Kuan-Ting Wang

Learning Like an Artist: Diverse Applications of Art Education in an Archaeology and Ethnology Museum

Kuan-Ting Wang – National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan

Abstract:

The “We Are All Artists” program was an educational project organized by the National Museum of Prehistory in Taiwan, designed for students in grades 3 to 6. The program was themed around the museum’s exhibits on Taiwan’s prehistoric and Austronesian cultures. It included three core courses: Museum Sketching Fun, Art Treasure Hunt, and The Beating and Grinding Challenge. The activity emphasized simplifying museum tours, art appreciation, and art creation to a more fundamental and unembellished form, for students who are accustomed to quickly accessing information and artificial products nowadays to experience. In Museum Sketching Fun, students slowed down to sketch prehistoric pottery, Austronesian cultural artifacts, and sculptures of Ice Age animals. Here, sketching served as a drawing-to-learn method of internalizing and understanding the subject matter. Art Treasure Hunt was designed based on Panofsky iconology, with worksheets and course designs that guided students from passively receiving explanations of art pieces to actively analysing them, followed by group discussions. The works examined include pieces by contemporary Indigenous artists, traditional Paiwan carvings, and Palauan storyboards that hybrid traditional and touristic elements. Through this activity, students learned about Austronesian culture and art, reflected on the creative relationships between tradition and modernity, and enhanced their critical thinking. In The Beating and Grinding Challenge, students made paper mulberry barkcloth and ground natural pigments to create bark paintings, experiencing firsthand the close connection early artists had with natural materials. This study is still in the data collection stage. It will involve participative observations and interviews of museum staff and student participants. It aims to determine whether this educational program enhanced students’ familiarity with museum exhibits, and appreciation of art, and expanded their experience in natural art materials. Overall, it will also assess whether the program fostered curiosity, brought enjoyment, and strengthened students’ connection to the local museum.