Wicked Arts Assignments

The almost 100 arts assignments compiled in this instructive new volume are designed to foster cross-disciplinary creativity in the visual arts, performance, theater, music and design. Everyone who teaches the arts knows the value of the assignment that is seemingly simple but which nonetheless challenges participants, students and pupils to the maximum. In Wicked Arts Assignments the tasks are organized around the following themes: Go Public, Narrate, Remix, Explore Nature, Engage, Soul Search, Make Some Noise, Localize, Build & Move, Keep in Time and Hack.

The assignments can be carried out in various contexts, from primary schools to higher education, from home to online. They are intended to spark the imagination of both teachers and students, contributing to new, topical educational and artistic practices. The book is complemented by a theoretical framework and interviews with experts in contemporary arts and education.

These assignments draw upon a 1973 treatise by Rittel and Melvin M. Webber that described the concept of "wicked" as messy, complex and challenging.

The first part of this book is essays by interviews with experts in contemporary art and education. The second part is the collection of 100 actual art assignments accompanied by related images.

Includes assignments from faculty at School of the Art Institute, Parson School of Design, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Brigham Young University, University of North Texas, Denton, University of British Columbia in Vancouver, State University of New York at New Paltz.