. z003. p. 201.' AprI)"\ng
.. m.ltC'ri..1cultu re ~1i\"C' 10 the'
\-iw.ll aruf....t .I .....ignmcnt j\ hc-lrful
t~uu'o(' i1 ntfM'lo "uJC'nb ..n uJ'l"lf1unlly
to enter inlll ",holt K. Jtr (2003) refereed
10 il ' " HIli, a 1,j1.. 1t,.:~ ..t.."'1 t",,-lW'nohip
,lnd V;ii1U( ,,"'Ilh ;l1lotten lollto r<l' gran ted
('VC'ryo.l..y t>bj<\:l. 1I'''''T\'('r, sin(C' mcch of
wholl \ luJ ('nb """Inl are nolh.lrolll)' founJ
objnb I connnee tu u\.C' the term viJI4.u
1J~'iflJ" It. induJ(' bUlh m oll('riol] cullur('
anJ nollurally fnun.! nbje'{b, I woInlC'J In
he' (afC'ful nul l" Ji rnl ~l uJC'nl
\dn:l iuo\ allhi\ C'u ly ~10I~(' nf C'..plurol.
liun , I-:u 'r)' !'C'mC'",t(' r I a m !'u r p ri\C.'d
b)' ~'",C'th jn); I hnC' n ('\'C'r M'C' n
bC'for C'. ",uc h a !' c;ai l'!' !'ri dC'r
a rt if;lc l . ",-h kh ~h C' ~h ;lrC'd "" jlh Ih C'
d a !'" a n d h C' r u ..ch n u r h n hk
prufC'!l.",or, Much 10 my hurmr shC' holJ
cafC'fully ;llI;I(hC'J;ln ;lclu,,1 I YJ in(h ·
wiJC'boInolnol ~riJ('r ItI;I rol~ in h('r
journal, wnlin~ (!>of'(' fi~ufC'-U:
lou €DuM Wt' IIlis l't'"utiful
",111 rwt St l ' P dtlll k'•.Ik.
C'('lItUrt'
Abcrw, figur ••, G.t,,,,, .... fWfW Spideor V.""...I
ArtdoKt Enlry
ll'tt., figutl' S, 8,odqI'nl''' M.,d, GrM
Art ,foKt Ent ry
10 ART f DU( AnON I MAY 200 .
lhough nldtly arefrightt:tlt:J by
spMt'N. tbc Nn.,nll spi.l('f commtltl t il
most south '-"uisi..,n" Yllrds is
hllrmlNS unlNS provokt'J. CollN'"
ttrlJ spitlt'r MllU st'of til t' Id~
~.,utifultt'C'bs 'hq tt 'l"IU 'C' in tht'
shllJ't' of II cirde, Ih~ sl'i,lt'rJ "m"ltI
still tm thar Wl'bs ..,11 Jay until 'hry
a" to ('lit any bup itl tbe .. orb. (G ;lil",
v A . ('nlr)". 9 ·R-(}4)
\\'lu k I ..uulJ h,nT ,,"'('f ",*",lo:-J Ih l\
.an.fxt, G;I.I's 8"'UII'I(' inl C'Tnl rn>mrtC'J
further i""lu lry in lllihe' wort.! ofbolnan.a
~ SltC' tilW lhe' ;oum.a.l J'.I(tC' Wllh ""hoIl
w h.id k.arllC'd, Ltl('f wnntt t..;"" w
rncuchC'.,J p'-'"'l>thlin fur ('ft<:;I~ntt ber
'J'e'Cirnm in lhe' dr.c1ch hooL..
