This study explores the state of art education in Turkey as revealed by pre-service art education university instructors, and the potential of incorporating visual culture studies in pre-service art education in Turkey. The instructors ideas about visual culture and its impact on art education, its contents (objects), and its practices within the context of Turkey are examined, with a focus on a pedagogical approach that emphasizes the perception and critique of popular culture and everyday cultural experiences, and the analysis of media including television programs, computer games, the internet, and advertisements. The aim of the study is to benefit pre-service art teacher education in Turkey and in general. It provides the rationale, the nature and pedagogy of visual culture, and provides insights into the potential contribution of the concept of visual culture to the understanding of art and improvement of art teacher training.

Autorentext

Nur Balk r holds a BA in Art Education from Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey in 1991. She earned her MFA in printmaking at the University of Newcastle, England, in 1997, and completed her PhD degree in Art Education at the University of North Texas, USA, in 2009. She is currently a full-time Assistant Professor at Kadir Has University, Istanbul.