We however know that art education is not hand turkeys, and frill. When we grid, measure, and draw—we use geometry. When we make sculptures—we use engineering. When we mix colors—we reveal information about physics. When we create illustrations for stories—we learn about literature. When we review the styles of art from da Vinci to Bansky—we teach history. When we write about art—we strengthen these skills. When we create works of art, we solve complex visual problems in creative ways.
This info-graphic attempts to dissect why and what it is we do, and maybe where your own class is.
Red is "Media and Technique." Alone this category would represent house paint and a good brush stroke, rope and trying up items on a boat properly, utilitarian ceramic works, or a well made wood stool.
Blue is about math, science, history, literature, writing, cultures, etc., which every art project generally has some connection to. (Color mixing = physics, story illustrations = literature, tessellations = geometry)
Yellow is the individual being considered in the process, the potential for personal connection, internalization of the information, media, and technique.
Purple are formula projects, "make and take," with little, if any personal expression. Hallways are lined with the work, one looking essentially like the next. It is also the realm of craft that helps to define/express a culture, or decorative items for holidays and special occasions.
Orange is the artful program with lots of expression but fewer connections to core content. It's "art for art's sake," like an open studio, like an island in the school with little connection to anything else. It is also how most professional artists work, so many teachers see this as a model to follow to create little Rembrandts. Both orange and purple have their advantages, and many art classes operate out of these realms.
Green is where a good core content class helps students understand content by personalizing it. This might be with questions like, "What percentage of your body is made up of water, and what weight would that represent?" Or "If you were Bilbo Baggins, in The Hobbit, when would you choose to reveal you had found a magic ring, and why?" Or "Compose a poem to take the place of The Jabberwocky in Through the Looking Glass." It's internalization of class content for deeper understanding.
The middle section is what I strive for, and when I do, I see some amazing things happen. Students make connections between content areas, explore them with more depth and understanding, and create more meaningful, insightful works of art. This is the Heart of a great art program, but certainly a difficult balancing act. One needs to take the time to plan both the personal connection and the relevant core content information.
Three examples through a pinch pot.
Purple Mode: Teacher shows students an inverted pinch pot turtle, glazed green, with little appendages coming out from the bottom. The example is what they will create step by step, pinch a bowl, add the bits, color it green. All students know, "the good ones" look most like the teacher's sample. Parent's love them, so cute!
Orange Mode: Students are given clay and taught how to pinch a pot, then asked to "turn it into something creative" that speaks to their personality. Books or images of other pinch creations may be available to flood students with ideas. Some are stumped with too much choice, but most do well and have fun creating their personal expressive artworks.
Central Mode: Students do a bit of writing about who they are, maybe a list of 10 words to describe themselves. (WRITING) Then they connect each word to a possible animal they think best represents that word. (INTERPRETATION) They create a sketch of that animal to scale. (PLANNING) They learn about Oaxacan carved animals, Haniwa animals, or some other culturally or historically connected touchstone as a reference. (HISTORY) Sketches are redrawn before learning how to properly pinch their sculpture. They cut and weight lumps of clay to get 1/4 pound (MATH) and create their work. The project concludes with a critique, and a few written lines about what they did best, worst, and what they could improve if they did it again. (More Writing)
Time may be your enemy if classes are short, but one core skill can be added to a project to get it into that central mode, be that a little writing, measuring, or historic content.
Studies show that students who take for years of art in high school score 100 points higher on their SATs than their peers. That's awesome, but in 2013 my own students scored 155 points higher on average. I credit that to my integrated approach. Those kinds of numbers, if shared with your administration, can save your program, save your budget, and get you the respect you deserve.