Date of Award

7-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Art History and Visual Culture

Department

Art

First Advisor

Piper Hutson

Second Advisor

Elina Salminen

Third Advisor

Stefanie Snider

Abstract

This practice-based graduate project examines how choice-based artmaking in a student-centered art classroom can foster critical thinking, reflection, and engagement with contemporary social, political, and cultural topics through art education. Built upon literature on critical pedagogy, student-centered art education, and creative problem-solving, this project combines a pilot lesson, “Art as Activism”, with a qualitative case study. By analyzing student reflections, this project examines how revisions, informed by those findings, demonstrate the ways student choice and student connection to subject matter influence engagement and critical thinking.

The findings of the case study following the “Art as Activism” pilot lesson, suggest choice-based artmaking encourages students to reflect on social, political and economic topics while developing confidence in decision-making and creative questioning. The conclusion of the case study on art activism is complemented by a revised lesson with adjustments made after analyzing the pilot lesson and student and teacher reflections. The case study provided direction that led to revisions of the pilot lesson, resulting in practical teaching frameworks that other secondary art educators can adapt when facilitating respectful dialogue, creative problem-solving, and critical thinking around contemporary topics. Ultimately, by grounding these strategies in critical pedagogy, this project contributes to ongoing discussions about the role of art education in supporting students’ agency and critical thinking.

Research Highlights

  • The Problem: Traditional teacher-centered art instruction limits student agency, whereas choice-based artmaking within a student-centered classroom can be leveraged to foster critical thinking, self-reflection, and engagement with contemporary social, political, and cultural issues.

  • The Method: A qualitative, practice-based case study evaluated student reflections and project outcomes from a two-week "Art as Activism" pilot lesson implemented with 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade Advanced Art students at a high school in northeast North Dakota.

  • Qualitative Finding: Choice-based artmaking encouraged students to critically reflect on social, political, and economic topics while building confidence in decision-making, creative questioning, and voicing personal perspectives.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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