Back to the Sandbox—Art and Radical Pedagogy

Back to Sandbox brings together an international group of artists who ask radical questions about the nature and significance of education in contemporary society. Ideas about democracy, creativity, and transdisciplinarity are examined along with ideas of freedom and equality and the institutional heritage of discipline and control. The aim is not only to draw attention to the vital role of education and to the challenges of reform, but also to introduce new perspectives on learning and creativity with potential new educational models in mind.

The exhibition includes works of art and educational experiments by prominent artists, including Eva Bakkeslett (Norway), Luis Camnitzer (Uruguay), Teddy Cruz (Guatemala), Priscila Fernandes (Portugal), Fonna Forman (United States), Michael Joaquin Grey (United States), Ane Hjort Guttu (Norway), Markus Kayser (Germany), Eva Koťátková (Czech Republic), Graziela Kunsch (Brazil), Pam Kuntz (United States), James Mollison (Kenya), Palle Nielsen (Denmark), Petr Nikl (Czech Republic), Renzo Piano (Italy), Calvin Seibert (United States) and  the Society for a Merrier Present (Czech Republic). 

The curator of the exhibition, Jaroslav Anděl, Ph.D., is an independent curator and author of over 40 books on contemporary art. He was artistic director of the DOX Center for Contemporary Art in Prague from 2009 – 2014.

The exhibition and an accompanying catalog are funded in part by a generous support from the Homer Bernard Mathes Endowment and a grant from the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation.

Image: Eva Koťátková, Sit Straight, 2008, 4 videos. Courtesy Hunt Kastner Gallery, Prague.