1. Introduction: There is the potential for universities to be beacons of good practice in sustainability through the ‘greening’ of estates, operations and curricula. However, greening is often invisible to Faculty and the student, resulting in missed opportunities to prompt critical discussion about sustainability. In this project we addressed this issue by using a university-based contemporary art gallery to encourage learning opportunities around sustainability. Contemporary art is socially conscious and often uses current and controversial issues as a basis for developing its products and artefacts (Osborne, 2013). As an expression of our unique historical situation, marked by exponential growth in the impacts of globalisation and the subsequent erosion of boundaries of all types (geographical, political, cultural and aesthetic), contemporary art can offer artistic interpretations of events that may help to create and advance understanding through an interpretive syntheses of sustainability issues (Mansilla, 2010). However, other authors suggest that contemporary art is difficult to interpret and communicate because it actively resists traditional concepts governing knowledge transfer, artistic medium, authorship and meaning (Bishop, 2012). It is perhaps this duality, whereby contemporary art is abstract, elusive and in need of interpretation - as well as being sharply focussed on the innovative presentation of contemporary issues - which makes it a challenging educational medium but one which offers significant potential to stimulate discussion around sustainability. References: Bishop, C. 2012, Artificial Hells. London: Verso Mansilla, B., A. 2010. “Assessing student work at disciplinary crossroads”. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning 37: 14-21. Osborne, P. 2013, Anywhere or Not at All: Philosophy of Contemporary Art. London: Verso Plymouth University, UK. Principal Investigator jennie.winter@plymouth.ac.uk Debby CottonJennie Winter The research focused on a case study of a single exhibition, ‘The Tamar Project’ that ran in January 2013 and featured the hanging installation of the artwork ‘Ghost’ a 22-foot hand crafted wooden kayak by the international artist Adam Chodzko.Designed as a participatory experience, the exhibition invited visitors on a journey down the River Tamar in Devon, UK. The exhibition explored issues of change, death, decay and renewal. Given the local context of the subject matter and the theme of rivers alongside social and economic impacts of changing environments, the exhibition was an appropriate case to use with a multi-disciplinary student sample. Methodology: Research Aims To develop critical understanding of the ways in which students engage in contemporary art in a university –based contemporary art gallery and; To explore the ways in which a contemporary art gallery can be used to encourage engagement and to create links to sustainability. Research strategy 50 students (F=29: M=21) representing all of the university faculties participated. Students were placed in multi-disciplinary groups of 5 and viewed the exhibition for up to one hour. Post viewing - students filled in a questionnaire which collated data on socio-demographics and perceptions of the gallery. Once this was completed the group participated in a focus group discussion which explored amongst other themes links between the exhibit and sustainability. Results: During the focus groups students from different disciplinary backgrounds discussed sustainability issues in terms of the river environment, local economy and pollution issues and were encouraged to make connections between the exhibit and their previous personal and professional experiences. Students welcomed the opportunity to debate the multiple interpretations of the river as a contested site. Many had not visited the river and were interested to know more about this local feature. The discussions were highlighted as an important shared space for exploring sustainability. The results demonstrated that underpinning these discussions were issues around the student experience of contemporary art. Contemporary art and the gallery were seen as elitist and exclusionary. Students had little previous experience of viewing this type of art and were reluctant to visit the gallery. 51% felt the gallery was intimidating, 56% felt the exhibition was too abstract and 76% wanted more explanation. There was evidence of dissonance between cognitive and affective domains ‘I like it but I don’t get it’. However, the research strategy encouraged discussion of this medium which developed both cognitive schematics and confidence. Seminal to this process were: Sustainability Literacy (Dawe et al 2005) Appreciation of the importance of environmental, social, political and economic contexts for each discipline. A broad and balanced foundation knowledge of sustainable development, its key principles and the main debates within them. Problem-solving skills in a non-reductionist manner for highly complex real life problems. Ability to think creatively and holistically and to make critical judgements. Ability to develop a high level of self-reflection. Ability to understand, evaluate and adopt values conducive to sustainability. Ability to bridge the gap between theory and practice; in sustainable development, only transformational action counts. Ability to participate creatively in inter- disciplinary teams. Ability to initiate and manage change. Creating conditions - time, facilitated group structure and scaffolding through discussion. Using discussion to help students make links to their personal and disciplinary experiences How discussions led to new learning opportunities but also confidence to engage; creating and reinforcing cultural capital Post event 85% reported enhanced understanding of contemporary art and identified its potential to foster ideas and discussion around controversial issues. Discussion: These findings have direct relevance to sustainability education as an agenda in the modern university. If we consider the tenets of sustainability literacy (the knowledge, skills and values that underpin graduate capacity to contribute to a more sustainable future) then the gallery experience is a useful one. There is a also evidence that through the possibility of enhancing meta-cognitive skills and raising cultural capital the process is democratic and egalitarian. The research suggests that a contemporary art gallery can offer important developmental experiences for sustainability literacy, but that that attention needs to be given to how these experiences are constructed. In later work we recommend and explore creating links between curation and the curriculum. More information about this work can be obtained through the PI.