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Naidus first uses personal narrative to introduce the reader to her own story and set the stage for the pages that follow; she lays further groundwork for the book by providing the reader with a brief historical account of the arts – from cave paintings through FDR’s Works Progress Administration on to McCarthy era propaganda and into the Cold War Abstract Expressionism. Building on this history, within the first few chapters, Naidus illustrates how the arts have been used for and against humanity for eons, and have sometimes been successful in changing opinion and rallying people to fight for their beliefs. Her discussion of the artwork associated with these events places emphasis on the social, historical and cultural contexts that shape and are shaped by art, and illustrates that art is not just for the elite or those who have plenty of leisure time. This is key, given that a decontextualized reframing of these art objects’ meanings can make it difficult for students to understand why particular objects hold a significant status in world history.

Naidus moves from a broad historical perspective back to her own personal history in discussing how she has developed her pedagogy through life experiences and art training. The raw examination of her journey — from being an art major who at first did not understand the appeal of abstract expressionism, to achieving a satisfying balance between being an artist and a teacher — will be cathartic for many who have carved a similar path. Many who pursue the balance between art and teaching struggle with combining an artistic need to express, a socially responsible consciousness, and the desire to teach, and Naidus reveals how one teacher’s gift of Ben Shahn’s book The Shape of Content (1957) helped her realize that teaching was yet another extension of her creative self. The book, along with Naidus’ involvement in public art works and feminist theorizing, moved her out of the "art for art’s sake" mentality she had witnessed earlier in her career, while also showing her the uglier side of criticism and judgments made about art and the artists who create it.

Crafting a professional life as an artist is often quite difficult; Naidus’ reflections on being rejected from three graduate schools will resonate with many artists who have sought formal training, gotten rejected, and then have had to sit back and ask “why?” Readers may also relate to Naidus’ articulation of the tension between wanting to redefine art as she saw fit, and the realization that she had to discover a way to make her own way in the world. Naidus’ chronicle of her move to New York, where she worked odd jobs and created art in her cockroach-infested apartment, further reflects struggles that many artists have endured. Through these accounts a sense of shared camaraderie allows readers to empathize with the challenges of becoming a teacher of art while maintaining and developing one’s identity as an artist.

In discussing issues of pedagogy in Chapter 3, Naidus recalls the teacher we probably all experienced at some time, the one who thought mimeographed sheets of holiday images were to be considered “art.” Her hope for an art specialist trained as an “artist/teacher/activist/community member” is probably less likely to be found, but Naidus offers examples of promising sites for the development of such specialists that are on the horizon. Groups such as the Caucus for Social Theory in Art Education, Visual Culture, and Critical Theory are beginning to permeate schools of art and art education and are encouraging artists and art educators to be aware of art’s wider implications. Naidus suggests that this progressive school of thought may help others develop school curricula that are interdisciplinary, and she advocates for an approach to art that emphasizes creativity within civic engagement and the role of the arts in promoting an ethic of caring. Often, positive influences on Naidus’ pedagogy have taken shape through informal interactions and practices, such as late night debates with fellow artists, reflections on world politics, journaling, and personal reflections. Though these experiences take place outside of formal education, Naidus finds them integral to informing her identity as an artist and educator and to her development of transformative pedagogical practices.

Naidus devotes most of Chapter 4 to outlining her curriculum for the Arts in Community interdisciplinary program at the University of Washington, Tacoma. Through photographs and descriptions of activities and projects, Naidus presents vivid examples from her classes, where students create art in response to environmental issues, wartime concerns, body image questions, cultural identity, labor, and globalization. The chapter concludes with Naidus’ explanation of the challenges to developing this type of curriculum. Typical barriers such as grading, time limitations, dumbed down products of American schools, and the perrenial lack of funding are all hurdles countless art teachers face around the country; and Naidus skillfully articulates strategies she has used to surmount these obstacles.

In panoramic perspective, Chapter 5 presents sketches of the work and experiences of artists and educators working for social change across academic and community contexts. These sketches emerged from a series of one-hour interviews in which Naidus asked each individual to reflect on their practice and pedagogy and offer “stories of transformation.” Ironically, though Naidus frames the chapter as an opportunity for community building, learning, and dialogue, the sheer number of artist/educator profiles (each usually spanning about two pages) precludes a complete achievement of this goal. Rather, these brief glimpses into the work lives, challenges, and triumphs of this unique group of people often leaves the reader with more questions than answers. Given the book’s emphasis on transforming traditional arts teaching to socially engaging art and cultural production, this may very well have been one of Naidus’ objectives. Nevertheless, these short, but powerful representations of practice are inspirational narratives that begin to delineate the possibilities of socially engaged art instruction.

