How can art be incorporated into people's everyday lives and in what way? How can creativity be promoted? What kind of skills do art educators need to have their skills to serve the changing needs of society? These questions have been in the discussion for a long time. International continuing education of inclusive art pedagogy is still lacking. Society needs more and more art because the importance of art as part of a good life is emphasized when well-being cannot be based on mere economic growth. Art plays a special role in open, equitable and high quality education for all and opportunities for lifelong learning. In the arts, it is possible for everyone to experience, learn and feel involved. All in - International Inclusive Society In Art (ALIISA) -project recognizes the role of art as a promoter of social inclusion and offers art educators ways to promote social inclusion. Both higher and general education need to remove barriers to inclusion. Inclusive pedagogy has to be seen as a part of professionalism in the field of art education. Art is the ideal international language to reach the encounter and does not recognize borders. Many international agreements, laws and statements oblige us to promote inclusion. Savonia UAS (Finland) is the coordinator of the project. Partners are Siauliai Universitetas (Lithuania), Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien (MDW) (Austria), Ich bin O.K./Kultur-und Bildungsverein der Menschen mit und ohne Behinderung (Austria), Kuopio Conservatory (Finland) and Siauliai 1st Music School (Lithuania). These organizations have made pioneering efforts to develop inclusive art pedagogy and recognize the obvious need for continuing art education. Society needs new professionals in the field of art pedagogy and this project can meet the need. By strategic partnership, these institutions implement their social mission and responsibility of increasing well-being through art and cultural activities and guarantee good accessibility, which enables inclusion for all people. The ALIISA -project promotes equal opportunities for art education and develops inclusive art pedagogy education and research. Development process for inclusive art education includes continuing training cooperation for the needs of general education and society, dissemination model with inclusive education network and contract for international cooperation of inclusive continuing art education. The project involves those general education teachers who need continuing art education on the field of inclusive pedagogy. Students (10-25 persons) are selected for pilot training in each country, some of which also carry out practical training. Practical internships are implemented in working life cooperation. These project training activities thus greatly benefit the field of education and promote the learning of diverse target individuals and groups. Indirectly, the students and other staff of the organizations involved in the project, as well as the associated partners, will also benefit from the project training and research collaboration. The field of art education nationally and internationally benefits from communicating the results of the project. The project has an innovative approach to plan, pilot, reflect and disseminate the international continuing art education cooperation for the needs of general education. Partners have expertise in music, dance and visual arts in particular. Encounter and dialogue, as well as creative and participatory methods, are common to all art forms. The project produces new operational and educational models, extends the national and international cooperation networks and has an indirect influence on attitudes and values. Inclusion will be handled and defined in three areas: high and general education and in society. The project pilots produces three different implementation models of the continuing art education based on national special features. The project includes research and syllabus work focused on essential themes of inclusive art education, which results in many articles, presentations and events. Syllabus and cooperation contract will guarantee the continuation of the development work. This is reducing inequalities within and between countries. Dissemination model for inclusive art pedagogy network works as a good example for other areas of art education to consider inclusion in action. It is expected that, on the basis of European synergy and cooperation, curricula will be better able to respond to cultural, social, cooperative and communal diversity in the future. In the ALIISA project cooperation between higher and general education is essential and ensures that the education can meet the training needs of society flexibly and fast enough. The result of the ALIISA project is that knowledge, skill and attitudes of art educators are updated to identify different needs of individuals and society.
ALIISA strove to create an inclusive art pedagogical education model. By innovation and development process, it aimed for the development of the pedagogical attitudes, know-how and skills, and the improvement of the quality of art pedagogical teaching. The project sought to increase the availability of qualified general art education professionals. At the operational level of inclusive education, it was important to identify and consider the needs of support. ALIISA aimed for the guarantee of individual support, because the experience of participation is based on the inner experience in relation to the surrounding world. Accessibility benefits everyone, especially those who would otherwise be unable to participate. HE and general education institutions strive to strengthen social inclusion through strategic partnership and utilizing art methods. The aim of project parties was to produce new operational and educational models: administrative, practical and pedagogical, to expand national and international cooperation networks, to share expertise and practices, and to indirectly influence attitudes and values. Pedagogical co-development, internationally and interdisciplinary, was seen as a key tool in removing barriers to inclusion.
The strategic partnership between higher education (HE) and general (art) education was the major starting point for the project. Previous and pioneering efforts to develop inclusive art pedagogy had recognized the obvious need for continuing inclusive art education and the improvement of the quality of teaching and the availability of a skilled workforce on the field of general education. The project gave an opportunity to take up social mission and responsibility of increasing well-being through art and cultural activities and to enable good accessibility in arts by seeking administrative, educational and pedagogical solutions in international cooperation. There was a lack of skilled professionals in inclusive pedagogy and growing demand for new extensive art educators who could promote social inclusion in their work. HE has an important role in inclusive, equal and accessible education. They have educational responsibility for the knowledge, skills and abilities of future professionals in teaching diverse target groups and learners, as well as managing teaching methods. The general education actors could guarantee sufficient resources to implement the professionalism and practical forms of cooperation.