Photography in art education in Maltese secondary schools

Abstract

With the expansion and development in technology students are now living in a visual culture, constantly bombarded with all sorts of imagery where photography plays a crucial role. My research aims to analyse how photography, being an art form in itself, can be used both as a resource and as a medium during art lessons in Maltese secondary schools. Six interviews were carried out with six art teachers, three interviews with three artists and another three interviews with three photographers. The last two groups of interviews were carried out with the purpose of analysing if art education is moving in line with contemporary art practices. Although artists and photographers are more open to this function of photography as a resource and as a medium, art teachers only use it as a resource in their art room. Also, the former two groups of interviewees recognised a number of advantages of using photography as an extension to other artistic media, which were also agreed upon by the teachers. However the latter went in more depth with regards to the limitations that photography presents in an educational context. Suggestions of how photography can be incorporated in art education were also proposed by all groups of interviewees. A hands-on programme, entitled Oneself Through Symbols, was also held in a school with one art option class where the proposed ideas were experienced and put into practice.