" j",u..1 Slu d y
Vi\uoIl \luJ )' of an U hfxt loC'O·n.a~ .a
~.uting roinl for funher n.r1or.allt>o,-
Careful \uUoII ~uJ}' is commo.>o .amo.>Ott
.artl~ " In a Ir~lliun.a1 ~\C',.art luJm b .arC'
100utthiiO sluJy obfC"Cb dtKd}'~, Ih;lllhc}'
ca n be- ( ;lrdully rqoIi(aIN . (,l,r.anJC'J up'->O,
Ot' mined f"r in\ J'lralion. I I"""('\'(J , In .a
bnl.k1O:f WOOli(', man y \'kw !>of'('intt.\ /u\l.lO('
of molny sense makintt J('\·icn ('\\('n llol l l.. the
.k\·dormml o f (lO('\ unJo:n.loInJ IO~ of Ihe'
YolorlJ (fJJ.lOJ. 2002; EhOC'f, 199-1; Ga rdr'lt"f,
II,IIB; ~rkin~. 19l,l-l). Whilo: \·i ~uoI l an.f.K1
jt1\lrn.. l ~ r riurililo: IhC'wlC' Iholl ,,",inlt r l..), ~
in unJC'nu nJIO~. IhC'y ;l1 ~, C'n<:ourattC' Iho:
('n~ ..lto:mo:nt of olher 1'C'no,n Ihwutth a nrC'fut
\ luJ y of iul d ... ml'nl \ ;mJ rrind rln . A~ li n t'
slud ...nl n r lainoo. ~ It alluw('d mo: 10 Illuk al
Ih mlts in ;l JitfO:fC'n l w;ly. ·Ih...ro: ;lro: I h in~\
Iholll uw ;llI lho: lime. t>UI \'o'two 1 . c1U ol lly
luuk Ihe'InT\(' 10 ro:ally look . l lh('m, II 1'1"01 '
;lm.li0lt how many qu('\l ion s I \ I. rl«l ... kin~
m)'1'C'lf fC'g.rJlng Ih(' dltfO:fC'nl d ('lllo:nh uf
;ln ~ h luJ C'nl qunlionnai lO:, 200,1).
8.~ V.""...I
wrtnen Reflect ion
Wrilin g is an important meanmg-ma kmg
PnJl;"~ in visual arl if,ll:! sludy. Sulhvan
(2005) pointed oUl, "meaning is not found, il
Is mad e" (I" 126). Wilhuul nwaning,
IJridtl:elll"s neckla ce uf pink Mard i G ras heads
becomes merely shiny bea ds hd d tog et her
wrth a sir ing [see I'igul'(' 5). "S olong as
ubjC'C h are mere -I h i np~ with no intrinsic or
('ll rins ic value to us, they are mea ningl~
sPolC(' fillers"[Kader, 2003, 1', 20)_Bridgf't1e
('l plained, - I thin k that thi s [the bead s] al!>o
!>ignitin the cultural bdi('fs of ou r town , \\'(,
al'(' 00(' of the few th.it cdchrales Mardi G ras.
Su not only dOC'S Ihi s b<'adln«kIac(' give
gl'('at art d('tails bm il hoMs hi!>tory also·
( Brid~II f" s \ -, A. ('n lry, 3-3-0·1)_By writ ing,
BriJ getl(' appropriales meanmg to the object
and co m m unic ates he r idl'a s, ma king
im portan t hn ks be tween art, histo ry, and her
world.
Wrilintt also serves a\ a vehicle lh ro ugh
which students ap ply newly h-a rned art
ll'r m inulugy. For exa mple , man y students
name colors in "l' ry gl' n('rallerms suc h as
-8 r('("n- or "red" or nonce o nly one visu al
elemen t versus a wide ran gf' of visual
elemem, at pia)' in objn:Is, R}- asking
..tuden ts to UM' a rt ele me nts o r p ri n -
ctptes a s a gui de for " bual exp lo ra t jo n,
th ey not o nl)' broad en ",-hat they not ice,
the y also broade n th eir vocabulary,
Ga il's de-tailed desc ripuon of the- ba nana
sp iJe r is a good ('la mple,
suvery: hdiry head. Slms,'/ om nge
panern blended with silvery white.
I>.,rk Brown. SI'p,ml /;' lg lines on
abdomen. FU/.7.r ROD r! It is
conre,I wi/Ii1I1It', spiny hairs sensiti\'e
to ... and "i bm /ion, Each is tipped
wilh three liny -to('s : Co/llration is
i,.k black Ihat fildN 10 deep caramel
orga,. al lh(" body ("" .1, LO.\ 'G LEGS.
(Gail's V. A. ent ry. 9 ·8 -{).I)
One student expla ined, - B}'
mak ing us docu me nt visua l
art ifacts. u makes us use the-
terms an d idea s Ihal we have
lear ned in art . For exam ple,
what consut ures a good
lksign ? How are J ilfl'renl linf's
uM:d ? ~ (Exit q uestion naire.
200,n In addition, peer sharing
opportu nities and .....hole class
di rocu ssions of artifads provide
0rpo:)rt unit ies for modeling ",-ha t
Althouse. John stm , and !\lil<: hdl
(2003) desc ribed as "art lalk o r
the verba l aspects of art C'dU(41-
non" ( I', 9 )_
Writin g also provides o pr 0 rt u-
nrties for students 10 craft en tries
rich in descr ipuve 1.lIlgu agl', PO:l(' Ii(
representations, and relevant
narrat ives, For exa mple, une stude nt
eme rged as a stor),td ll'r- lu rn ing a
description (If a microwa ve po pco rn
label into a humorous stor y about
ho..... she dumped a bu.....l of po pcorn
on he r brot he r's he-ad (sno Figure 6 ),
Above , f igure 6, Alana 's
Visual Art if act Entry ,
Lett . Figu re 7. Abby 's Visual
Art ifact Ent ry,
..
