This book presents diverse processes of crafting that bring humans, more than-humans and the environment closer to one another and, by doing so, addresses personal and educational developments towards ecological awareness. It discusses the human-material relationship, introduces posthuman theoretical entry points and reflects on the implementation of such theoretical perspectives in education. The practical examples of crafting-with the environment, the material practices and reflections posed in the book, provide insights into possible ways of levelling out human and material hierarchies. The chapters of this book give examples of artists' and crafts people's processes of thinking through materials and with materials, but also their reflections on how more-than-humans (animals and plants) craft from available materials, and how the environment and landscapes re-craft themselves through tedious processes of transformation. These case examples are founded on the authors' own experiences with phenomena they are trying to understand and critically explore. This book is of interest to professional creative practitioners, art and craft educators, art teacher educators or researchers in the field of creative practices. It has power to inspire rethinking of present educational practices, to ignite critical reflections about materials and more-than humans, and, hopefully, motivate transformations toward more ecologically sustainable ways of life. Chapters "Crafting in Dialogue with the Material Environment" and "Soil Laboratory: Crafting Experiments in an Exhibition Setting" are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.se via link.springer.com.

This book makes a case for cultural naturalism as a basis for a philosophy of art education. It argues for a holistic approach that avoids hard boundaries between artistic disciplines in the educational context, applying cultural naturalism to challenges that are topical for the whole art(s) education field, including challenges related to ecology, social justice, and technological transformation of culture. The book is written in the form of a conditional argument that considers the consequences of cultural naturalism for today’s philosophical problem-solving in art(s) education. It contains a systematic and historical analysis of cultural naturalism that support the philosophical reflection of educators and other scholars operative in this field. The result is a late modern reading of Deweyan cultural naturalism that highlights the continuance of key philosophical ideas from the modern to present discourses. The key topics discussed are of particular interest to present-day art(s) educators: ecological sustainability, social justice, and technological transformation of culture. In addition, this book provides an example of pragmatist argumentation, suggesting an alternative to analytical and post-philosophical approaches.

Though many artists have focused on environmental concerns since the 1860s, traditional art educational systems have been slow to adopt eco-art education paradigms. My hope is to become part of a growing movement that places sustainability and environmental awareness at the forefront of art education. My research investigates creating a curriculum for a “zero-waste painting” while exploring the harmful impact traditional artist paints have on the environment. I asked the following questions: How can K-12th grade students reflect on human impact on the environment in relation to artistic practices? How can I integrate environmental education into an art education classroom to bring awareness of the implications of art materials on the environment? How can a curriculum project develop meaningful connections between the human impact on the environment and art, thus encouraging ecological stewardship? My research took place during a seven-week apprentice teaching placement with five students enrolled in an advanced painting class at a high school located in an affluent Chicago suburb. The 10th through 12th-grade students involved have previous painting and studio practice knowledge. We spent approximately three and a half weeks developing and creating the zero-waste painting project. Ironically, our work time was curtailed due to severe weather school closings caused by the 2019 Polar Vortex. My action research included gathering evidence through direct observation, personal journal reflections, written student responses, and recorded classroom discussions. I discovered that students are engaged and concerned about the state of the environment, but more time would be needed with the students to ground environmental awareness in relevant scientific and cultural knowledge and in making connections to their everyday lives. This would have allowed more in-depth connections to emerge in which students would be conscious of their selection of materials and methods for developing works of art. The zero-waste painting project has encouraged me to explore new ways to inspire and empower students by using art education curriculum to address human impact on the environment and art education to bring about environmental awareness. The aim of my future research will be to make opportunities for students to create meaningful artworks that are grounded in environmental awareness. I hope to stimulate students’ interests in relationships between the cultural and natural worlds so that students, teachers, and communities can work towards a more sustainable.

Environmental art or ‘ecoart’ is a burgeoning field and includes a wide variety of practices, some of which are exemplified in this collection: from sculptures or installations made from discarded rubbish to intimate ephemeral artworks placed in the natural environment, or from theatrical presentations incorporated into environmental education programs to socially critical paintings. In some cases, the artworks aim to create indignation in the viewer, sometimes to educate, sometimes to create a feeling of empathy for the natural environment, or sometimes they are built into community building projects. This timely book examines various roles of the arts in building ecological sustainability. A wide range of practitioners is represented, including visual and performing artists, scientists, social researchers, environmental educators and research students. They are all united in this text in their belief that the arts are vital in the building of sustainability – in the way that they are practiced, but also the connections they make to ecology, science and indigenous culture.

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