Enchanting Tales and Imagic Stories: The Educational Benefits of Fanart Making

While the observations of generalist educators (Irving, 2009; Scheld, 2012) and anecdotal studies have suggested that interests in popular stories can "turn non-reading pupils into readers" (Smith, 2005) and increase critical writing skills (Kell, 2009; Thomas 2006), many art teachers fail to recognize the educational merits of fanart, or artmaking that is inspired by, copies, or appropriates popular visual literatures. In an effort to reassure these art teachers of the value of fanart to adolescents' aesthetic understanding, critical thinking, and art skill development, Marjorie Manifold describes how young fans engage meaningfully with art learning through story-play.