A Phenomenology of Joyful Experimentation in Art Education

Abstract

This article explores a phenomenology of joyful experimentation in art education through a series of pedagogical flashpoints. Flashpoints are educational moments when implicit knowledge carried in the body suddenly appears and makes itself part of conscious experience, often in shocking, disturbing, traumatic ways. In this article, we offer another possibility for exploring the educational value of flashpoints with a shift toward a postcritical orientation that considers the role of art education in facilitating these pedagogical moments. By using a postcritical approach that emphasizes joyful moments of collective liberatory efforts, our intention is to acknowledge the force of structural inequalities while also highlighting how art education can create solidarity with joyful acts of collective empowerment and experimentation in these radically dystopian times.