Learning in Third Spaces: Community Art Studio as Storefront University Classroom

Abstract

Third spaces are in-between places where teacher-student scripts intersect, creating the potential for authentic interaction and a shift in what counts as knowledge. This paper describes a unique community-university initiative: a third space storefront classroom for postsecondary students in professional education programs, which also functions as a community art studio for the surrounding neighborhood. This approach to professional education requires an innovative combination of theory, methods, and materials as enacted by the professionals involved and performed by the students. This storefront classroom utilizes collaborative and inclusive instructional practices that promote human and community development. It facilitates the use of innovative instructional strategies including art making and participatory dialogue to create a liminal learning space that reconfigures professional education. In researching the effectiveness of this storefront classroom, we share the voices of students who have participated in this third space as part of their coursework to underscore these principles and practices.

Cell Block Brushes: Art Therapy-Based Murals for Indigenous and Incarcerated Men in Federal Correctional Services (Pinceaux de bloc cellulaire : peintures murales fondées sur l'art-thérapie avec des hommes autochtones incarcérés dans les services correctionnels fédéraux)

“…The mural, in itself, may not have changed the experiences of these men, nor changed their sentences, but it did impact their sense of connection to self, others, and the land. Through a PAR approach, the men were newly empowered, inspired, and motivated to continue their cultural teachings within the programs offered at the institution, a community outcome that is often dependent on the involvement of the local people as leaders (Timm-Bottos & Reilly, 2015). I too felt empowered and motivated to continue my own journey as a First Nations art therapist, inspired by the energy created in these groups.…”

Enhancing intergroup dialogues through art and art therapy

“…Art therapy offers alternative, or third spaces, for creative engagement and transformational learning (Timm‐Bottos & Reilly, 2015). Shank and Schirch (2008) emphasized art therapists complement the relationship transformation and capacity building stages of conflict resolution.…”

The Transformative Potential of Creative Art Practices in the Context of Interdisciplinary Research

“…Consequently, the transformative potential of the art residency operating in the context of interdisciplinary research discussed in this study is mostly based on data collected from the artists themselves. Further studies on hybridity and diversity, developed through more challenging and extensive social interactions in the residency space, would add to the discussion of third spaces, complex environments that hold transformative potential for change and that could expand the scope of what we learn (Gutiérrez et al, 1999;Timm-Bottos & Reilly, 2015).…”