## Editorial

# Art Education and Development of the Poetic Voice

Gisela Ruebsaat, Poet and Independent Scholar

gisela2@islandnet.com

Heather McLeod, Memorial University of Newfoundland

hmcleod@mun.ca

In this issue of the Canadian Review of Art Education we focus on art education and development of the poetic voice (see Art Education and the Poetic Call). We received many strong submissions. Some authors responded to the call by crafting lyrical, image-based pieces. Others adopted an analytical or “academic” approach. Still others combined image-based and “academic” frameworks. To accommodate the diversity of voices, we are initiating a new section for CRAE: a salon/exhibition space for creative work.

Having a salon section in an academic journal raises the question of appropriate peer review and editorial support. As editors, we developed a separate rubric to guide peer reviewers assessing salon submissions. We also made an effort to select reviewers who, in addition to their academic expertise, had an established track record of poetic publications: in most cases their own published book of poems. This may present a challenge going forward as the pool of potential reviewers with this skill set is small.

Providing editorial support for poetic work also presents unique challenges. Determining what constitutes a “successful” poem is a subjective exercise. Further, the poem’s subject matter and presentation may be personally revealing. In literary circles, revisions to a draft poem are most often undertaken in the context of a close mentorship scenario or as part of a long-standing writers’ group. It is an open question whether revising submitted poems is feasible as part of a more formal academic peer review process. This is an important question for poetic inquiry as a distinct discipline: a question we will continue to explore in upcoming issues of CRAE.

<figure><img src="image_1.png" /><figcaption>Figure 1. St. Georges, D. (2016). *Encounters* [Oil on 16, 12 x 12 canvases]. Artist's private collection. Lethbridge, AB.</figcaption></figure>
They offer eight collaboratively created ekphrastic poems and use their poetry writing process as a learning strategy and an example of how to frame a path to authentic collaboration.

During a time of retreat from their academic careers, Pamela Richardson and Susan Walsh engage in a shared contemplative arts process including renga, or linked verse poetry, and Miksang, or contemplative photography. They create a space where healthy habits of mind and open-hearted awareness are nurtured through practices of spaciousness, restfulness, curiosity, and compassion. Their restorative process will be potentially helpful for other artists, teachers and researchers.

Gisela Ruebsaat (Associate Editor) and Heather McLeod (Editor-in-Chief), *Canadian Review of Art Education*.