What can teaching artists learn from their students? What can students learn from their teachers and teaching artists? Does the way that we teach need to change?

In September of 2019, Clara Bloomfield moderated a panel discussion with her students from Edinburgh College. Using the guiding themes and questions of ITAC4, she explored the students’ perspectives on their current and emerging careers in teaching artistry. The questions discussed included:

– What is the role of teaching artists as contributors to social justice?

– What is the responsibility of the 21st-century artist as they engage in different communities?

– How can artists transform skills and institutions through radical learning approaches?

– What is the role of art as activism?

Over the course of an hour, it became evident that the future of teaching artistry is promising, given the aspirations of these young individuals.

The students were Callum Thomson, Cat McInally, Hannah Louise MacFarlane, Rebecca “Becca” Thomson, Rhona Louise O’Donnell, and Zuzanna “Zazu” Klebba. They were all part of the 2019/20 BA(Hons) Dance & Drama (Drama) cohort at Performing Arts Studio Scotland, Edinburgh College, in collaboration with Kingston University. As part of this degree program, students study Applied Theatre, aiming to deepen their understanding of current practices within a real Scottish context while critically examining their own approaches to develop a new understanding of their praxis as Teaching Artists.