ABSTRACT
Space for drawing: Women, art, love, and fear

Petra Zantingh

In this arts-based research project, my purpose was to investigate how older women develop their skills as visual artists through the medium of drawing in a small group setting. The social construction of artist identities among the group and my teaching of drawing are the basis for my study of an informal, community-based learning environment. I assessed how learning new creative skills later in life affects the quality of an individual’s sense of self and their perceived value and contribution in relation to society, and how apprehension about learning a new skill touches others in the group. My interest extended to investigating how the skill of drawing influences other areas of life like aesthetic awareness; and to the role of digital media in rendering the research. Arts based research as a method of inquiry allowed the use of alternative representation of results and findings. Because of my background in digital arts, using digital media was a natural way for me to relevantly integrate findings, drawings, text, and images in order to discover meaning and direction.