There is limited literature done on proposing art enquiry methods in Environmental Education. However, in a journal article titled Creative Approaches to Environmental Learning: Two Perspectives on Teaching Environmental Art Education,  the perspectives of a science educator and an art educator were shared in efforts to develop and pilot a curriculum and direction for art environmental education. Students from varying backgrounds, such as Art Education and Fine Arts major, as well as Social and Natural Science majors were target of this education program.

The goals of Art Environmental Education is stated below:

• It aims to increase awareness of and engagement with environmental concepts related to interdependence, systems-thinking, biodiversity, conservation, and sustainability.
• Students should be provided a chance to pursue artistic forms of environmental activism in a creative process to develop and attain a higher goal of sustainability.
• Ultimately, it aims to foster an environmental stewardship that is capable of understanding the complexity of environmental issues and participating in their resolution

In another journal article titled Developing Ecological Habits of Mind Through the Arts, artist educators were enrolled into a six day course in efforts to approach topics surrounding energy use and consumption through art-based learning in schools. The course was a combination of relevant local issues and art-making. Artists and teachers analyzed issues from their home communities through financial, social, legal, ecological, and artistic perspective. A qualitative research was done and these are the various findings:

Knowledge of Energy Use at the Beginning and Changes by the End of the Course

• Participants spoke of having (a) greater awareness about water, (b) better understanding of energy use and renewable energy, (c) increased knowledge about thermal mass, insulation, and traditional building techniques (d) heightened sensitivity around issues of food production, and (e) affirmed the importance of the land and place-based approaches to education.

Anticipated Changes in Personal and Professional Contexts

• Most participants were able to identify at least one small change that might be possible in their personal and/or professional lives, recognizing that even small changes can be profound when amplified by the number of people making such changes over time.

Group Learning, Complex Systems, and Ecological Habits of Mind

• Comments made by participant revealed a change in views of energy as a community resource instead of an individual pocket expense.

Is an approach of Environmental Art Education useful? I share my experience in a similar Nature in Art and Visual Culture course. Navigate to the page “My art environmental education” to find out more!