The Conference Art, Illustration and Visual Culture in Infant and Primary Education: construction of identities intends to analyse the theoretical and practical aspects of using Art in general and Contemporary Art in particular, Illustration and Literature (as an accompaniment of illustration) in Infant and Primary Education, highlighting their implications on the construction of the cultural identity of the children of contemporary society.

The basic idea is that Art products and illustrations act as intermediaries of cultural representations, as they are part of our visual culture. Visual culture and these representations help children become acquainted with the world and its realities, additionally to those they already experience themselves, and intervene in the development of their cultural identity. This is the reason they understand Art and its representations as a network of meanings to be interpreted, which makes them consider the different ways we can discuss, think of and react to them.

This Conference is aimed at creating situations to encourage professionals within the disciplines of the Arts, Illustration, Literature and Education exchange opinions and share experiences. The common subject to these meetings and exchanges is the construction of the identity of children in Infant and Primary Education.

Those who are interested can present —in the form of a poster or oral paper— their projects for creation, pedagogical practice and research, linked to the Conference topics.

Each participant can send a maximum of two contributions, which will be revised by the Scientific Committee by using a peer review process.

For the oral presentation of papers, the Conference suggests the creation of Discussion Panels that will allow them to deal with all the papers selected and set parallel discussions. The papers selected will be previously published on the website, so that those in attendance to each Table can read them beforehand. For the development of the Discussion Panels, speakers will also put forward several issue-topics to be approached after the presentation of papers.

The Conference Organisation will provide a space for the Presentation and Exhibition of the Posters selected by the Scientific Committee, which will have undergone a peer review process. The posters will be exhibited every day of the Conference. The authors must be available during the intervals dedicated to the exhibition of posters as set in the programme to answer questions.

At the beginning of the Conference, those in attendance will be given a CD of the Conference Proceedings, with an edition of the contributions selected (posters and papers) and the talks given.

On the same lines, a book will be edited including the scripts of the talks given at the Conference, as well as a selection of the papers and posters presented.

CONFERENCE TOPICS

a. Art and Illustration in Infant and Primary Education: The values of Art transmitted in the illustrations created for children.
a.1. Aesthetical and formal criteria used in the production of works of Art aimed at children.
a.2. Education and transmission of aesthetical criteria and values in children.

b. Art, Illustration and Visual Culture and the way the world is imagined for Infant and Primary Education.
b.1. Ways in which the world can be represented through Art, images and illustrations at these stages of education.
b.2. Ways in which the world can be looked at and understood through Art, images and illustrations at these stages of education.

c. Art, Illustration and Visual Culture in the construction of the idea of childhood.
c.1. Literary narrations and lectures linked to Art, illustrations and images, which represent, explore and configure the idea of childhood.

WHO IS THIS CONFERENCE FOR?

* Infant and Primary Education Teachers.

* Professionals specialising in the Arts and Arts Education, including artists, teachers (Infant/ Primary/ Secondary/ University Education), future teachers, researchers and whoever may be interested in Arts Education.

* Professionals specialising in Illustration, including artists, publishers and professionals within the fields of language and literature.

* Professionals specialising in the analysis of the images constructed for children, including those involved in the study of visual culture and the media, entertainment coordinators, museum and educational event guides for cultural services.

* Professionals specialising in subjects related to the construction of the cultural identity of children, including those involved in Psychology, Anthropology, Ethnography and Social Sciences.