Science fiction writer H.G. Wells used to say that civilization is A race between education and catastropheAnd it seems that we are lagging behind; the eco-social crisis is leading us to scenarios of discontinuity and guarantees an uncertain future. Educational systems must anticipate problems and prepare students to live in a world marked by the profound transformations that are coming.
A task that involves assuming the importance of sharing new knowledge (relationship between human well-being and correct functioning of ecosystems, limits, criticism of consumerism…), practical skills (group dynamics, participatory methodologies, conflict management…) or emotional learning. To this would be added the importance of transforming school architectures (renaturalizing courtyards, rehabilitating buildings for energy efficiency or installing solar panels) or public purchasing criteria to promote agroecological canteens or environmentally and socially responsible suppliers. And all this involving the entire educational community.
Given the difficulty in starting these processes, art can act as a trigger. An optimal language to communicate the crisis, show alternatives and encourage active hope. Our reason has more limitations than we would like to admit, proven data has less power of conviction than emotions and significant life experiences. Neuroscience shows that there is no effective dichotomy between reason and emotion; brain, heart and gut are connected. We are beings sentientas the pioneer of participatory research Orlando Fals Borda said.
Pedagogies of tomorrow It is an initiative where ecology, education and art go hand in handFor two years, the Garúa cooperative and the MNCARS Reina Sofía have developed a training itinerary for teachers, together with a process of support for several educational centres in Madrid and small towns in Aragon and Cantabria. The aim was to create a series of cultural creations that would allow for speculation about the future in a hopeful way. Experts and artists entered the classrooms to help students combine ecological realism and imagination. Finally, the works and creative processes were exhibited at a face-to-face meeting at the museum.
We summed it up for the kids by saying that they were going to become artists, to better understand the reality in which we live, to imagine the future they want and to think about how to get there. Following Confucius, our premise was that education generates confidence and confidence generates hope.
At the CEIP Virgen de los Ríos in the town of Caldearenas, the issue was addressed conflict over the installation of a ski slope in Canal Roya, They built a cable car out of recycled materials and placed it in different places around the town to raise awareness about what happens when something is in a place where it shouldn’t be. The structure was placed blocking the train tracks, inside the town bar, in front of the swings… all the way to the Roya Canal itself.
At the CEIP Cuevas del Castillo de Vargas they met again with the plantsThe students imagined the seed they wanted to be and drew it. They went out into the forest and collected plants. They learned that all of them have names, that knowing how to name them is a necessary step in learning to love them. They learned about the risks that threaten them and how that affects people. Later, they linked this to the important caves with cave paintings in the area, where there are no plants represented. So they proceeded to paint the plants in the area and project them onto the walls of the cave.
In Getafe, from the IES Menéndez Pelayo they captured three keys to the ecosocial transition (renewables, renaturalization and agroecology). Reinterpreting the famous painting One world, of Angeles Santos, portraits were made with images of desirable futures, solarpunk y collages where they had transformed the municipality. A creative process that they shared with other classes, by organizing a Future Fair where they could exhibit their work and communicate their lessons.
The IES Isaac Albeniz of Leganés reflected on agroecology and local food systems, and recorded a news from the future to communicate the changes that have taken place in the institute and the municipality. Previously they visited the neighborhood association, an organic products store and an urban garden, as well as collages to illustrate the news with images.
And finally, from the CEIP Manuel Llano de Terán in Cabuérniga they developed the project Guardians of Sajafocused on the cognitive and affective approach to the river that runs through the valley in which the school is located and on which a good part of the economy and culture of the school depends. The biodiversity of the Saja, health, biocultural memory, literature and the school community have served to structure the educational intervention. Interviews, photographs, field trips, an exhibition and the creation of new signage for the river are some of the creations that can be found on the web of the initiative.
The results have been astonishing both for the quality of the creative processes and productions, and for the impact and the complicity generated at a local level. In rural areas they have become small events, involving town councils, associations and the media. In the neighbourhoods, lines of collaboration have been opened between schools and neighbourhood movements and cooperatives. In addition, These seeds have consolidated the creation of stable structures to mainstream ecosocial education in some of the educational centers that have participated.. And he has even won awards such as the Félix de Azara school prize from the Huesca Provincial Council.
Thomas Khun, analyzing the history of scientific revolutions, noted that paradigm shifts are not fueled by accumulating evidence but by circumstances that favor change. These years of work reaffirm the importance of Using art to address eco-social issuesespecially if the legitimacy of a cultural institution can be leveraged. These generate broad consensus within and outside the school, disarm prejudices and facilitate addressing complex issues in a more creative way.
Reflecting on problems, discovering alternatives, developing ingenious interventions that have an impact on the environment and are appreciated by third parties, is a learning situation that leaves an indelible mark. We have experienced first-hand what Benjamin Franklin said: “Tell me, and I forget. Show me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn.”
Off the radar and out of the echo of the mainstream media, Without making noise, artistic pedagogies and artists of pedagogy are joining forces in the face of the crisis. Artists in classrooms and classrooms in museums to promote eco-social education.
