Andrea
Cleary
Academic biography
Personal Details
Assistant Professor
Andrea Cleary
Andrea.Cleary@dcu.ie
Biography
Assistant Professor in Visual Art Education, since 2010 in
the school of Arts Education and Movement (AEM), on St Patrick's
Campus, Drumcondra, DCU. Teaching duties include module design and development
for Visual Art Education within Initial Teacher Education Primary (ITE)
Programmes on Bachelor of Education (B Ed) and PostGraduate Masters of
Education Primary (PMEP). Supervisory Duties include supervising research
projects on Diploma, B Ed and masters programmes (PMEP, M Ed and M teach) .
Working in the field of Art and Design Education since 2001, as an
educator my practice is informed by my identity as an artist
-educator. Research interests include process led art and its affect on
students in ITE, outdoor nature based art education, sustainability and art
Education, wellbeing through process focused art and transformation in
thinking through art practice.
Current research approaches include, the use of Arts Based Research (ABR), the use of
practice led research and research led practice . My current research focus is
toward my PHD Studies in Art Education NCAD. Research parameters include, the
pedagogy and practice in art education, process led art pedagogy and its affect
on education students in ITE. Thinking through making, and reflexive practice
through art, environment and how these affect and sustain human
interaction, expression and wellbeing.
As part of the School of AEM I have developed a module for major specialism -Process Art and
the Natural Environment which focuses on intuition in art practice and the
use of natural materials and the outdoors in Art Education. My contribution to
the development of new programmes are ongoing, with an aspiration to continue
to develop inspiring short courses CPD for teachers to support developments in
the new NCCA curriculum.
Current projects include a collaboration Art-Maths Project funded through Maths 4 all. The collaboration includes working on development and reflection on a series of CPD workshops for Primary teachers through art with a focus on the creation of pattern using printing techniques. Research taking a collaborative auto ethnographic arts-based approach, led to a presentation paper for SMEC 2024 conference entitled ‘Space in Between’ Exploring the entanglements of shape and space in art and maths with colleague Siun Nic Mhuiri. This paper is an interim research paper, leaning on feminist and post humanist theory , where the space in-between offers an important place for layering of art and maths to occur through reflection on display, reusing art explorations for mathematical analysis, to become entangled in potential new possibilities for both areas .
Research interests
Light and sound and materials: Investigation of potential for curriculum integration module –Know no boundaries ( Macalla, April 2016) · The Collaborative nature of arts based methodologies and its effect on building communities. ( 大发体育在线_大发体育-投注|官网ing Common Ground 2016, current project) Promoting Sustainability awareness through art making practices. (Poster project SPACE Collaborative art making and communication; peer learning and wellbeing through the process of making art.· Environmental sculpture and outdoor learning- possibilities for integration (DCCOI partnership programme 2015-present) · Digital drawing on touch screen devices and children’s development in art. ( 2013- present long term project) · Capturing and recording children’s art in the digital age. Development of a digital visual resource library of children’s art works. (A library partnership project on hold since 2015) · Digital video resource development for Visual Art (2013-present) Investigation of Potential for increased student engagement through pre-course video tutorial. · Design Collaboration for Hospital Textiles: Design Craft Challenge 2013: Development of innovative design for hospital patient gown. Collaboration with NCAD Printed textiles and Woven textiles dept.Approaches to Teaching and Learning in Art Education for Primary Teachers, using Art Journals as part of the Learning Process.