Naidus ends Arts for Change with an examination of her trips to Cuba and her observations about the artists who live and work there. She recognizes the contradiction of the art she saw there as expressionist, while still serving as a tool for what the government wanted people to know. From Cuba, Naidus moves on to consider conversations she had with a young college girl who expressed idealistic thoughts about the impact she could have on marketplace practices, her own observations about the monolithic American health-care profession, and finally a reflective examination of her own dream life. Naidus’ critique of the commercial marketplace and art’s role in it is present throughout the book, and it is within this last chapter that Naidus courageously looks inward as a way to figure out her small place in this very big picture.

Many artists claim to start life with a slightly different or quirky slant on things and Naidus is no exception. She recounts her life as “weird and different early on,” a life influenced by a scientifically grounded father, and by her recollections that she did not have the opportunity to experience indigenous cultures until later in her adulthood. After gaining this opportunity, another mentor persuaded her to paint her dreams and share them with others. The cultivation of her ability to look inward eventually led her to become part of a women’s dream group that uses dreams as a tool to strengthen their creative life. In the end, her metaphoric personal narratives woven throughout the book are finally revealed as part of this analysis-of-dreams process.

As Naidus looks to herself, society, and others through Arts for Change, she is reminded of how often the answer to life’s questions are located outside the frame, and that thinking outside the box and looking at things from a different perspective are metaphors for what she wants the reader to think about as they ponder their own creative battles, and look through the cracks for ways to serve the many rather than just a few. Through a multifaceted account that merges personal narrative, biography, history and the presentation of strong pedagogical practices, Arts for Change offers all of us an open invitation to become mindful of the unifying ability and eye-opening power of art.

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Referring to her book as "an annotated road map," Naidus first guides us through the theoretical and historical touchstones that have oriented her practice as an artist and teacher. Contemporary socially engaged artistic practice has drawn force from many thinkers and historical movements. Pointing to the role of the artist in ancient and indigenous societies, the programs of the WPA (Works Progress Administration) in the 1930s, and the stultifying influence of the avant-garde during the Cold War period as critical turning points, Naidus shows that there has been a long history of alliances between artists and social activists, and not always in the places we most expect. For example, WPA programs such as the Federal Theater Project legitimized the connection between the interests of working people and those of artists. While this legitimation became a threat to the status quo and led to the programs' dissolution, the alliances forged were carried forward by the artists of that generation and formed the baseline for the next.

Accordingly, the social movements of the 1960s and 70s brought forward the re-emergence of the artist as social agent. It was during this time that Naidus shaped her creative practice in relation to feminism, the antiwar movement, environmentalism and, eventually, progressive education theories. What all of these movements — and Naidus’ involvement in them — have in common is that they advocate, implicitly or explicitly, a politics of pedagogy that fundamentally shifts the power dynamics between student and teacher, haves and have-nots, oppressor and oppressed.

While tediously detailed at times, Naidus describes her approach, including the successes and challenges encountered throughout her teaching career, and addresses the critical questions that the engaged educator faces in his or her endeavors. How do we integrate history, theory and practice in the classroom? How do we engage students from many backgrounds in dialogue with each other, and how do we mitigate the conflicts that arise? What are the successful strategies for encouraging students to make political art that is neither simplistic nor overly didactic?

Naidus has been lucky to work in settings, such as Goddard College, the Institute for Social Ecology and most recently the University of Washington Tacoma, where interdisciplinary coursework was encouraged to some degree. While generally housed under the arts, the educational work of Naidus and her colleagues is, by nature, interdisciplinary; key to interdisciplinary work is collaboration across fields. “Arts for Change” could benefit from articulating the challenges of working across sectors, as this is increasingly becoming no small part in the field of socially engaged arts and the radical education that accompanies it.

It is in guiding her students through personal transformation that Naidus appears most adept; equipping students with the tools for social change involves a process of challenging assumptions and facing fears that leaves the individual (both student and teacher) fundamentally changed. In order to produce a critical response that is constructive instead of reactionary, this probing is necessary. The student work peppered throughout the book shows the multitude of directions her students have taken the challenge to be socially and politically engaged citizens through their art.

