Search

This article highlights the development and outcomes of a visual art educator community of practice (CoP) cultivated in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, known as the MOCA PD Lab. Participating researchers were interested in examining how to bring visual art teachers together outside of schools and districts to pursue their own collaborative professional development (PD) that could accommodate time, distance, and expense needs. The study focused on increasing the capacity of group members to design and facilitate PD through examining the impact of the CoP on participants' shared knowledge and reflective practices; exploring strategies to grow and sustain the CoP; and implementing organisational strategies for cultivating connections and empowering teachers to pursue ongoing professional learning (PL). Feedback from participants indicates the positive impact of this CoP on members' self-directed PL in: building community, collaborating with colleagues, developing instructional practice, and engaging in critical reflection. Now concluding its fifth year, the MOCA PD Lab continues to meet monthly to engage in visual art PL experiences to meet participants' individual learning goals. Our hope is that the MOCA PD Lab may serve as a model for educators and museums looking to create collaborative PL opportunities.

Near the end of February 2020, the Art Education Club officers at California State University, Northridge introduced members to a collaborative collage artmaking project, inspired by Marty McCutcheon's "Check It Out" project. Club members--preservice art education students, mentor art teachers, and higher education faculty--had recently voted to meet more than once a month for artmaking opportunities. These new events were organized around creating work together to promote individual and collaborative experiences while strengthening relationships and building leadership capacity. With 18 club members, partners, friends, and children in attendance at the February artmaking evening participants shared ideas and stories, creating a lively environment and excitement about exchanging projects. The plan was to leave with someone else's collage, adding to it over the month, bringing it to the next meeting scheduled for the end of March, viewing works in progress, and exchanging them for another collage to contribute to. This opportunity to make art together, although physically distanced, connected participants in unexpected ways during this time of isolation.

The article highlights the significance of a collaborative collage artmaking project at the California State University Art Education Club introduced in February 2020. The members of the club include preservice art education students, mentor art teachers and higher education faculty. The aim of the project was to promote individual and collaborative experiences and strengthen and build leadership capacity. Among the challenges encountered were about access to materials and time to contribute.