Sustainability and art education – New Challenges in visual education

Abstract

The 3612+ Visual Skills Lab of the Visual Education Department at ELTE TÓK consistently monitors international trends in Visual Education, to ensure that our students’ knowledge is up to date. Consequently, the research focus of the Visual Skills Lab has shifted to the use of materials in visual activates and the changing societal perceptions related to sustainability efforts. During our research, we extensively examined the period from the emergence of plastics to today’s climate anxiety, including phenomena that shape visual education in the 21st century. Two main themes are highlighted: current topics and material use in visual education, and our students’ opinions on these matters. In addition to the conventional methods of source processing, case studies constitute the greater part of our research design. Alongside qualitative methods such as interviews and focus group discussions, we incorporated quantitative elements by collecting data from students of two Hungarian teacher training institutions. As the core of our investigation, we review the most characteristic groups of materials in visual education, emphasizing material use as a crucial criterion while not restricting creativity. Through our research, we aim to formulate recommendations for achieving and maintaining the quality of the sustainable visual education, considering it an important foundation for modern teacher training.