Self-history project in visual arts education

Abstract

The present study aimed to determine how students realized the process of creating a 'self-history project' in the frame of the artworks created by the participant students, who, throughout the project, made use of their own life experiences, researched cultural values, enquired into historical events and utilized interdisciplinary relations. Artography, an art-based research method, was used for the purposes of the study during the years 2012-13. The research data are comprised of the artistic works of four students at the painting studio, semi-structured interviews that the author conducted as a researcher/teacher and the author's observations. The study's findings indicate that the students were positively impressed by the student-centred self-history approach.