“In making art, we make ourselves. In understanding art, we understand ourselves.” (Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht 2012, p. 11).   Art education possesses the scope to be transformative, offering students a space to create, express and understand themselves and the world around them. Yet, for some students and particularly those at risk of educational disadvantage, the opportunity to fully engage with this process is often hindered by systemic and social barriers manifesting instead as disengagement, low motivation, goal disorientation, low perceived competence and fractured social relationships. Throughout my inquiry I was driven to seek more knowledge regarding how autonomy-supportive art curricula could provide students with the conditions necessary to access the deep, meaningful experiences that art education has to offer. This was further strengthen by the ways in which the new Junior Cycle Visual Art Specification (NCCA, 2016) offers more flexibility and autonomy for art educators in developing their curriculum.   Grounded in Self Determination Theory (SDT) (Ryan and Deci, 2000; Deci and Ryan, 2000; Ryan and Deci 2020) , this research explores how fostering autonomy, competence and relatedness within the Junior Cycle Visual Art Classroom can influence student motivation and engagement. Conducted over ten weeks in a DEIS post-primary school, the study employed a mixed-methods action research approach, incorporating student reflective journals, teacher reflective journals, focus groups and documented student work as a means of internal and external perspective-driven data collection. The inquiry was two-fold: to investigate how an SDT-informed art curriculum unit could enhance student engagement, and to develop and implement teaching strategies that actively response to students needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. The research was, therefore, underpinned by Dewey's work regarding constructivism as explored by Kindler (1997; Eisner, 2002; Goldblatt 2006), as well as Ryan and Deci’s significant and lasting impact on the field of Self-Determination Theory.   Findings revealed that while structured autonomy and competence-based supports improved engagement to some degree mitigating challenges of choice overwhelm, relatedness remained the most resistance to intervention. Fixed peer structures and social fragmentation limited collaborative efforts, highlighting the need for sustained, long-term approaches to fostering belonging and peer acceptance. The study concludes that an autonomy-supportive curriculum must be deeply responsive to students socio-educational contexts, ensuring that competence and relatedness are actively supported in tandem with efforts for promoting autonomy.   The research therefore advocates for art education that not only meets curricular aims, objectives and learning outcomes, but also acknowledges and nurtures the holistic needs of students. By fostering environments where students feel connected, capable and in control of their learning, educators can create conditions for meaningful artistic engagement – where students don’t just make art but find themselves within it.