Completed Doctorates that I supervised as 1st Supervisor (Sponsor)

Mount, Andrew, Participatory Art Practice: What Does it Mean to Participate? Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2011.

Widmer, Kristine, Beyond Our Fears: Conversations with Veteran Artists About Their Dedication to Art Making. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2011.

Yu, Chi-Ying, Networked Film Criticism as a Way of Learning: Exploring the Culture of Virtual Film Community and Stories of Online Film Critics. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2011.

Doren, Mariah, Talking to Artists in Their Studio: Reflection on the Practice of Assessment as Learning. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2011.

Yun, Yoshimatzu, The Art of the Everyday A Spiritual Journey of Aesthetic Experience with Western and Japanese Contents. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2011.

Bowman, Harrigan, The Artist-Educator in the University: Interview Case-Studies of How Four Art Professors Make Sense of the Meaning in Their Work As Educators and How They Navigate the Dual Relationship Between Artist and Educator. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2010.

Im, Sang-Bin, The Generative Impact of Online Critiques of Art on Individual Practice. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2010.

Laski Nina, Exploring Improvisation in Arts Education. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2010.

Sadik, Razia, The Art Institution as a Site for Cultural Production in Pakistan: A performative reflexive analysis of the practices of three contemporary artist-teachers. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2010.

Stevens, Dennis, The Aesthetics of the American Dream: Experiencing the visual as meaning beyond truth. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2010.

Stephen Lane, The Experience of New York and Beijing: Destabilizing Studio Art Practices, Cultural Sites and Educational Processes. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2010.

Hua Chu Yen, The Practice of Cinematic Experience in Everyday Life: Moving Image, time and the journey to the Unknown. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2009.

Gary Jim Daichent, Artist-Teacher George Wallis: Redefining The Concept Through History. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2009.

Christopher Wallace, Aesthetic Experience and Action in Participatory Art. Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University, Scotland. Awarded: 2008.

James Patrick Werner, Immersive Installation art, Digital technology, Its Philosophies and the Rise of a New genre in Fine Art. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2007.

Elena Andrea Stylianou, Revisiting the Virtual in Art’s Potential: From the Byzantine Icon to the Contemporary Image. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2007.

Brian Hughes, The Moral nature of Artistic Genius. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2006.

Brian Grassom, Art as a Narrative of Alterity. Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University, Scotland. Awarded 2006.

Alejandra Rodriguez, Art as an agent of cultural integration. Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University, Scotland. Awarded 2007.

Barwell, Michael, Patterns of Redemption: Parachronicity in the work of Piero della Francesca, Frank Zappa and Stanley Spencer. The University of Warwick, England. Awarded 2003.

Cole, David, Reworking the Digital Curriculum. The University of Warwick, England. Awarded 2002.

Completed doctorates that I supervised as co- or 2nd supevisor

Clovis, Donna. Issues of Beauty Through Identity: The Works of three Artists in Studio Practice and Their Interpretations into Art and Language. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2011.

Perkins, Clarence, Moral Culture in the McGuffey Readers: 1836 to 1901. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2010.

Curinga, Matthew, Social software and the struggle for freedom. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2010.

Carlin, Matthew, The Image of the Anti-State: Magic, the Sacred, and Terrestrial Violence in the Zapatista Movement. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2010.

Garone, Gene, Making Connections: Building Artistic Insight for Digital Design, Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2009.

Katz, Jonathan, Teacher and student perceptions of conventional and inquiry-based mathematics instruction (Interdisciplinary Study), Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2009.

Johnson, Carolyn, Navigating the impasse: Catholic women lead the way in the church. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2009.

Kiebert-Gruen, Catherine, Community arts programs: Cohesion and difference case studies: Henry Street Settlement and El Museo Del Barrio, Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2009.

Cofryn, Regina, Unity in multiplicity: a comparative study of the humanistic themes in the literature of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Miguel De Unamuno. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2007.

Castagno, Reuben, Cinematic popular culture and educators’ rational reconstructions, Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2006.

Zorbas, Vasilios, The catharsis of the student-actor of process drama and the role of the Stanislavski method. Columbia University, Teachers College, New York. Awarded 2005.

Teaching

Current position: As Associate Dean of Teaching & Learning at the School of Art & Design, University College Falmouth (UCF), United Kingdom, John Baldacchino takes his role in the pedagogy of art back into the Art School, where he sees himself as playing a dual role: (a) that of leading by enhancing and developing teaching, learning and the student experience as UCF evolves into a University of the Arts; and (b) that of leading research in art pedagogy across the university. The latter is closely tied to the engagment of the arts within a culture of research that is equally challenging and radically shifting the usual paradigms of arts research.

His main intent is to seek to continuously engage with colleagues and students in bringing together research and pedagogical projects that implicitly enhance, generate, but also challenge the lay of the land when it comes to teaching and learning in Arts Universities. This forms part of a distinct culture that explores the diverse relationships between areas like the arts, design, creativity, innovation, cultural production and pedagogy.