How do we translate this personal transformation into community-wide and societal change? The key is in the formation of the individual as an agent of change, as one who can view society through a critical lens and simultaneously feel empowered to proactively create alternatives. While Naidus no doubt instills these qualities in her students, the process of fomenting change on a larger level is not where the heart of the book lies and is thus glossed over. The implication is that individual transformation is social change, and that the artist/educator is uniquely situated to instigate that personal development. There is an opportunity here to integrate the theories discussed at the beginning of the book into the conclusion, which focuses on Cuba as well as the author’s place of residence, an island in the state of Washington, as microcosms for the issues raised. However, we are left to bridge the gap ourselves, as we decide how to conscientiously move forward in our own practices.

The focus on higher education in this book means that some artist-educators, particularly those working in community-based settings, may feel left out of the discussion. However, keep reading: The practitioner profiles in Chapter 5 describe the work of a wide net of peers from differing backgrounds who have taken a variety of approaches and have chosen to carry out their pedagogical and social missions in many disparate settings. If Naidus’ personal narrative does not resonate with you, you may draw inspiration from at least one of the 31 artist/educators whose stories are included. Their contact information is also generously provided, enabling the conversation started in the book to be carried forward by its readers.

Whether Naidus’ story is close to your own or not, the resources gathered are quite useful. From the practitioner profiles to the “Other Practitioners, Programs and Hubs of Useful Information” listed in the appendix, there are plenty of avenues to explore and groups to become involved with. For further reading, the “Socially Engaged Art Bibliography” offers contemporary as well as historical writings that delve further into the terrain traversed in the book and Naidus’ life. This book offers an important glimpse into the personal development of one engaged artist/educator who seeks to keep growing through her dialogue with others, colleagues and students alike.

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Many of us know that Art is more than doing colorful drawings that will decorate the school corridors or the home fridge. However within the constraints of the schools, it is not always easy to put those feelings into words and within a pedagogical structure. Although we know that as humanity we have been expressing through images since the beginning of time, as art educators, we can always use more support reflecting this transformational power of Art by developing and guiding our students to meaningful art experiences that will empower them to help them grow. The demands and details in the classroom make it easy to lose touch with the power of Art to question and celebrate the world.

Arts for Change: Teaching Outside the Frame, a book by artist and educator, Beverly Naidus, reminds us that Art is a "truth teller, a healer, a form of resistance and a promoter of dialogue." In her book, Naidus combines her personal journey with a rich narrative and multiple resources. Through the development of six chapters, she eloquently explains why art is essential in the healing of today's world. She details pedagogical aspects of 'Engaged Art,' bringing us through the process of developing programs at all edcational levels.

Naidus encourages educators to use art in the development of problem solving skills and as a visionary tool. Emphasizing educators' responsibility for helping our students to realize their highest potentials, the book explores different strategies with which teachers can inspire and support their students' creating and constructing processes as well as fulfilling their dreams.

The book also explores the multiple difficulties that teachers encounter when developing Engaged Art programs and explores ways to approach: grading, power, time constraints, students with health, stress and economic problems, difficulty for students in sharing their stories, lack of funding, interfacing with administration and corporate education models, burnout, and her experiences with the current wave of repression and attack against free speech and progressive thinking in the US educational system.

Arts for Change is not just a book for teachers; it is a book that invites everyone to think about how the individual affects the collective. It explains how socially engaged work can be done in isolation, or within a community. It asks us to reflect upon the difficulty of solving problems within cultures that cannot dream of a future. It reminds us of the need and central role of art in thinking out[side] the frame; facing our fears with constructive creativity and moving beyond the habits of the rational mind.

The book offers examples of art activities designed to open people to more compassionate behavior. Arts for Change gives examples of the meaning and value of art processes that document experiences; question and foster dialogue; awaken those who are in denial; make the invisible visible; and develop positive images of the future by envisioning different realities.

Developed as a series of interviews with artists and activists, Arts for Change describes multiple perceptions and approaches through which Engaged Art programs can work. An extensive and useful list of names of artists, websites, and print publications in the appendix connects the reader with an enormous net of resources.

Beverly Naidus currently teaches Eco-Art, Body Image and Art, Art in a Time of War, Cultural Identity and Art, and Labor, Globalization and Art at the University of Washington in Tacoma, Seattle. Her book is the book that many of us had been waiting for. This book is ripe and necessary during these times of global change.