“Possibilism” and Expectations in Arts Education

Abstract

There is no way anyone can meet any situation without expectations. In this article expectations are discussed in relation to different arts-educational contexts and perspectives with an aim to discuss how conscious use of expectations can be an asset in arts education, in relating to the arts and in life. Through the use of the term “possibilism” coined by Arns Næss, the article concludes that an important task in arts education is to help students develop a competence in being open for many possible futures: to play with the arts. The theoretical base in the chapter comes from John Dewey, Arne Næss and Deleuze and Guattari, and the article is a part of an ongoing project of developing an educational theory of aesthetic communication.