Transcript Revising the SECAC Visual Arts Education Policy Statement:

A Contemporary Art & Visual
Culture Curriculum
Stephanie Jordan
ARE6666
11/18/2009
Policy Paper
Introduction
• Current education reform - narrowing the curriculum
• Rigor, Academic, Standardized Testing, Skills for the global
economy
• Art - Already viewed as viewed as a hobby, expensive, «with
uncertain benefits,» «activities to do or experience, not study»
(Chapman, 2007, p.4)
• More emphasis on testable subjects --> arts status drops even
lower
Introduction
• HOWEVER - Change?
– « In addition to giving our children the science and math skills they need to compete
in the new global context, we should also encourage the ability to think creatively
that comes from a meaningful arts education » (Obama, 2008, as cited in Learning in
Visual Age, 2009, p.4)
• So - What is a meaningful arts education? What would students learn
from a meaningful visual art curriculum?
•
•
I propose that the answer - a strengthening of the curriculum that will provide students
with an academically & aesthetically challenging curriculum that develops essential
thinking skills, visual literacy, AND stifles the claims that art is solely for fun and not for
serious study.
My purpose - to provide evidence & recommendations for the value in incorporating
contemporary themes and critical thinking skills into the art curriculum.
Review of Literature
•
•
•
This curricular focus - pushing art further off to the sidelines
But art can, « restore balance and depth to an educational system increasingly
skewed toward readily testable skills and information » (Hetland & Winner, 2008,
p.31).
What do we do to eliminate the view of art as disposable and for entertainment
only while simultaneously improving the quality of art education???
– Include contemporary art and visual culture examples (mass media
and popular culture) together with critical analysis of these images.
•
SECAC Policy for Visual Arts Education (2004) reflects support of this:
– Position 1c: «broad audience development through the visual arts by comprehensive
programs that incorporate contemporary & relevant issues in art»
•
Olivia Gude shows similar beliefs:
– « Artists and educators who are responsive to the needs of their current students must
consider contemporary as well as traditional artistic and critical practice and ask what
students need to know to successfully make and understand art and culture today »
(2007, p.12)
Review of Literature:
Contemporary Art
•
SECAC Position 1c: incorporate contemporary & relevant issues in art» & Gude:
…what students need to know to successfully make and understand art and culture
today » (2007, p.12)
– directly show support for embracing Contemporary art in the curriculum.
– But why? What are the benefits?
•
Contemporary art is about the world in which students live; the issues that matter to
them.
• Reflects the current values, ideals, troubles, experiences that shape society’s
2009
sensibilities.
• It enables students to, «generate new
insights into their lives & into contemporary
times» (Gude, 2007, p.14).
Which do you think students would be more excited to
learn about? Which is more relevant to them TODAY?
1784
Review of Literature:
Contemporary Art
• « Contemporary art is about now! It’s about figuring out who we
are, who we are becoming, and how to live, know and act. Just
as our students are looking at the worlds around them and
wondering what their role might be, what events mean, or what
difference they can make, today’s artists are pondering the
same questions through their art. When we teach with
contemporary art, the potential is present for learning that is
centered not only in the classroom, but in all the worlds beyond
it and students’ efforts to negotiate their relationship to those
worlds. What could be more relevant??? » - Considerations for a
Contemporary Art Curriculum (Mayer, 2008, p.77)
Review of Literature:
Contemporary Art
• Competitiveness in the global economy, developing internationally
marketable set of skills - A guiding principle behind the restrictive
educational reforms of NCLB.
• Scholars say contemporary art inherently is an expression of the
world’s diverse cultures and perspectives - « something that is
increasingly important in a global society » («Learning in Visual
Age», 2009, p.7)
• Therefore - art can be a valuable part of fostering America’s
competitiveness in the international economy
Review of Literature:
Contemporary Art
• Opportunities for profound ‘’academic’’ learning
• A particular kind of contemporary art is best to use to accomplish
this:
– ‘’the kind that not only puts ideas and concepts into visual form but
also reveals the thought processes by which that form was conceived.
These works make the thinking (or cognition) behind their forms
visible’’ -Visible Thinking: Using Contemporary Art to Teach
Conceptual Skills (Marshall, 2008, p.39)
– Socio-political themes
• Students can see the conceptual processes used by the artist, and use
in their own art.
• Students will become familiar with this conceptual nature in these
works, and in turn, will learn to relate these ideas to more elusive
works of art.
Review of Literature:
Contemporary Art
For example:
Superama(2003) by Gabriel Kuri (Mexico)
Gabriel Kuri addresses new economic and
cultural realities in the NAFTA-created world.
In his Superama, he displayed a Wal-Mart
receipt as a decorative pattern on a handwoven rug. This is a good example of
superimposing a common iconic image from
contemporary global culture onto a traditional
handmade form to communicate a concept and
comment on its effect – in this case the
overwhelming power of global corporations to
overtake and undermine local communities
and economies, and to replace local
indigenous patterns with global capitalistic
ones.
