Co-designing expressive textile arts : student advancements in service-learning

Abstract

This study aims to find out the impact of expressive textile arts practice in co-design process on undergraduate students after taking a series of co-design textile arts and fashion creativity workshops from the service learning subject, “Community Engagement through Expressive Textile Arts and Fashion” offered by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2018 and 2019. A total of 38 prototypes had been jointly created by ex-mentally ill persons, people with intellectual disabilities, subject lecturers and undergraduate students during the co-design workshops in these two cohorts. Concepts of ex-mentally ill persons and people with intellectual disabilities in the community, expressive arts therapy, textile arts, expressive textile arts and service-learning subject were introduced in this subject. In the co-design process, students were expected to gain new knowledge and skills after they participated in the lectures, seminars, workshops and mini fashion show of the service-learning subject. In this study, quantitative research method was used to explore the impacts of co-design process on students practicing expressive textile arts with their service recipients. For the results, positive impacts are found on students regard to their participation in this service-learning subject. The main advancements include empowerment and enhancement of community engagement.