Artsonia: A Digital Tool for Enhancing Family Engagement in Perceiving and Responding to Student Artwork

Abstract

This study focuses on how introducing Artsonia, an online student art gallery, to Narragansett Elementary School families might enhance their response and perception to student artwork. Triangulation was used to collect data from a variety of sources including Artsonia activity, Artsonia comments, Artsonia survey, family interviews, and student-initiated Artsonia discussions. Data demonstrated a high percentage of Narragansett Elementary School families interact with Artsonia in a variety of ways. As a digital tool, Artsonia connected families and friends from across the state and even the country to view and discuss student artwork. Fan club members expressed their gratitude for Artsonia’s ability to view artwork that would otherwise go unknown to extended family members. Through use of the project description feature on Artsonia, the researcher uploaded project descriptions including possible discussion topics to enhance student artwork discussions. Data collected from a variety of sources demonstrates an increased perception of student artwork as project descriptions made learning visible in the art classroom. All participants in the study, including the researcher, families, and students, demonstrate deep interest in Artsonia and its ability to enhance response and perception to student artwork.