Abstract
This Project is an Alternative Culminating Experience for a Master of Arts in Education: Curriculum Development and Instruction with an Emphasis on Arts in Education. It follows Pathway III: Developing a curriculum, project, program, or performance related to arts education or arts in education. This project entailed a personal journey of developing as an arts educator, with an emphasis on visual arts, cultural identity, and diversity in order to engage at risk students. It culminated in a mosaic art installation that reflected the learning and experiences of the students and teacher. This study included research of the rationales for the cross curricular inclusion of arts in education, relevant issues in engaging students of diverse ethnic backgrounds and low socio-economic status and their perceptions of education and the school community, and the history of mosaics in cultural art and crafts. The researcher planned and implemented a curriculum, which resulted in a mosaic art installation and pertinent learning experiences for both student artists and the researcher.