Integrating the Visual Arts with a Spiritually Based Curriculum: In, Out and Around the Edges

This qualitative inquiry involving six adult participants and two facilitators (one for the study portion and one for artmaking) is an examination using ethnographic methods to determine what are the challenges that educators face when using the visual arts with a spiritually based curriculum at a grass-roots community level. The project demonstrated the importance of art education in facilitating learning and meaning-making using the Ruhi Curriculum, a curriculum used by Bahá'í communities worldwide. This study concluded with three major challenges related to bringing visual arts education into a spiritually based curriculum. These challenges included: connecting the visual arts to the spiritual context being taught; integrating the activities of both the study group (study circle) and artmaking group to make connections between the text and the arts; and issues concerning the challenges of team or partnership teaching involving two instructors (facilitators) working together towards a common goal.