History As Art, Art As History ─ Contemporary Art and Social Studies Education

History as Art, Art as History pioneers methods for using contemporary works of art in the social studies and art classroom to enhance an understanding of visual culture and history. The fully-illustrated interdisciplinary teaching toolkit provides an invaluable pedagogical resource—complete with theoretical background and practical suggestions for teaching U.S. history topics through close readings of both primary sources and provocative works of contemporary art.
History as Art, Art as History is an experientially grounded, practically minded pedagogical investigation meant to push teachers and students to think critically without sacrificing their ability to succeed in a standards-driven educational climate. Amid the educational debate surrounding rigid, unimaginative tests, classroom scripts, and bureaucratic mandates, this innovative book insists on an alternate set of educational priorities that promotes engagement with creative and critical thinking.
Features include:



A thought-provoking series of framing essays and interviews with contemporary artists address the pivotal questions that arise when one attempts to think about history and contemporary visual art together.


An 8-page, full color insert of contemporary art, plus over 50 black and white illustrations throughout.


A Teaching Toolkit covering major themes in U.S. history provides an archive of suggested primary documents, plus discussion suggestions and activities for putting theory into practice.


Teaching activities keyed to the social studies and art curricula and teaching standards


Resources include annotated bibliographies for further study and lists of arts and media organizations.


This sophisticated yet accessible textbook is a must-read resource for any teacher looking to draw upon visual and historical texts in their teaching and to develop innovative curriculum and meaningful student engagement.

Dipti Desai is Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Art Education Program, Department of Art and Art Professions, at New York University.
Jessica Hamlin is the Director of Education and Public Programs for the non-profit organization Art21, Inc.
Rachel Mattson is a historian, a teacher educator, and an Assistant Professor, Department of Secondary Education, at SUNY New Paltz.

Part I: Reframing History and Art
1. Introduction, Dipti Desai, Jessica Hamlin, and Rachel Mattson
2. Using Visual Historical Methods in K-12 Classroom: Tactical Heuristics, Rachel Mattson
3. Curriculum as a Creative Process: An Interview with Artist-Educator Thi Bui, Dipti Desai
4. Artists in the Realm of Historical Methods: The Sound, Smell, and Taste of History, Dipti Desai and Jessica Hamlin
5. "Committing History in Public": Lessons from Artists Working in the Public Realm, Jessica Hamlin and Dipti Desai
Part II: Investigating History and Art: A Teaching Toolkit
6. Introduction to the Teaching Toolkits: Visual Approaches to Teaching about History
7. Foundations of Citizenship
Section 1: The Constitution and U.S. Government
Section 2: Japanese Incarceration
8. Constructing Race
Section 1: Slavery and Abolition
Section 2: Immigration
9. The United States and the World
Section 1: Westward Expansion
Section 2: The U.S. War in Vietnam
Resources