2017 Thesis Artistic Actions for Sustainability: Potential of Art in Education for Sustainability
This doctoral thesis focuses on the potential of art in education for sustainability in the context of teacher education and art creation. Both action research and art-based research are used to explore the role that art and art education might play in Education for Sustainability (EfS). These two approaches created a space where I was able to gain a better understanding and awareness of EfS. Two courses conducted annually within the Iceland Academy of the Arts teacher education programme formed the foundation of the research which spanned six years.
Findings were presented in seven articles, three exhibitions and this review, in addition to being discussed at conferences and regional courses. Sustainability is a contested concept and EfS takes several forms depending on the definition of the concept. In this research I used the definition of finding a balance between well-being and the integrity of nature. Concepts from critical, place-based, and visual culture art education are fundamental to this research.