"The Council," Artist Adelita Husni-Bey and Young Adults Envision the Future Museum

Abstract

Artmaking, when used as a form of pedagogy and approached in a socially-conscious manner, has the potential to promote agency and create a democratic learning environment for students. This study examines one such project, "The Council," created by artist Adelita Husni-Bey in collaboration with former Teen Program attendees of the Museum of Modern Art. The Council is a collection of large-scale photographs created from a series of workshops in which 13 young adults imagined themselves reshaping the museum's societal role after a major global crisis. The final photographs were exhibited in the museum's main galleries, representing a participatory, socially-engaged artwork produced from a pedagogical process. While there is a prevalence of these types of pedagogy-based artworks, contemporary art literature tends to focus mainly on the artist, disregarding the participants. Therefore, from the stance of an art educator, I examined the learning experiences of the participants as well as the pedagogical framework of the artist. The reviews from the participants were overwhelmingly positive, with many noting a significant increase in their confidence and a greater sense of agency. A liberating experience of collaboration was also stated as a common experience. These outcomes were attributed to the artist's innovative use of multimodal learning and effective facilitation grounded in Francesc Ferrer's philosophy of anarcho-collectivism and integral education, as well as critical pedagogy. This study suggests that creative methodologies can significantly enhance intrinsically motivated learning and emphasises the importance of nurturing the next generation as they envision a more equitable and just society.