MA Y 2001 ' ART EDUCATION "
 " laki ng Interdisciplina ry, Personal. and Crit ical
Co n nectio ns
Visual artifac t journals provid e spact:s whe re intl' rJ is.:il'linJry,
pe rsona l, J nJ critical connec tions (an be made. Incr eased intl're St in
lntcrdtscfphnary (Taylor, Ca rpenter, HJ llen~I'e - '\ 'orri s, & Sessions,
211(6) and Integ rated approac hes to art curricul um (AlthouM.',
1would argue that whilecritical joh nson . & Mn chell , 21M)); Eiland, 2{MI2; !'arSl>r1S, 2(04) asks art
ed ucators to make authentic lin ks to other disci plines. Art ifa cts
discernment might be one goal of visual jo u rn a ls be come st u d e n t -ini t ia led sca tlolds for n at u ral
cu r ri cular co n n ec t io ns. Like Gai l'~ stu dy of the banana spider,
artifact study. critical engagement Abby's ca refully moun ted plant collec tion provides an excellent
exam ple of intl'r d isciplinar)' con nec tions made through visual
does 1I0t happen ill exclusion arti fact ex plonujon (sec Hgurt: 7) , Ahb~' writes, MMy grandmother
wanted to sho w me her ivy ... I asked her if I could haw one for my
from creative engagement. III fact, sketch book and she was so excited. we pio.: kt...t a leaf otf of ever y
single plant in her garden" (Abby 's V. A. jou rnal. <}·(16). What began
they might work together through the as a visit with her gra ndnun hcr tur ned into a collection of plant
samples ruled and desc ribed mu ch like a naturalist. As the semester
constructive actions of the artist. viewer. prog ressed. her ar tifact s aged graccfully into deeper shades of
pu rp le. bmu ze-kisscd oc hres. and ulivc gree n. I couldn't help
and others. th inking about how what staned as an art assignmt'llt had naturullv
grown uno a scie nce projec t about plan ts.
l Jried lIuwers from past and prese nt romantic relationships.
grl·l·ting cards. an,1 photog raphs act as visual scatloldtng for the
thou ghtfu l mining of me mories highli ght ing the importance of
relationships in a cultu re that is profounJl y attac hed to family. In
Shei la's l'ntry a simp le hair !It.w serves as a sprmgboa rd for
reflection aboutthe evolu tion of mothe rhood.
I snw this little red bow Iyillg 1m a II/Nt' at my mom s 110115,'.
II Im lllg /rl l'IICk u jltlOll oJ memories: gll llll Ollt'S ,wd bad
11IIt'S.. , I\ '/ra t' 1II11 't' Ill,' Yt'lIfSgOIll'? I'm ' lOt lwvillg lilly
,
\,- '
~" " mort' kills. GosII, tl!llts sad. I jt'cJ old. ,m this Cfm'l b~' ....

.'" " O tt the other /rI ll/II, I lJm \'Cry tl/lll/kJl/ f b,'( lllISt' Illy first
daughter died. II WIIS so "l.rd SI't'it'g bt'llIIllful bows lind
"
lacy tllings. I'm gilld 111lI1 I have good memories /lOll' willI
. : that. I huve good memories with ribbons III/ II bows and
IIlCY thi"gs. (S he ila's V, A. jo u rna l, fa ll 20(5 )
<\' .. ,' . It is not unusual for stude nts to include emotionally laden
" "
,1-
"
.,.
"
. "
art ifacts in their journals. Accompanying a ph otograph, Ahby
recoun ts the death of her z t -yeer-old fne nd.
She died Friday. I was lrorriJit'iI lit tlu: /I('II'S ." f 111'1.wt'
with m it' oJ my best[t iendsJrom Higlr Sdwol and I
sbe ue 's Vi~uetl , . told hhn I wish Wt' 11'(/ 1/1.1 IIt'\'t'r gt't there /' t'CIIlISt'
Art ifetct Entry. mllyl' I' it w(lIIM,,', /,~, 1'1.'1/1". l had 10 gil't' Ira 1/ PII~W
, .... itt my book, slit' deserved il. (Abby 's V. A. jo urnal,
11-06 )
Ahhy valu es the jou rnal as a place in which her fr i~' nJ
"deserves" to be Inclu ded. He r wor ld inte rtwine d with
mine as I rea d/vie wed t his ~· ntr t·. Suddculv; I was lett
wondenng abou t the tr ue value of suc h an assignmcru.
