Making possibilities: intergenerational arts-based pedagogy - perspectives from Australia and China

Short description: We explore emerging experiences of intergenerational pedagogy in Australia and China while expanding our concept of ‘making’ to include relational intergenerational reciprocity within art education contexts. Abstract Intergenerational pedagogy is a rich, rewarding source of hybrid identity formation that we are embedding in various art education units at Monash University, Australia, and Hangzhou Normal University, China. Our work brings together pre-service teachers, primary-school children, teachers, seniors, and University staff who gather to make art and share stories in local community, school, and public museum settings. Our approach values horizontal learning and positions participants as artists/researchers/teachers (Irwin & de Cosson, 2004) in radical relatedness (Bickel et al., 2011). We aim to soften institutional divides, rethink professional teacher/learning experiences and, through openness and inclusiveness, value what each generation brings to the making; each contribution a giving and receiving of gifts that creates community and capacity. Aware of our aging world population we challenge modernist age/stage conceptions of art education while defying preconceived stereotypes about aging. By designing with reciprocity and cooperation, we expand on conceptions of ‘making’ to explore how inclusion, wellbeing and joy feature as generational connectors made possible through art. We also share a trans-national pedagogical project between Australia and China. This intergenerational project, Unite4Heritage, has special significance to Chinese society, where it is official policy to respect the elderly who care for the third generation in most families. As China modernizes and the population ages, how best to utilize this tradition becomes a prerogative. Our combined approaches to Unite4Heritage raise awareness of tradition in contemporary contexts, enabling transition, translation, and transformation to occur in-between contemporary/traditional, young/elderly and teacher/student, resulting in creative sharing of heritage through art. Our vignettes discuss: •Geraldine Burke: Intergenerational ArtReach projects, Monash; Museums, Arts, Wellbeing, Museums Victoria/Monash; Unite4Heritage, Monash/HNU. •Jun Hu: Unite4Heritage, Monash/HNU; The SHRRC/PDG Mapping A/r/tography, UBC/HNU, et. al. •Huaqiao Huang: Unite4Heritage, Monash/HNU; The Public Art Education, Guanda Art Museum •Narenhua: Children’s Art Studio; A/r/tography pedagogy study, Inner Mongolia Arts University