SMartS is an innovative art education project developed by Giovanni Perillo. It combines scientific research and creative practice to create laboratory-based learning experiences for students aged 11-13.

 

Founder:

SMartS was founded by Giovanni Perillo, PhD in Letters, Languages, and Arts from the University of Bari, with a specialization in Visual Arts from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. He is an art teacher and researcher working at the intersection of art education, experimental aesthetics, and interdisciplinary learning.

His work focuses on developing innovative methods for teaching art in schools, combining scientific research, creative practice, and student-centered learning.

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The History of the SMartS Project

SMartS is an innovative art education project that combines a laboratory-based teaching method with an online journal. It is designed to create active, interdisciplinary learning experiences where art, science, psychology, and technology interact to stimulate critical thinking and creativity in students.

The project began in 2011 through classroom laboratory activities with students aged 11 to 13. From the beginning, teaching practice was closely connected with experimental research in aesthetics, leading to a continuous dialogue between education and scientific inquiry.

Early outcomes of this research included the artist’s book Combina-azione par(o)lata, deposited at the Collège de ’Pataphysique in Paris, and the presentation of studies at major international conferences, including:

• International Association of Empirical Aesthetics (New York, 2014; Vienna, 2016; Toronto, 2018; Palma de Mallorca, 2024)

• The Migration Conference (Bari, 2019; North Macedonia, 2020)

• Children and Childhood Territories International Colloquium (Brasília, 2018)

• 27a Roda de conversa: Políticas linguísticas educacionais (Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil, 2024)

The research has also been presented in museum contexts such as the Triennale Museum in Milan and the MACRO Museum in Rome (2019), and published in national and international academic journals including Art & Perception, Journal of Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies, Educazione Interculturale, Athanor, and Educação em Foco.

 

From Research to Educational Method

Over time, this trajectory evolved into a clear methodological goal: to adapt the tools and rigor of empirical aesthetics into a structured and applicable teaching method for schools. It was with this aim that the SMArtE method was established and formalised.

The SMArtE method applies the logic of scientific inquiry to art education. Students take an active part in a process that includes:

• identifying an aesthetic problem

• formulating hypotheses

• designing and constructing visual stimuli

• conducting experiments

• analysing results

• writing and publishing scientific articles

This approach transforms students into active participants in the learning process, developing both creative and analytical skills.

 

The Birth of the SMartS Journal

In 2023, the SMartS journal was founded as a natural extension of this work. It serves as a vehicle for disseminating the SMArtE method and acts as a platform where students publish their research, combining art, science and critical reflection. However, SMartS is not an archive of research findings, but a collective creative endeavour.

At this stage, SMartS became both:

• the result of a long process of experimentation

• the starting point of a new international educational project

Students are not only learners but also authors, researchers, and contributors to a growing community of artistic and scientific inquiry.

For the first two issues, the SmartS Journal editorial team was composed of students, to develop:
• Collaboration and distributed leadership: students taking on different roles in an editorial team.
• Time management and project management: meeting editorial deadlines and organizing work phases.
• Effective communication: clear writing, oral presentation of the journal's findings, peer review.

The female leadership of the journal's editorial teams aimed to promote empowerment, equal opportunities, and develop strategic, communication, and entrepreneurial skills.

The SMartS experience produced observable improvements in transversal cognitive skills (problem posing, hypothetical-deductive thinking, data analysis, and evidence-based argumentation), language skills (IMRaD scientific writing, interdisciplinary communication, and use of English), STEAM and digital skills (creative design as research and integration of arts, sciences, and technologies), and personal skills (agency, international collaboration, autonomy, resilience, and critical thinking).
Teachers co-design integrated STEAM activities, developing inquiry-based learning and international collaborative teaching.

 

An Open and Evolving Educational Community

SMartS is a dynamic and collaborative educational environment. Each issue of the journal emerges from dialogue, workshops, and shared research involving students, teachers, artists, scientists, and university professors (about SMartS).

Through interviews, collaborative writing, and interdisciplinary exchange, SMartS continues to evolve as an international community dedicated to innovation in art education.