The studio as a safe, brave or vulnerable space
As a first-year Fine Art tutor, the studio is a significant contributor to the learning environment I create for my students for several reasons. Creating an environment where students feel comfortable, with a sense of ownership over the space helps construct a sense of belonging. Bamber & Jones (2015) write about the positive impact a sense of belonging can have to the retention and engagement of students.
Experimentation and taking risks is vital for success within Fine Art, however this requires students to make themselves vulnerable to the potential of ‘failure’. Establishing a working space where students feel able to do this without risk of negative judgement is vital but can be difficult to achieve.
Collaborative co-learning takes place in a studio that models professional networks of practice and prepares students for studio practice beyond the university. Orr & Shreeve discuss the studio as a ‘signature pedagogy’ – something specific and essential to art and design education. ‘Ideally the studio is an active, busy and social place where learning is visible and open to discussion through active participation.’ (2017)
I have learned that the first month of the first year is critical for the establishing of a positive studio atmosphere and in my work with new first-year students I have introduced a number of workshops early in the term that require students to fix images of their work and inspirations all over the walls. Initially this is somewhat forced, but it makes clear to the students that the space is theirs to use as they wish, and by the end of Unit 1 in early November the space becomes visually lively in a more organic way, as they begin to fill it with their own work on their own terms.
I have always modelled the studio as a ‘safe’ space, establishing ‘studio rules’ in conversation with the students on arrival so that there are clear expectations about what is appropriate within the room. Arao & Clemens (2013) question the passivity of the term ‘safe’ and instead propose the term ‘brave space’ in order to ‘emphasize the need for courage rather than the illusion of safety’ and encourage a more challenging engagement with problematic issues of social justice.
Social justice is a significant requirement within the UAL curriculum so it is vital for us as staff to find ways to facilitate dialogue on these subjects in a way that allows students to feel both ‘safe’ and ‘brave’. Vulnerability is often required for such discussions, and many students feel inhibited by a fear of being ‘attacked’ or ‘judged’. I believe the studio, a space that exists somewhere between the public and the private, could be a valuable site to test contentious ideas, and for students to explore potentially difficult conversations. I am interested to find ways to incorporate moments of ‘permission’ that would facilitate these conversations at a micro-level within the studio, without impacting its atmosphere as an inclusive and positive space.
Orr & Shreeve discuss how various Studio Pedagogies such as the studio teach students about professional practice. Enabling students to responsibly construct a space that supports the functioning of their art practice and lively dialogue around social and political ideas is vital to support their practice beyond the university and into a sustainable professional career.
References
Arao. A. & Clemens, K. (2013) From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces: A New Way to Frame Dialogue Around Diversity and Social Justice. In Landreman, L.M. The Art of Effective Facilitation: Reflections From Social Justice Educators. New York: Routledge.
Bamber, V & Jones, A 2015, Challenging students: enabling inclusive learning. in H Fry, S Ketteridge & S Marshall (eds), A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Enhancing Academic Practice. 4th edn, Routledge , Abingdon, pp. 152-168.
Orr, S. & Shreeve, A. (2017), Teaching practices for creative practitioners. In Art and Design Pedagogy in Higher Education : Knowledge, Values and Ambiguity in the Creative Curriculum, Milton: Taylor & Francis Group.