Abstract
Many museums have taken part in the effort to respond to the climate threat facing humanity by emphasising education for sustainability in their work. The exhibition Resistance in the National Gallery of Iceland is one such contribution. During the 2023- 2024 school year, nine pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools participated in the interdisciplinary project Ísabrot – Glaciers in Icelandic Art, which focused on training visual literacy as well as offering art workshops developed within the context of the exhibition. The objective of this study is to analyse the interdisciplinary educational opportunities offered by the art workshops and the curriculum resources that constitute the result of the projects. The teaching materials, now published, were developed by the National Gallery of Iceland’s education division in collaboration with nine working artists. The project was funded by a grant from the Children’s Culture Fund. The objective of the art workshops was to use creative educational approaches to inspire students’ interest in glaciers, visual art, and sustainability issues. The artists who developed the workshops tackled issues related to glaciers from a wide variety of perspectives.
The main results of the study were that the participants interviewed considered the creation of educational opportunities for students in museums to be of high importance. The creative methodology of education for sustainability invites interdisciplinary opportunities that have the potential to capture the interest of students. John H. Falk’s (2021) ideas on the value of experiences in a museum find common ground with the ideas of the teachers who participated in the workshops with their students. The study’s results indicate that interdisciplinary education in a museum is highly appropriate for students and has the potential to support their interest in sustainability issues while also directly connecting to the priorities of national curricula.
The main results of the study were that the participants interviewed considered the creation of educational opportunities for students in museums to be of high importance. The creative methodology of education for sustainability invites interdisciplinary opportunities that have the potential to capture the interest of students. John H. Falk’s (2021) ideas on the value of experiences in a museum find common ground with the ideas of the teachers who participated in the workshops with their students. The study’s results indicate that interdisciplinary education in a museum is highly appropriate for students and has the potential to support their interest in sustainability issues while also directly connecting to the priorities of national curricula.
| Translated title of the contribution | Ice Fragments: Creative Education for Sustainability in a Museum Focusing on Glaciers |
|---|---|
| Original language | Icelandic |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-20 |
| Journal | Netla |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 15 May 2025 |