Learning Things

This is the first comprehensive book to connect art education to material culture—an evolving pedagogy about the meaning of “things” in the lives of children, youth, and adults. Written by luminaries in the field, this resource explores a range of objects exemplifying material culture, defined as “the human-formed objects, spaces, and expressions that make up our world and are frequently the articles we construct and/or possess for the purpose of personal memory making and the shaping of individual or group identity.” Through activities, approaches, and examples, Blandy and Bolin highlight concrete strategies for incorporating material culture into higher education and K–16 classrooms, as well as museum and community settings. Chapters are organized around various aspects of material culture, including object study, the role of technology, and multisensory art. This accessible book will serve as an informational resource, instructional guide, and motivational catalyst for art educators interested in using material culture in their unique context.

Book Features:

• Provides both theory and practice in the first comprehensive book relating art education to material culture studies.
• Extends the scope of art education beyond the sight-based focus of visual culture to include the role material forms play in our cultural experiences.
• Offers teaching strategies that will help students critically engage with a wide range of objects in contemporary society.
• Includes historical and contemporary examples chosen to resonate in the everyday lives of readers.

Doug Blandy is a professor of cultural leadership in the School of Planning, Public Policy, and Management and core faculty in folklore and public culture at the University of Oregon. Paul E. Bolin is a professor of art education and visual art studies at The University of Texas at Austin.

“…a foundational guide to the confluence of art education and the material culture of our daily lives. An introductory resource for pre-service students and art educators alike, this well-organized volume smoothly articulates the narratives, theories, and potentialities for praxis in an ever-expanding field… In Learning Things, Bolin and Blandy have made an inspiring contribution to this progress by underscoring the enormous potential of a material culture perspective in art education.”

―Teachers College Record

“While many of their instructional methods can be used in K-12, we believe a college course could benefit by adopting this book.”

―Arts & Activities

"a very useful resource...a rewarding read for anyone working as a museum educator or interpreter."

―History News

“In the field of art education, Blandy and Bolin have led the way in thinking about the importance of material culture. Learning Things offers art education scholars, researchers, and teachers a resource abounding in lucid insights into how everyday objects impact teaching and learning in art. I am certain this book will quickly become a foundational text in our field.”
—Juan Carlos Castro, chair, NAEA Research Commission

“Learning Things is for anyone who collects, researches, teaches, or simply delights in the human-formed objects in our world. It takes readers on a comprehensive and fascinating journey into the myriad ways we are impacted by the multisensory nature of material culture, or as the authors note, “the material of a culture.” Filled with excellent examples and teaching strategies, this book brings to life the interdisciplinary stories objects hold and the ways we can use them in research and teaching.”
—Deborah L. Smith- Shank, The Ohio State University

“In this intimate and educative book, Doug Blandy and Paul Bolin invite us to consider how things come into appearance and take form in the uses to which they are put. Through the stories they tell, the pedagogical practices they share, and the many questions they pose, Blandy and Bolin reveal how things animate thought and action. If you have ever wondered how we find and lose ourselves in the things that we create, collect, or carry with us when we venture into the world, then, this book is for you.”
— Dónal O’Donoghue, The University of British Columbia

Tentative Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction
Why Material Culture? 

Chapter 1. Introduction: What is Material Culture? Some Keys to Understanding Material Culture and This Book
   What Is Material Culture? 
   What Is Not Material Culture? 
   A Confluence Between Material Culture and Art Education
   Key Ideas for Engaging this Book
   Conclusion

Chapter 2. Objects and the Stories of Our Lives
   Approaching Objects
   Conclusion

Chapter 3. Collecting and Collections
   Objects of Passion
   Beyond the Visual
   Collectors and Collecting on the World Wide Web (WWW)
   Collecting in the Midst of Catastrophe and Grief
   Conclusion

Chapter 4. Material Culture: Investigations Spanning Time, People, and Location
   Object Investigation
   Conclusion 

Chapter 5. Technology and Material Culture
   A Systems Approach to Technology
   Technology and Narrative
   Object Ethnography
   The Biography of Things
   The Tetrad
   The Sensorium
   Video Games and Virtual Environments
   Conclusion

Chapter 6. Multisensory Art, Artists, and Art Education
   Superiority Given the Visual
   Multisensory Art and Artists
   Brief Discussion of 10 Artists/Artistic Teams with Work that Transcends the Visual
   Additional Multisensory Artists/Curators, Virtual/Physical Sites, and Events/Exhibitions Readers are Urged to Explore
   Multisensory Art and Art Education

Chapter 7. Strategies and Approaches for Teaching About and Studying Material Culture
   Ten Instructional Strategies to Use with Students
   Ten Approaches to Material Culture Study

Selected Books Relating to Material Culture, with Interest Toward Art Education

References

Index

About the Authors