Thirteenth International Conference on The Arts in Society

Abstract

Over the last decade the Art Gallery Director at Ferris State University, a historically technical institution, noticed a steady decline in faculty and student participation. It was hard to acknowledge, but the role of the gallery as a place to view art was becoming increasingly irrelevant. The director decided to re-envision the gallery with the primary goal of becoming an educational resource, despite the challenge of interacting with many non-art majors. With some imagination, a lot of collaboration, and much excitement, the gallery’s first three incubator exhibits proved extremely successful. The collaborations met pedagogical needs, and engaged students in interdisciplinary, non-traditional interactions that ultimately resulted in gallery exhibitions. By facilitating the artistic and creative process thematically through faculty led assignments that linked numerous disciplines in various ways, students were provided a deeper challenge in conceptualization and creative problem solving. By having their work culminate in a gallery exhibition, the participating faculty and students are able to see the practical application of their collective assignments. The momentum continues to grow, annual visitors to the gallery have tripled. Yet, more importantly, the gallery has discovered a way to critically engage individuals with an educational platform that showcases art and creativity.