Review of Literature:
Contemporary Art
• So WHY NOT contemporary art?
– Fears of « value-laden content » (Chapman, 2007, p.7)
• (But it’s important to remember that even Impressionism was offensive to 19th
Century Viewers!)
• While the familiar is COMFORTABLE, it is «the unfamiliar that requires us to,
« stretch & examine our norms, which is also what good education should do »
(Mayer, 2008, p.78)
– Many people are not prepared to tackle it
• Timely, complex content
• Complex also in medium (film, installation, performance, media/technology, a
combination of forms, etc)
– But lack of understanding should not be an excuse!
– Museums & their education departments, Galleries, magazines like ARTnews,
Artforum, Internet
– Examples of appropriate artworks, ideas for instruction, sample lesson plans
– Marshall’s Visible Thinking Using Contemporary Art to Teach Conceptual
Skills(2008)
– Mayer’s Considerations for a Contepmprary Art Curriculum (2008)
Review of Literature:
Visual Culture
•
SECAC Policy Position 1c: «broad audience development through the visual
arts by comprehensive programs that incorporate contemporary & relevant
issues in art» & Gude: « …what students need to know to successfully make
and understand art and culture today » (2007, p.12)
– Clear reference to contemporary art. But what ELSE?
•
•
•
Today, young people, « spent a third of their waking hours in front of a
screen » and « are exposed to an estimated 3,500 images » daily (« Learning
in Visual Age, » 2009, p.4; Green, 2000, p.19)
Images from TV, movies, computers, video games, magazines, billboards, etc
- all have tremendous ability to transmit meaning.
Has « transformed the way [we] learn and perceive the world, » and « created
a demand for new skills to enable all young people to make sense of the visual
world » (« Learning in Visual Age, 2009, p.3)
Review of Literature:
Visual Culture
•
How can this imagery affect young students?
– Joe Camel cartoon, exploits childrens’ (’’tomorrow’s
cigarette business’’) desire to fit in, be cool, and popular
in order to sell a product (Green, 2000, p.21)
– The Thinning of Women on Television (Marcus, 2000)
reports an increasingly occuring trend to replace
curvaceous stars of the past with actresses that weigh
only about 100 LBS. Paralleling this trend, NEDA(2005)
states every decade from 1930 onward there has been an
increase in anorexia, girls 15 - 19 years old.
The rate of teens taking
up smoking grew at an
epidemic rate during the
years of the Joe Camel
advertising campaign
(PR Newswire, 1998)
42% of 1st - 3rd grade
girls want to be thinner
(Collins, 1991, as cited in
NEDA, 2005)
Review of Literature:
Visual Culture
•
•
•
•
•
It is evident that new requirements for full participation in
contemporary society include understanding the power of mass
media and popular culture imagery.
Expansion of the material for study to include a broader scope of images
Visual Culture Art Education, includes images, objects and texts from
everyday life and popular culture (Eisenhauer, 2006).
How images in everyday life are intended to affect them, how to identify what
the images mean, and what they promote (both directly and indirectly)
«It’s time to include curricula that exposes questionable media practice,
illuminates the power of imgaes, and teaches students to critically analyze the
visual culture that permeates their lives. Not only will your students
appreciate the timeliness of such content, but ultimately society will benefit»
(Green, 2000, p.24)
Review of Literature
• This does NOT mean the elimination of studio art
making.
• Knowledge and skills should go hand in hand with
creativity (Hope, 1993).
• Art making and Knowledge/Content should be
thoughtfully planned to complement each other
Recommendations
• The curriculum should prominently feature examples of
contemporary art and visual culture imagery
– This may mean defining what appropriate examples are to educators unfamiliar
with these as themes for instruction
• These images must be included meaningfully instruction
– Not simply as source of copying or for illustration
– Used in conjunction with studio artmaking
– Used with written and oral criticism skills
• Should use 1 + of many formal methodologies of criticism to teach students to critical
process. Ex):
• Feldman: Describe, Analyze, Interpret and Judge allows students to «carry on the search for
meaning or pleasure systematically» (1992, p.457)
• Parsons: 5-Stage theory of how people understand art. Encourage students to see which
stage their responses fall under, and challenge them to elevate their reponse to the next stage
Recommendations
• Revise standards to have precise language regarding the use of
contemporary art, visual culture, & the critical process
– Follow the lead of Fehr’s recommended changes to NCLB language:
– «(f) To teach children to interpret media messages critically, arts curricula shall include
study of mass media and popular culture with attention to the manipulations of arts and
aesthetic content in advertising and propaganda» (2008, p.383).
•
National Standards say they, «present educational goals. It is the responsibility of
practitioners to choose appropriately from this rich array of content and processes to
fulfill these goals…»
– Borrow Fehr’s precision to make it explicit that contemporary art examples, visual
culture imagery (a range of images, objects, and texts from everyday life and popular
culture to include, but not limited to, TV, movies, computers, video games, magazines,
etc).
