Gabriella Pataky

1.47 Which Way? – Unusual Learning Practices in Art Education, Current Trends in Visual Education within a Heterogeneous Cultural International Student Group (Paper)

Gabriella Pataky – ELTE Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education, Budapest, Hungary

Viola Rekvényi – ELTE Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education, Budapest, Hungary

Judit Skaliczki – ELTE Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education, Budapest, Hungary

Abstract:

How Can Action Art Become a Universal Common Ground When Participants Come from Diverse Cultural Backgrounds, Individual Ways of Thinking, and Values? This presentation explores the three-year visual module of a teacher training program at a European university from an art pedagogy perspective. A unique feature of this educational program is that each cohort of students embarks together on a journey of personal pedagogical exploration. This structure enables participants to get to know each other while intentionally enhancing peer-to-peer learning processes, establishing a shared foundation that supports ongoing collaboration in both cultural-artistic and pedagogical contexts. In our collaborative work, we uncover the current issues in our evolving art education environment through the principle of “creating through reception, receiving through creation.” One example of this is outdoor pedagogy, where we comprehensively examine the built environment, educational institutions, spaces for visual education, and the impact of consciously stepping outside these environments. By leaving their educational spaces, students also step out of their original cultural surroundings and homelands. Guided by the principles of intercultural pedagogy, we investigate questions such as: What is the validity of adhering to and connecting with the traditions of a specific culture in 2025? What do we gain and lose when we attempt to address cultures in isolation? What significance does geographical and geopolitical positioning hold in an international training program from a cultural perspective? We explore how a complex arts module can facilitate team building within a group of international students. How can such a program aid in the integration of new students, help them understand the university structure, foster acceptance of diverse cultures within the group, and ultimately prevent dropout? One of our primary tasks is to support our students’ awareness and develop their sense of responsibility toward children. The methodological framework for this includes elements such as the enhancement of self-assessment, and the application of critical thinking and design thinking methodologies.

6.25 The 4th Dimension of Education through Art in an International Teacher Training Video Exchange (Paper)

Gabriella Pataky – ELTE Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education, Budapest, Hungary

Grace Morales Pineda – University of Granada, Spain

Viola Rekvényi – ELTE Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education, Budapest, Hungary

Judit Skaliczki – ELTE Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education, Budapest, Hungary

Abstract:

The development of children’s visual competencies is crucial for their cognitive, emotional, and social growth, particularly within educational settings. In schools, fostering these competencies not only enhances students’ ability to interpret and engage with the world around them but also supports the acquisition of foundational skills in problem-solving, as well as creative and critical thinking. Traditional arts education was originally based on a two-dimensional (2D) model, where students translated ideas into flat images or designs. However, in a world increasingly dominated by digital interfaces and virtual realities, the physical act of creating with pencil, paint, or ink has evolved into a new way to explore ideas and emotions. The three-dimensional (3D) experience, enabled by new technologies, enhances this creative process by allowing individuals to reflect on their experiences, convey their thoughts, and communicate visually in ways that words often cannot. But why not go further and incorporate a fourth dimension? In the context of arts education, the fourth dimension (4D) encourages students to think beyond static representations and engage with art as fluid, evolving experiences. This approach incorporates time-based media such as video, animation, performance, and interactive installations, opening up new possibilities for creative expression. In a determined effort to foster cross-cultural understanding and creative collaboration, the University of Granada in Spain and ELTE University in Hungary are working together on an innovative project to create a series of non-dialogue short films. The aim is to explore the universal language of visual storytelling, transcending linguistic barriers to communicate emotions, themes, and narratives while incorporating diverse cultural perspectives and creative approaches to filmmaking. The ongoing collaborative process encourages participants to break free from language limitations and embrace the universal reach of visual art. The results of this experiment will be presented during the world congress as a way of finding common ground in unexpected territories.

6.28 Art Education as a Punishment or a Second Chance as Part of a Healing Process? (Paper)

Gabriella Pataky – ELTE, Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education, Budapest, Hungary

Robert Potočnik – University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education, Slovenia

Barbara Szőke – Jaschik Álmos Art High School and Technical School, Hungary – virtual

Abstract:

In the context of social responsibility, the exploration of opportunities for inclusive pedagogy is becoming more widespread. These can provide support at different levels of our ever-changing reality, whether through direct inclusion, through improving quality of life or, as we will show, through a fresh start. In our presentation, we will explore the practise, potential and challenges of art education in prisons. Prisons as institutions of punishment and marginalisation often deprive inmates of their self-determination and connection to society. However, art can counteract this by giving prisoners a sense of self-determination, relaxation, and emotional support. By involving prisoners in art education, there is a great opportunity to help them better understand their personal situation and deal with various emotional and social problems that arise in the prison environment. The case study suggests that structured art education in prisons – with different techniques and content that strengthen social and emotional skills – can make everyday prison life more bearable. Furthermore, fine art activities conducted by trained artists or art educators can enhance the psychomotor, affective, and cognitive development of both juvenile and adult inmates, creating a conducive prison environment. This study highlights the potential benefits of involving art educators in prison programmes to improve the quality of art activities and provide emotional and social support through art. This study is the first to explore this approach in the Hungarian and Slovenian context and offers new insights into the use of visual arts as a rehabilitation tool in prisons.

10.35 Stepping Inside IMAG:: An Alternative Zone of Exploration (Workshop)

Gabriella Pataky – ELTE Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education, Budapest, Hungary

Viola Rekvényi – ELTE Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education, Budapest, Hungary

Maho Sato – Chiba University, Japan

Jonathan Silverman – Saint Michael's College, Vermont, USA

Abstract:

IMAG:: invites you to actively enter the inner territory of an IMAG:: production. In a supportive and joyful workshop, we would like you to experience the culture of both composing a visual essay and the creation of a model on-the-spot journal. We ask you to come with openness to unbounded discovery as you will respond to prompts that connect to the Congress theme “Unexpected Territories.” By altering traditional presentations (didactic, for example, “this is what IMAG:: does and here is information on what a visual essay is and how to submit”) to one that is non-traditional (participatory, hands-on, engaging, perceiving, and observing) you will have the opportunity in a collaborative environment to be an author and editor. IMAG principal co-editors will guide everyone in a workshop that both provides an inside look at the often mysterious process of creating a visual journal from theme to publication as well as the particulars of submitting to IMAG in the future. IMAG was conceived as an alternative, a contemporary juried journal that would expand the concept of professionalism, provide inspiration for curricula ideas, nurture artistic identity and the creative process, and be accessible to art educators from all global regions and who work in a variety of settings from primary school to universities, from community programs to museums. The principal co-editors of IMAG:: wish that such a session will attract InSEA members who might have anxiety about the world of publication, inhibited by implications of traditional academic scholarship, or just curious. In the spirit of IMAG:: as a resource for all we welcome new and familiar authors willing to challenge themselves, bring out their imaginations, and connect in an openhearted alternative zone of exploration.