The Promise of Projects in Art Education

H ow many times have you been asked the question, “What projects are you working on, currently?” How many times have you asked that question to a colleague? Within the academy, it seems to me that this is a far more common question to be asked than one that might seek to understand how one’s thinking is shaped by the thinking of others; or, how the orientations and dispositions one adopts in their scholarly work shape their objects of interest and study. Furthermore, the regularity with which this question is asked reduces opportunities for other questions to be voiced—questions that invite others to reflect on why they approach their work in the way that they do, or the forces that bind them to the approaches they have come to adopt, rely on, sometimes defend, and are often unwilling to think outside of, for instance. The preoccupation with the project, then —with what projects one is working on, ought to be working on, is embarrassed not to be working on, or on what projects one is leading or seeking funding to conduct —seems to be a condition of our times.