TIPP! Publication | Nadine Oberste-Hetbleck: A Didactic Teaching and Learning Project in Art Market Research. Researching and Publishing the History of Commercial Art Dealing
In addition to research, one of the main tasks of art historians is the authoring of academically and stylistically sound texts in differing genres. This case study of theresearch and publishing project Zur Geschichte des Düsseldorfer Kunsthandels (A History of Commercial Art Dealing in Düsseldorf) will demonstrate how research and writing can be integrated into teaching. The project involved supervised work with source materials, data visualization, semi-structured interviews (oral history), a supplementary writing workshop, as well as detailed feedback from a writing instructor, the teacher, and fellow participants in the seminar. In addition, the high practical relevance of the project (collaborations with galleries and art dealers) increased the participants’ later employability. This paper presents both the project’s general and specific study objectives (acquisition of methodologies, social and subject-specific skills), its structure and development, discusses its challenges, and critically reappraises the process. It concludes by considering the ways in which writing could be better incorporated into the teaching of Art History at university.
Art History Pedagogy & Practice is a peer-reviewed open access e-journal devoted to scholarship of teaching and learning in art history. It is published by Art History Teaching Resources (AHTR), a peer-populated open educational resource, in partnership with the Office of Library Services of the City University of New York and the Graduate Center at the City University of New York.