This paper will explore the value of archipelagic thinking for artistic research and its education in the Anthropocene. Anticipating the Archipelagic MA in Art and Environment (2020) this paper will outline the coordinates of an archipelagic research curriculum for the visual arts. Archipelagic thinking was originally developed by Martinique poet and philosopher Edouard Glissant (1928 – 2011) who argued that, while islands are often perceived externally as isolated entities, as ‘isles’, islanders do not perceive themselves as isolated but rather ‘in relation’ to the next island. (Glissant, 1990. p.23). Bound by the sea this relational dimension creates a dialogue between island localities that are generative and imaginative rather than isolationist and insular (1994). Significantly, today, Archipelago’s have taken on a new urgency in the Anthropocene (Crutzen, 2002), where they are increasingly viewed as sites of climate vulnerability and resilient subjectivity (Pugh, 2018, p.1).  Responding to these ideas and concerns the artistic research project: What is an Island? was set up to foster a shared culture of research and innovation through transdisciplinary methodologies. With a specific emphasis on action‐based research through artistic practice and contributive research methodologies, the What is an Island? research project explored three key areas in the development of an Archipelagic MA in Art and Environment, which aim to (1) Share knowledge across disciplines in order to develop transdisciplinary model for engaging with Isolated Islands (2) Develop an environmental education for the visual arts on Islands (3) Enable artists and academic researchers to work local communities to create new forms of artistic research and education that illuminate the value of archipelagic thinking for the Anthropocene.