TITLE:
Deconstructivism as a Pedagogical Intervention: Teaching Heritage through Contemporary Art in Oman
AUTHORS:
Bridget Peak, Ayman Elsemary, Badar Almamari
KEYWORDS:
Art, Deconstructivism, Culture, Oman
JOURNAL NAME:
Voice of the Publisher,
Vol.9 No.2,
June
12,
2023
ABSTRACT: This study analyzes deconstructivism as a pedagogical intervention in heritage education in the Art Education Department at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in response to the need for contemporary education attentive to heritage as required by national policy set forth by the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, and Oman Vision 2040. Specifically, it analyzes thirty-four survey responses evaluating the final project of the Modern and Contemporary Painting Course for forty-two students in the fall of 2022; this project tasked students with researching, drawing, deconstructing, and reassembling a self-chosen article unique to Omani cultural heritage. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the relationship between culture and deconstructivism as a pedagogical intervention in the teaching environment at Sultan Qaboos University within one continuous semester of study (4 months). The findings of this study suggest that contemporary art interventions in heritage education are one way to newly engage students already well-versed in Omani heritage while also answering the demands of national directives and suggestions of past art education research for a rigorous art education curriculum inclusive of both heritage and contemporary art and its theories.