ARED 2110: Historical Trends in Art Education

Formalism: This began with Immanuel Kant's theory of aesthetic response in the 1700's, is based on how art judgment should be made. In the formalist opinion, that is with nothing but the artwork in mind. As a result, outside or personal influences will not affect how the art is viewed. When Arthur Wesley Dow released the elements and principles of design in 1899, it provided a way to assess the artwork using the elements and principles as ‘standards.’ “The Formalist approach to Art Education considers theory, skill, technique, and composition when assessing artwork”1 and dismisses what the artwork expresses and represents. This way of producing and critiquing artwork was most common throughout the 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.

Child Centered Approach: In the 1940's, Viktor Lowenfield led the idea of “art being the primary means of expressing oneself through growth”1 became what we know as the child centered approach to teaching art. Curriculum was created based on the developmental stages of children. It was judged on the growth of the creative process instead of the quality of the artwork, and adult input during creation was sentenced to a minimum. This teaching theory argues that the adult standards are irrelevant when judging a child’s artwork because to the child art means something entirely different. With child centered there is a breakdown within age groups to assess what level your child should be creating, the breakdown ends at 14 years old (only after 14 is it encourages to help in artistic skill.) “The child centered theory allows children to independently create their concepts of the world.”1

Discipline Based Art Education (DBAE): Shifting in the 1980's scholars suggested that children could learn from art professionals. This approach also encouraged art as a subject that could be taught and learned just like math and history. DBAE uses content from 4 categories to encourage the artist within the child. First, Art Production or the creation of art in the studio to acquire skill and develop imagination. Second, “the Aesthetics to understand the philosophical and cultural context in which it is created.”2 Third, the historical context in which art was created or Art History. Lastly, the Criticism of Art which is aimed to help students learn how to see and discuss the qualities they see in artwork. “DBAE is considered a more comprehensive approach to art education and since the 1990's has been the prominent form of art education.”1

Issue Based Approach: Encouraged by "Introduction to Art Education" the issue based approach focuses on the context of the artwork. encouraging children to interact with the world around them when creating artwork. Especially relevant when addressing contemporary art in the classroom because it is almost always created to address an issue. Though this is not a widely used approach it is gaining more recognition as not just a theory but a strategy.

Though there have been other theories for teaching art education formalism, child centered, and discipline based remain the most common three art education theories over the past 400 years.

A problem in my own art educational experience is the first year I was enrolled in art was 7th grade. In the school system I attended, art was not offered in elementary schools. We had crafts led by our core teachers, but only around the holidays. These almost always came from craft magazines and involved a set of instructions that had to be followed. There was no room for creativity or creation. However, when I got to high school I knew the first thing I wanted to do was sign up for an art class. Though I didn't know it then, I would now assess my teacher as taking a formalist based approach. We focused on technique and skill and how to produce the results we wanted. Which in a way, I am very thankful for. Without learning the basic techniques I would in no way be able to create art in the way I can today. However, because the focus was so heavily on technique, I believe I am constrained today by creativity, largely because of the limit on creativity in elementary schools.

In my classroom, I hope to bring the Discipline Based Art Education theory, because I believe it encompasses the other theories. Creating is most important. However, it should not be the only thing taught. Critiquing artwork and talking about art in the correct form, traveling throughout history and discovering the impact of influential artworks throughout the ages, and addressing the issues and emotions that artwork can express are all very important in the creation of an artist. As stated in Teachers, Schools, and Societies, “teachers skilled in pedagogy, especially teaching methods and strategies, outperform teachers with superior subject area knowledge.”3 I believe, creating a classroom without an educational theory can hinder not only growth as a teacher but also the growth of the students.

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References:

1 Contemporary Issues in Art Education Introduction.

2 Eisner. Visions and Versions of Art Education.

3 Sadker and Zittleman. Teachers, Schools, and Societies.

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