Pasting Tides Pedagogy: Learning from Creative Non-Formal Art Education in Nassau, Bahamas

Abstract

This dissertation examines how non-formal art education environments in Nassau, Bahamas, function as sites of cultural preservation, creative resistance, and pedagogical innovation. Responding to the continued influence of Eurocentric models within many formal art education structures, the study investigates how Global South epistemologies can inform more inclusive and community-responsive approaches to creative pedagogy. In this sense, examining art education histories becomes not only a descriptive exercise but also a form of cultural criticism that interrogates whose knowledge systems and artistic traditions have historically been recognized or marginalized within the field (Freedman, 2007; Haywood Rolling, 2019).

Using a qualitative multiple-case study design, the research explores two community-rooted learning environments: the Educulture Junkanoo Museum and Resource Centre, led by Arlene Nash Ferguson, and the Incubator for Collaborative Expression (I.C.E.), founded by Antonius Roberts. Drawing on Participatory Action Research (PAR) principles alongside specific arts-based inquiry practices, the study engaged collaborators, learners, and community members over a two-year period through interviews, participant observation, artefact analysis, and collaborative artmaking. The research process emphasized relational learning, participant reflection, and the co-construction of knowledge within community contexts. Through thematic analysis the study arrives at a unique framework Pasting Tides Pedagogy, that synthesizes pedagogical principles observed across the two case studies. The framework identifies five key considerations for educators: experiential learning that connects student interests with local contexts; valuing local knowledge and cultural practice; integrating nature and sustainability into creative processes; fostering collaboration across social and disciplinary boundaries; and adopting a holistic approach that weaves these elements into everyday life. Together, these principles position creativity as a relational and place-based process embedded within cultural traditions and community practices.

Rather than proposing a universal pedagogical model, the framework highlights how creative learning systems rooted in specific cultural contexts can offer insights for broader conversations in art education. By foregrounding Global South epistemologies and non-formal learning environments, the study contributes to emerging scholarship that seeks to expand the epistemological foundations of art education and recognize diverse sites of pedagogical knowledge production.