Nov 19th Session 2B

Presentation 1: Kutztown Normal: Historical Praxis and Progressive Vision, Julia Hovanec, Amy Pfeiler-Wunder, Marilyn Stewart, John Howell White

This paper shares a “snapshot” of the history of art education at Kutztown University, and its place in the field of art education. By unearthing individual stories, we use the work of Michel Foucault to examine history, as both collective and individualized, to propel our theorizing about potential futures: of the institution, of its faculty and staff, and ultimately its students.Kutztown University of Pennsylvania began as the Keystone Normal School, devoted to the preparation of teachers. From its earliest days, the story of art education at this small, rural campus in Eastern Pennsylvania has been one of focused engagement in art teacher preparation, art education leadership and professional development. Using historical documents, including university artifacts, the authors note key themes that emerge as the stories of individuals, events, traditions, and initiatives are featured. We highlight the importance of teacher preparation and the influence of key leaders of the art department from the distant and not so distance past, intertwined with current faculty’s “place” within the institution. We examine Kutztown’s annual art education conference as a site of convening situated within broader traditions and visions of art education. We postulate these stories and traditions with questions of their meaning for future initiatives and the institution’s place within the field.

Presentation 2: Making it Work: The Kutztown Tradition of Practice-Based Leadership, Marilyn G. Stewart

Art education at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania has a history of leadership grounded in practice, where sites of instruction function as laboratories in which ideas are tested, strategies are refined and theory is constructed. Practice-based leadership couples a deeply rooted penchant for hard work with a commitment to improving art teaching beyond the immediate setting. This paper describes how an early orientation toward the artist-teacher model in art teacher preparation at Kutztown gives way to a model of inquiry-based teaching associated with aesthetic education and eventually Discipline-Based Art Education when the key players change, new visions appear, new opportunities arise, and significant decisions are made. It further describes a flow of ideas and instructional approaches as they are cycled through sites of instruction and interaction, demonstrating the potential reach of practice-based theory. The author posits that the Kutztown culture is one in which, given emergent ideas and/or challenges, much value is placed on commitment to make things work. In art education, faculty have a history of working through issues of theory and practice, often within a context of collegial dialogue and collaboration. As new faculty bring their own expertise and interests to the program, the conversation, as well as the program, changes. 

Presentation 3: Convening Seventy-Eight Years of Professional Conferences at Kutztown University, John Howell White

Since 1939, Kutztown University has housed an annual art education conference for professional learning. This paper looks toward those conferences as a possible condition that allowed for the success and influence of its faculty on the field of art education. The study includes trends in conference themes, keynote topics, and Keynote presenters to provide insight into the currency, relevance and reach of the conferences. Notable findings relate to conference design, orientation toward the field, sites of expertise, and the researcher / practitioner relationships. The author concludes that the establishment of a convening culture is fortified by reliable institutional habits of delivery invigorated by individual initiatives and interests.