Into the picture

From the role of observer to the role of actor

Abstract

Into the Picture is a practice-led education programme created at the National Museum in Oslo. Based on aesthetic, process-oriented approaches, the programme developed a method whereby an encounter with a work of art initiates an active process for the viewer. Into the Picture shows how art-based learning in a group can serve as a tool for training the ability for reflection, which in turn may provide individual and collective understanding within a group in a given situation. The method is particularly well-suited within the fields of education, work life and mental health. This article analyses how working on the basis of an individually chosen piece of art leads to processes of identification and personal expression. Participants experiment with various techniques in the studio, supervised by teaching artists (TAs). The purpose of this article is to share a pedagogical technique so that readers may follow the process step by step. Relevant theories from educational science, art education, anthropology and art therapy are used to discuss practice-led work on art education from phenomenological and hermeneutical perspectives.