Back to the Sandbox: Art and Radical Pedagogy brings together an international group of artists who ask radical questions about the nature and significance of education in contemporary society. Ideas about democracy, creativity, and transdisciplinarity are examined along with ideas of freedom and equality and the institutional heritage of discipline and control. The aim is not only to draw attention to the vital role of education and to the challenges of reform, but also to introduce new perspectives on learning and creativity with potential new educational models in mind.
The exhibition, at the Western Gallery of Western Washington University from January 9 to March 17, includes works of art and educational experiments by prominent artists from around the world. The curator of the exhibition, Jaroslav Anděl, is an independent curator and author of over 40 books on contemporary art. He was founding artistic director of the DOX Center for Contemporary Art in Prague from 2008 – 2015.
The exhibition and an accompanying catalog are funded in part by a generous support from the Homer Bernard Mathes Endowment and a grant from the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation.