Baldacchino comes to this position interested in contributing to wider research in how arts pedagogy remains central to many other fields and professional roles. In other words, how teaching and learning sustain an interdisciplinary culture in terms of applicability, discursive environments, scientific, cultural and political understanding. Given the flourishing of arts programmes within the cultural and creative industries, as well as the role of creativity and innovation in the development of professions, the remit for such areas of research has grown considerably and it could potentially attract a community of learners, artists, designers and researchers that will have a direct impact on tangible social, cultural, political and economic contexts that currently remain outside the boundaries of academia.

Columbia University, Teachers College (2004-2011): Baldacchino was Associate Professor of Art and Art Education in the Department of Arts and Humanities at Teachers College Columbia University. In 2007, the Vice Chancellor of The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen Scotland, honoured him with the title of Honorary Professor in recognition of his continuous work and collaboration within Gray's School of Art.

His role at Teachers College Columbia University focused on teaching and supervising students at Masters and Doctoral levels in the areas of the Philosophy, Practice and Pedagogy of Art. In the theoretical realms of art and art education he taught Philosophies of Art in Education, Pedagogical Aesthetics, Radical Philosophy, Critical Theory, Contextual Studies, and the Philosophy of Arts Research. During the summer term he also taught Studio classes.
Within the context of the pedagogy of art he specialises in the area of art in higher education with particular attention to The Advanced Art Curriculum in College Teaching, Teaching and Administration of Art , and on the new challenges of contemporary art practices to the Art School. His approach to the pedagogy of art is closely tied to the symbiosis between the discursive and studio-based narratives of art. To that effect he has continuously adopted an approach (as an academic, teacher and researcher) where the relationship between teaching, studio-practice and theoretical study is expressed in the form of a Critical Studio that bears a direct effect on the submission and discussion of ideas as a hybrid ground that challenges traditional forms of rendition and assessment in art and art education.

His background in Cultural Theory and his research in the field focuses on Mediterranean aesthetics and Mediterranean studies. In his teaching this informs courses on the making of the aesthetic imagination in 20th century arts and literature. This contextual aspect of his work is closely linked to his theoretical application of a pedagogy that is read as a formative ground in terms of thought, polity and the historical imagination.

Apart from his continuous work on cultural and critical theory and the philosopy of art and art education, at Columbia Baldacchino developed a number of projects, where students are invited to take a lead (a) in the study of the philosophy of research in art, the arts and humanities (through projects like,Ways of Doing which he led with Graeme Sullivan with funds from the Spencer Foundation), (b) sustain scholarly work and discussion on the relationship between radical philosophies, radical aesthetics and and education; and (c) in engaging with the philosophical problematic of contemporary art practice (through the re-launching of a Unit for the Study Of Philosophy In Art, USOPIA).

His work and teaching of Radical philosophies have attracted huge interest from stduents across all subjects, and through his courses on Radical Philosophies and Education, he has also run three Annual Seminars that were addressed by the eminent philosophers Ernesto Laclau (in 2007), Jacques Ranciere (2008) and Maxine Greene (2009).

Gray's School of Art (2000-4) and Warwick University (1993-2000): Prior to New York, Baldacchino started and consolidated his academic career in the United Kingdom where he was Reader (Associate Prof.) in Critical Theory at Gray's School of Art, The Robert Gordon University, in Scotland (2000-2004), and Leacturer (Assistant Prof.) of Art Education & Cultural Theory at Wawrick University's Institute of Education. (1993-2000)

At Gray's his academic duties also extended to those of Director of Graduate Studies and Course Leader of the School's MA Program in Art & Design. In his tenure at Gray's he restructured and expanded the MA, developing it from an Art and Design course to a Program that offered routes in Design, Fine Art, Contextual Practice, Critical Studio and a Research Masters. As Director of Graduate Studies he also expanded the doctoral cohort in response to the continuous challenges and demands of Higher Education in the UK. As part of his research remit at Gray's he also formed the Unit for the Study of Philosophy in Art (USOPIA), with the intent to advance the consolidation of discourse within the study and practice of the visual Arts.

As a full time member of Faculty in the Art Education program at the University of Warwick in England, Baldacchino developed his academic work within the field of both art education and its connection to cultural theory. At that time Warwick University's Arts Education Department was led by Professor (now Sir) Ken Robinson (who then moved to be Senior Advisor to the Director at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, before he became speaker at large on the arts in education and business). At Warwick, Baldacchino taught Courses on art education, studio art, critical theory & historical studies, aesthetics & cultural theory, and philosophy of education. He was founder-member of the Unit of Research in Education, Culture and the Arts (URECA) which he took over as Director from Robinson in 1998.

His teaching spanned across BA, MA and Doctoral levels and he was Course Director of the Department's MA in Art and Design Education. He also supervised a good number of dissertations at MA and PhD levels.

Teaching in Primary and Secondary Schools: Before he moved to the United Kingdom, Baldacchino taught art and art history in Primary and Secondary Schools in Malta where, after Graduating with a Bachelor of Education in 1989, he was appointed and received a warrant as Teacher of Art & Art History by the Ministry of Education.