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This chapter refers to basic qualities of art learning in relation to citizenship education. It aims to explore pedagogical principles and methods/strategies through examples of artistic practices in different settings and instances, emphasizing cultural and democratic dialogue.

Artistic practices in education are explored through documentation and visual data and reveal different ways of learning and thinking that incorporate inclusive and critical approaches to art education. Documentation encompasses (1) examples of artistic initiatives in Europe including Cyprus and (2) the researcher's initiatives reported through visual notes in informal and formal types of educational settings. Documentation exposes creative processes and strategies significant for learning in, about and through art and introduces visual research methods as a meaningful and democratic way of teaching and learning the visual arts. Findings reveal features of art learning emphasizing cultural dialogue, pluralism and creative processes based on active and participatory art education approaches.

This chapter is an introduction to what the author defines as central to the Art in relation to Citizenship and Education. As these are regarded as multifaceted concepts that continually evolve and expand, diverse theoretical notions are addressed and illustrated through artistic examples. The author represents ideas, concepts and values, underpinning citizenship in Art and Art Education by posing two questions: (1) Which kinds of Art can support citizenship and in what ways? and (2) Which concepts can foster citizenship in Art and Art Education? Art and Citizenship are discussed in relation to culture and aesthetics, pointing out that Art is meaningful in a cultural context and at the same time it has the potential to engage us in transformative practices. The author contends that Art for Citizenship Education is grounded on two pillars: ‘Who I am’ and ‘Who we are’. These are analyzed and exemplified through artistic practices that are concerned with the power of image, the formation of identities and communities and diverse cultural contexts (spaces and places).

Art is a complex, multiform, fluid human activity that is subjugated to time-space-place contexts and dependent upon social representation and values. But what is it for? This introduction to the book Art in Diverse Social settings begins with a general characterization of Art as universal language. Unlike verbal language, art is primarily processed in the sensorial and emotional fields and only later rationally; unlike science, it does not aim at explaining or predicting the laws of the world's phenomena, instead it communicates by showing (in essence, it has an expressive meaning). In today's world, art became an accessible good and a valuable human creation because of this reappraisal of artistic practices; art is today expressive in domains such as politics, citizenship, economy, ethics, sustainability or public affairs.

The introduction to this edited book explains why it is focused on the role of art in today's diverse society. Art is part of the worldviews and mindsets from which it results and as a complex and ambiguous product of culture and perception, it must be understood from multiple perspectives. As such, this book includes in the first part seminal chapters with a theoretical scope, which highlight conceptual, contextual and cultural issues of contemporary art. The chapters in the second and third parts of the book are exemplary case studies, describing concrete intervention projects, which use some form of art or composed artistic expression as a medium for communication and intervention in the contexts of social and professional organizations, public spaces or the community. A summary of each chapter is provided and linked to the main goal of the book.