Lapsitekijyys taidekasvatuksen kontekstissa

Abstract

The aim of this research is to describe and define what child authorship is like in the context of art education. How do concepts and theories of authorship enable or limit children’s authorship? How is authorship produced or prevented in art education activities? The research builds on three disciplines: art education, authorship research, and childhood studies. There are two data sets. The first data set was produced in a theater project for preschoolers. During the project, the children prepared their own theater performances with the help of adults, and the scripts were written using the storycrafting method. The second data set was collected through a survey from professionals of basic education in the arts. The first sub-study examines storycrafting situations in the theater project and how authorship is co-produced by children and adults in these situations. The second sub-study analyzes one child’s agency in the theater project through visual data. The third sub-study examines practices and challenges related to publishing children's art, and issues of children's copyright in basic education in the arts. In light of the data, it seems that research on authorship in comparative literature does not recognize child authorship, nor does it explicitly connect the theoretical dimension of authorship to children. The concepts and methods of multi-authority, shared authorship or co-authorship that are utilized in art education, on the other hand, include child authors and children's art activities. In the context of art education, children's authorship is produced by both children and adults while being linked to power structures, rights and freedom of choice. Children actively produce authorship both individually and as a group but producing authorship can also happen when the child refuses to act or is passive. The adult is an important part of child authorship, either as a co-author or as an enabler and contributor to the child's authorship. Restrictions of child authorship are related to attitudes and ways of thinking and speaking which are reflected in actions, resulting in a situation where the actual child author easily remains hidden. There are often cultural and historical conceptions and values related to both childhood and children's art behind these restrictive attitudes.