'Ihe con text unl rl'sllt' nsc ove rshadowe d the visual
descnpuon. whic h almost see med k ss sigllificall t and
l'mptr ReaJ ingf\'kwing l'ntrks suc h as thes e provided

12 ART ED UCATIO N f MAY 2008

significant challenges for me because it is my practice to assess
journals carefully. responding to strengths and weaknesses but
responding as well to events in students' lives. Suddenly I am the one
with a limited vocabulary.
Visual artifact exploration can serve as a starting point for the
examination of popular culture. I must admit there were times when
I privately grimaced at reflections related to beauty, romance, or
marriage-my sometimes cynical self rising from my feminist core
only to dissolve into a puddle of my own questioning. I knew that
my responses scribbled in the margins of journals must challenge
assertion. At times I felt comfortable posing a question. Other times
I came face to face with my own biases about what constitutes art,
trying to temper my responses to the visual sophistication of care
bears on a greeting card or the significance of certain mainstream
artists.
Magazine and newspaper photographs/articles offer the most
revealing glimpse into student ideas related to contemporary issues.
In this entry, Dana discriminates between her likings of a photo-
graph of war from that of the war itself.
I havefound all of the photographs taken at war awesome.
Do not mistake my likingthe photosfor beinginfavor of
the war. Ifeel that the president is doing what he has to do.
The photograph has a great dealof value. At the centerthe
troops havesent missiles, which lights a line down the
center. (Dana's V. A. entry, 4-04)
This discrimination is interesting because it represents tensions
that exist between conceptual and visual understanding. In one
instance the artifact is interpreted as awesome, yet at the same time
the reflection represents war as not "favorable:' Other war related
artifacts were revealing. I learned of one student's loss of a fiance and
one young single mother's affiliation as a soldier, with a 2-year-old,
later to be deployed with a local brigade.
While students often selected images depicting women from
magazines, few chose to reflect critically about their portrayal.
However, Shelly's response to a magazine photograph moves beyond
the topic of beauty to touch on issues of ageism and social class (see
Figure 8).
Figure 8. Shelly's Visual Artifact Entry.
Our culture is saturatedwith images of beautifulpeople
and an obsession with youth ... There areso many assump-
tionsone could make about this woman ... She does not
appear to be wealthy or livea pamperedlifestyle. It would
be an amazingplace to live in a world that valued its
elderly, versus one that seemstoforget about it.
(Shelly's V. A. entry, 2-16-03)
Shelly's critical response to this entry demonstrates the role that
assumptions play in the reading of images as well as the fact that
assumptions are often layered with complexities. While critical
response is not a requirement of the assignment, students' selections
of and response to popular culture artifacts suggests applications for
critical study and visual culture pedagogy.' Current debate
surrounding visual culture theory highlights differing ideas related
to the role visual culture should play in art education (Duncum,
2002; Efland 2005; Freedman, 2003; Tavin, 2005). While some

MAY 2008 I ART EDUCATION 13

 theorists see visual culture study as potentiaIly threatening to art in a
traditional sense, others see it as a necessary response to a post-
modern world (Duncum, 2002). While the visual culture debate is
important and worthy of discussion, an all or nothing solution is
neither necessary nor needed. Perhaps it is the instructor's role to
facilitate experiences for exploration and revelation rather than to
mandate certain responses, fostering a safe environment for discus-
sion and questioning (Anderson & Milbrandt, 2005; Hermann, 2005).
While a critical eye is much needed for the creation of better
worlds. such an eye will not develop because we say so. but
rather through the authentic investment of students in their
worlds along a gradual trajectory that provides students
with an opportunity to construct their way toward change.
Consequently, I would argue that while critical discernment might
be one goal of visual artifact study, critical engagement does not
happen in exclusion from creative engagement. In fact. they might
work together through the constructive actions of the artist, viewer,
and others. And ultimately, it is the hope that creative and critical
examination, reflection. and just action become staples of what it
means to develop as a learner at any level and disciplinary distinction.
Closing Thoughts
Byself-selecting and writing about objects of importance, learners
make personal connections between art and their lives. Learning
about art includes not only an understanding of masterpieces or
drawing skills; it also includes focused engagement with and the
representation of multiple worldviews. Byapplying an artistic lens to
daily lives, visual artifact exploration encourages learners to lay claim
to what is artful, ultimately providing a more democratic space for
students and teachers to share ideas, reveal lived experiences, and
make their worldviews public.
