Writings on the Wall: Nurturing Critical Literacy Through a Community-Based Design Project

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore the potential of artistic design to promote critical literacy among adult learners. Conducted by a university literacy educator and a university art educator, this qualitative study examined adults’ divergent perspectives in the design of a mosaic at a center for the homeless. Participants included a university art educator, undergraduates, and outreach center clients. Data included transcribed interviews, written reflections, and field notes. Data were coded and themes identified and reexamined to accurately describe the project's potential for promoting critical literacy. Findings demonstrate how design, a contested literacy space, disrupted social habits, challenged stereotypes, negotiated texts, and transformed perceptions. Yet, time, institutional constraints, missed opportunities for critical dialogue, and other coercive elements limited the project's transformative potential. This suggests that such projects can be an important step toward adults’ critical literacy but are insufficient for garnering long-term consequences.