Mapping artist-teachers at a federal institute: research between knowledge, practices and subjectivities of artist-teachers

Abstract

This article is part of a doctoral research that aims to understand how different modes of action of art teachers contribute to the understanding of the role of art in professional and technological education, as proposed by Federal Institutes. It seeks to value the practices of Teacher-Artists working in teaching, research, and extension territories, connecting the ethical, aesthetic, political, cultural, and affective dimensions in holistic education and contemporary artistic production. It brings complexity as an epistemological basis and cartographic investigation as a research methodology. The focus is on observation, semi-structured interviews, and visual records as data collection instruments, with analyses occurring according to the discursive practices of the subjects, combining participants' accounts, perceptions, and the researcher’s visual productions. Initially, we explore the terms that name the subjects in the research as clues indicating their experiences with Art throughout life, the specificity of the artistic language in higher education, experiences in Art teaching, and experiments with an authorial/personal artistic and poetic practice as significant factors for acting as a Teacher-Artist. Grounded in concepts from the Philosophies of Difference, the discussions point to the importance of sustaining complexity, difference, and uniqueness as coherent conceptual, methodological, and artistic contributions to the research's objective. We believe that teaching practices connected to the teacher's authorial/personal artistic production as a Teacher-Artist enhance professional action, effectively contributing in various ways to value and strengthen Art education in Professional and Technological Education.