Making a Difference: Sustainability in the Arts Curriculum

Abstract

This paper reports and analyses how some UK universities are teaching about sustainability in their creative arts courses. ManyUKuniversities have accepted that one of their roles is to take a lead in trying to bring about a sustainable future, although they differ about their definition and interpretation of what sustainability means. All the same, there are clear common threads around enhancing ‘environmental literacy’ in students and through promoting engagement with the wider community. Sustainable behaviour is often referred to as being ethical in that it is about not harming individuals or the environment and is seen as a means of promoting social and environmental responsibility and justice.

One consequence has been for sustainability to sometimes become an element of the creative arts curriculum. When including sustainability in the curriculum, it is necessary to turn lofty ideals into concrete learning opportunities. This means helping students to develop their awareness of their social, ethical and environmental responsibilities and to adopt sustainable practice in their discipline.

This descriptive paper will present case studies of how various course teams have set about teaching about sustainability through their creative arts discipline. The common way to incorporate sustainability has been to introduce a specific project on this topic, for example designing a product out of recycled materials which could itself be easily recycled at the end of its life, or designing a low-carbon building.

In thinking how to do this, some have been able to build on a legacy of teaching about ethics in their course. Some courses and disciplines had traditions of social engagement on which they could build. Others took their lead from the slow design and slow craft movements. By embracing this ethical framework it should be possible for sustainability to eventually move from being one token project to becoming a key skill which informs every facet of learning.

Having presented case studies, this paper analyses how sustainability fits with other university priorities. It asks whether in this context sustainability is a temporary initiative, or a valid means of moving arts education away from introspection to engagement with local, national and global communities. It concludes by showing that sustainability presents a challenge to those who see the purpose of education as being an instrument which only serves the needs of the markets. Sustainability in this context not only builds on the legacy of the Arts and Crafts Movement and the Bauhaus, but also on the tradition of critical pedagogy. It is therefore both highly relevant to the present day world and in danger of being marginalised if perceived to be radical. Yet if it is not radical, it becomes little more than tokenism.