Analysis of Institut Ruangrupa’s Alternative Art Education During 2015-2018

Since 2000, ruangrupa (Jakarta-based art collective) has had an alternative art information distribution (alternative of the formal art education). They offer values which arise from collective processes such as mutual sharing. The establishment of Institut Ruangrupa in 2015-2018 focused on the topic of art education through discursive and collaborative arts practices. The collaboration carried out with Dewan Kesenian Jakarta at the Jakarta Biennale 2015 produced a program called ‘Maju Kena Mundur Kena Academy’. This paper will analyze the method of the Institut Ruangrupa’s alternative art education which utilize a joint network with Arts Collaboratory (an art organization consisted of more than 20 organizations from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East). The purpose of this research is to provide a detailed description of the background and methods of ruangrupa’s alternative art education. This research built upon the theory of collaborative learning initiated by John Dewey, a learning concept that place community as the center. Ruangrupa through dynamic education styles exercise collaborative artistic projects with already established national and international connections and resources. In conclusion, the art education practice of Institut Ruangrupa by placing collectivism as the main idea, utilizing communication network relationships and collaborative work that is oriented towards problem solving, is able to become one of the alternative methods in an effort to reformulate the practice of art education, especially in Indonesia. Keywords: art education; collaborative; ruangrupa.