– Must be specific enough, but allow room for art ed specialistis to choose the methods
they feel most appropriate.
Implications
• If accepted and implemented…
–
–
–
–
–
For Students:
More equipped to deal with visual culture & the contemporary world
More discerning, less susceptible to the power of images
Appreciate multiple diverse perspectives and cultures - « marketability »
Sustain long term relationship with art
– For Art Education:
– Engaging students in higher order thinking and critical thinking - Art could be
considered ‘rigorous’ (an adjective whose value is reflected in its repetition in NCLB)
and rid itself of the view «Not academic in any way» (Chapman, 2007, p.4). --> more
stable place in education
– Links to skills for the global economy (diverse perspective), attaches the arts to the
possibility of American competitiveness (another primary consideration in recent
education reforms) --> Earn the arts a more stable place within education.
Implementation/Dissemination
• Begin Local!
– Raise awareness of the benefits of learning about these themes
– Gain support of local artists and art centers
• Partnerships can provide additional ways to engage students in contemporary art (class
speakers, class trips)
• Can provide a stronger voice for promoting this expanded curriculum
• Gain support of Parents, School personnel and administration - Crucial!
• Letters can be written to legislators and decision-makers starting with local school boards
Implementation/Dissemination
• Further research should be done to prove the effectiveness of instruction using
contemporary themes.
• Develop a brochure
–
–
–
–
highlight the benefits of such curricula
Provide helpful advice for those for which this content is unfamiliar
A list of resources to help educators translate this into lessons
Possibly a website with links to resources
• Art Education Specialists should collaborate to develop precise language for
standards. Specific enough to require contemporary art, visual culture and the critical
process, but leaving room for art educators to choose methods they feel appropriate.
Conclusion
• Test questions with one right answer and skill and drill exam prep is now
emphasized in the name of gaining a competitive edge in the global economy
• But in our current visual and global society, the skills the arts inherently provide
and becoming increasingly valuable.
• These recommendations would improve the art curriculum and have many
positive ramifications for society
• *Important to note that they are realistic and achievable.
• Maybe NOW is the time to bolster the arts to a more secure place in the
curriculum.
References
• Brewer, T. (2005). Revising the SECAC visual arts education policy statement:
putting the teeth into it. Arts Education Policy Review, 106(5), 21-27.
• Chapman, L. H. (2007). Issues in advocating art education for all in public
schools. National Art Education Conference, 1-31.
• Eisenhauer, J. F. (2006). Beyond bombardment: subjectivity, visual culture, and
art education. Studies in Art Education, 47(2), 155-169
• Fehr, D. (2008). Developing arts education policy at the federal level: The first
ten months of national education taskforce. Studies in Art Education, 49(4), 2833.
• Feldman, E. B. (1992). Varieties in Visual Form. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall.
• Feldman, E. B. (1994). Practical Art Criticism. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall.
• Florida Department of Education. (1996) Sunshine State Standards. Retrieved
November 11, 2009 from http://www.fldoe.org/bii/curriculum/sss/sss1996.asp.
References
• Green, G.L. (2000). Imagery as ethical inquiry. Art Education, November, 19-24.
• Gude, O. (2007). Principles of Possibility: Considerations for a 21st-Century Art &
Culture Curriculum. Art Education, January, 6-17.
• Hope, S. (1993). An open letter on standards. Arts Education Policy Review, 95(1),
37-39.
• Kennedy Center. (n.d.). The National Standards for Arts Education. Retrieved
November 11, 2009 from http://artsedge.kennedycenter.org/teach/standards/standards_k4.cfm#04
• Marcus, C. L. (2000). The thinning of women on television. Retrieved October 24,
2009 from http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall2000/Marcus/overview.htm
• Marshall, J. (2008). Visible Thinking: Using contemporary art to teach conceptual
skills. Art Education, 61(2) 38-45.
• Mayer, M. M (2008). Considerations for a contemporary art curriculum. Art
Education, 61(2), 77-79.
References
• National Art Education Association. (2009). Learning in a visual age: the critical
importance of visual arts education. Reston, VA. Retrieved from
www.arteducators.org.
• NEDA. (2005). Statistics: eating disorders and their precursors. Retrieved October
22, 2009 from http://www.sc.edu/healthycarolina/pdf/facstaffstu/eatingdisorders/E
atingdisorderstatistics.pfd
• Parsons, M. J. (1992). How We Understand Art: A Cognitive Developmental
Account of Aesthetic Experience. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
• Villenueve, P. & Erickson, M. (2008). The trouble with contemporary art is… Art
Education, 61(2), 92-97.
• Winner, E. & Hetland, D. (2000). The arts and academic achievement. National Art
Education Association.
• Winner, E. & Hetland, D. (2007). Art for our sake, school arts classes matter more
than ever, but not for the reason you think. Arts Education Policy Review, 109(5),
29-31.