Co-designing expressive textile arts: student advancements in service-learning

Abstract

This study aims to find out the impact of expressive textile arts practice in co-design process on undergraduate students after taking a series of co-design textile arts and fashion creativity workshops from the service learning subject, “Community Engagement through Expressive Textile Arts and Fashion” offered by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2018and 2019. A total of 38 prototypes had been jointly created by ex-mentally ill persons, people with intellectual disabilities, subject lecturers and undergraduate students during the co-design workshops in these two cohorts. Concepts of ex-mentally ill persons and people with intellectual disabilities in the community, expressive arts therapy, textile arts, expressive textile arts and service-learning subject were introduced in this subject. In the co-design process, students were expected to gain new knowledge and skills after they participated in the lectures, seminars, workshops and mini fashion show of the service-learning subject. In this study, quantitative research method was used to explore the impacts of co-design process on students practicing expressive textile arts with their service recipients. For the results, positive impacts are found on students regard to their participation in this service-learning subject. The main advancements include empowerment and enhancement of community engagement.