Food for thought: Political discourse and visual literacy in art education

Abstract

Art education curriculum that asks students to actively engage in the world around them is best when students work with issues or topics that will be fruitful in terms of students being able to personally relate on some level. The theme of food as a topic for higher education art curriculum is just such an example, particularly with recent studies of college campuses documenting issues of food insecurity among students). This article discusses related theoretical aspects and qualitative methods utilized in working with university students on the interdisciplinary and often social and politically charged theme of food, including subtopics such as food access, health, agricultural practices, labour and immigration, economics and global warming. Nuanced and related topics are discussed in the context of issues-based art curriculum and students’ creative processes, including democratic participation, digital and technological literacy and how to understand the political in a world where facts are continuously in question.