As an instructor. I continue to look for new strategies for engage-
ment with visual artifacts and remain enthraIled with the meaning
unearthed in the artifacts of my students' lives. The writing of this
article has birthed new ideas related to future use such as having
students return to prior artifacts, devising activities that purposefuIly
lead to critical engagement with intermediate students, and continued
infusions of past and present strategies. I encourage readers at all
levels to experiment with ways that visual artifacts can be used as
springboards for learning on many levels.
Lynn Sanders-Bustle is Associate Professor of Art Education at the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette. E-mail: lsb@louisiana.edu
REFERENCES
Althouse. R.• Johnson. M.• & Mitchell. S. (2003). The colors of learning:
Integrating the visualarts into the earlychildhoodcurriculum. New York:
Teachers College Press.
Anderson. T.. & Milbrandt. M. (2005). Artfor Life: Authentic instructionin art.
New York: McGraw Hill.
Blecher. S., & Jaffee. K. (1998). Weaving in the arts: Wideningthe learning
circle. Portsmouth. NH: Heinemann.
Carpenter, S. B., Burton. D.• Manifold, C. M., & Wightman, W. (2003). NAEA
Advisory: Teaching visual culture: Environment. issues. empowerment. &
skills. Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
Drucker. J. (2004). The century of artists'books. New York: Granary Books.
Duncurn, P. (2002). Clarifying visual culture art education. Art Education.
55(3), 6-11.
14 ART EDUCATION I MAY 2008
Efland, A. (2002). Art and cognition: Integrating the visualarts ill the
curriculum. New York: Teachers College Press.
Efland. A. (2005). Problems confronting visual culture. Art Education. 58(6),
35-40.
Eisner. E. (1994). Cognition and curriculumreconsidered. New York: Teachers
College Press.
Freedman. K. (2003). Teaching visualculture: Curriculum. aesthetics. and the
social lifeof art. New York: Teachers College Press.
Gardner (1983). Frames of mind. New York: Harper Collins.
Grauer. K.• & Naths, A. (1998). The visual journal in context. Journal of the
Canadian Societyfor Education through Art. 29( I).
Herrmann, R. (2005). The disconnect between theory and practice in a visual
culture approach to art education. Art Education. 58(6) 41-46.
Kader, T. (2003). Connecting artifacts with making art: Material culture
studies in art education. Art Education. 56(5) 19-23.
Madeja, S. (1997). Images and language in an electronic age. In Diane C.
Gregory. (Ed.). New technologies in art education: Implications for theory.
research, and practice (pp. 147-154). Reston, VA: National Art Education
Association.
Parsons. M. (2004). Art and integrated curriculum. In E. W. Eisner & M. D.
Day (Eds.), Handbook of research and policyin art education (pp. 775-794).
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Perkins, D. N. (1994). The intelligent eye. Los Angeles, CA: 1he J. Paul Getty
Trust.
Sanders- Bustle. L. (2007, March). Using alteredbookswith students as spaces
for creative and critical inquiry. Paper presented at the annual meeting of
the National Art Education Association, New York.
Sullivan. G. (2005). Art practice as research: Inquiry in the visualarts.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Tavin, K. (2005). Hauntological shifts: Fear and loathing of popular (visual)
culture. Studiesin Art Education. 46(2). !O1-117.
Taylor. P. G., Carpenter. B. S.• Ballengee-Morris. C; & Sessions, B. (2006).
Interdisciplinary approaches to teaching art in highschool. Reston, VA:
National Art Education Association.
ENDNOTES
ITo better understand students' perceptions of the visual artifact assignment.
at the end of each semester. students are asked to write about what they felt
was the purpose of the visual artifact assignment. I also asked them to
articulate what they felt they had learned. This list represents repeated
perceptions articulated by students.
2Altered books are "any book. old or new that has been recycled by creative
means into a work of art" (The International Society of Altered Book Artists).
3Artists' books. while difficult to define. are any book or alteration of book
created by an artist with the intent of being works of art (Drucker, 2005).
4Students are asked to purchase I I- x 14- sketchbooks in attempts to move
students out of a traditional notebook size.
5Materialculture is a term used to describe all artifacts, past and present, big
and small. beautiful and ugly, valuable and useless, simple and complex, hand-
made and manufactured that are created, used and modified by humans
(Kader, 2003. p. 20).
6Students are encouraged to study actual artifacts as opposed to studying a
picture of the artifact because I want them to engage other senses by picking it
up and exploring all sides.
7 Visualculture "refers to the abundance of visual images and artifacts in our
lives and the frequency with which we interact with them. Essentially. visual
culture is everything we encounter visually" (Carpenter, Burton, Manifold. &
Wightman, 2003).