Voices of Returning Adult Community College Studio Art Majors: Perceptions and Motivations

Abstract

A current phenomenon of interest in community college education is the ever-expanding number of students pursuing college level instruction. This research aimed to look at the phenomenon within the framework of an undergraduate community college program in the Studio Arts. The study sought to identify threads of motivation and self-reflection during enrollment in college courses among a participant group of eight returning adult (28y.o.+) studio art students as they considered the significance of art in their lives, the decision to continue their arts education, and how their art-making and art-thinking may have been interconnected with personal identity development. A modified three-part phenomenological interview protocol, participant observation, and arts-based research methods were utilized to contribute to the understanding of the shared essence of these participants' lived experiences. What emerged from the data were intersections between identity development, artistic creativity, and maturity which had emerged in midlife as a commitment to developing their artistic identities through a community college program in the studio arts.