FAQ is a research and a study group that examines feminist and queer approaches in art and art education. As a collaborative group FAQ focuses on exploring contemporary feminist and queer scholarship as well as the emerging contributions by Finnish and international students and faculty at Aalto University. The aim of the pedagogical and arts-based research (Bresler, 2017;Suominen, Kallio-Tavin & Hernandez, 2017) project facilitated by the presenters is to advance socio-cultural equality and pedagogical approaches where art has a central role in building radically democratic and sustainable futures.The research and pedagogical project advocates for non-normative educational, artistic, and cultural approaches that explore largely silenced issues. 

The research project initiated from the “Gender and Art Education” course that has been offered at the authors’ university for a long time but had been inactive for several years. During this elective course, students of art education combine critical and theoretical thinking, workshops lead by art professionals, artistic/performative work, and pedagogical practice (unit plans & educational materials) to explore the potential of rethinking gendered education (Wolfgang & Rhoades, 2017). The pedagogical approach in this course has notions of radical democracy, feministic pedagogy and public/critical arts-based pedagogy (hooks, 1994; Sandlin, Burdick & Rich, 2016) which provide a frame for exploring the potential for non-binary (Sandlin & Letts, 2016; Kumashiro, 2001) and gender/sexuality-sensitive art education. Student and faculty continued collaborations has took place as publication project and other activities.

Although the research conducted by group members continues to evolve and is unique to each study, art is in a central position in each project informing learning and conceptualizations of methodology, methods, and epistemology. The presentation shares examples of various research projects conducted by members of the FAQ.

The presentation also addresses the notion of democracy as an essential element of feminist, queer, activist, and non-normative pedagogy. Democracy among group members is an explicit aim, but still not easy to actualize: it entails a tremendous responsibility that is demanding of the learners as a group and its senior members, the instructor/researchers. This proposed paper offers reflections by two instructor/researchers on how they have met or failed the requirements for democracy in the pedagogical context and within the research group. (Rosiek, 2017.)

Bresler, L. (2017). Aesthetic-based research as pedagogy. The interplay of knowing and unknowing towards expanded seeing. In P. Leavy (Ed.), Handbook of arts-based research (pp. 649-672). New York, NY: Guilford Press. hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New Yourk, NY: Routledge. Kumashiro, K. (2001). “Posts” perspectives on anti-oppressive education in social studies, English, mathematics, and science classrooms. Educational Researcher, 30(3), 3-12. Rosiek, J. (2017). Art, agency and ethics in research: How the new materialisms will require and transform arts-based research. In P. Leavy (Ed.), Handbook of arts-based research (pp. 632-648). New York, NY: Guilford Press. Sandlin, J. A. & Letts, W. (2016). "I'm not a woman. I'm not a man. I'm something that you'll never understand:" On navigating and resisting social and educational strictures. Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, 13(2), 99-103. DOI: 10.1080/15505170.2016.1199153 Sandlin, J. A., Burdick, J., & Rich, E. (2016). Problematizing public engagement within public pedagogy research and practice. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, DOI: 10.1080/01596306.2016.1196343 Suominen, A., Kallio-Tavin, M., & Hernandez, F. (2017). Arts-based research tradition and orientations in Europe. In P. Leavy (Ed.), Handbook of arts-based research (pp. 101-122). New York, NY: Guilford Press. Wolfgang, C., & Rhoades, M. (2017). First fagnostics: Queering art education. The Journal of Social Theory in Art Education, 37, 72-79.