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Let’s take things back to the very foundation of what it is we do here. I talk a lot about why I believe in Art Education, why I love it and how I engage with it. But, what exactly is Art Education?
Art Education, at first, may sound like learning art or learning about art. On the surface, this is one way to look at art education, but let’s go deeper. I’m often asked what I do for work, when I answer “I’m an art educator” the response is usually a slightly confused look, so I’d say “I teach art” which is usually more widely understood. While explaining it this way I have helped the other person into a familiar frame of reference, I have actually not
accurately described what being an art educator is or what art education is in my practice.
In my practice, art education aims to foster learning through art. When you get passed the surface of the what we are making - the art - we also see that we are not simply learning art, we are engaging in a multi-dimensional, multi-subject learning experience. As Elizabeth
Grierson put it “When critically engaged art has the capacity to negotiate and open deeper understandings of self and the world to shed light on our present moments and reveal the world to us and ourselves to the world with all their complex variations and permutations.”
Going beyond the product or the elements and fundamentals as the key element in the art lesson allows for a deeper and more meaningful learning experience. It allows the art lesson to deepen our understanding of ourselves and one another. It allows us to face and connect through our humanity.
What does that look like?
I’ll illustrate this using our in-school silkscreen program. On the surface learners (students, teachers and parent helpers included) are going to experience the silkscreen process. They will partake in going through the steps of creating a silkscreen print and they will create their own print. This is all very exciting and great but what’s happening below the surface is where a significant amount of learning is happening and that’s what gets me really excited!
A deeper look
In discussing the process and the evolution of printmaking we are engaging in historical thinking. This helps us situate our current time and lived experience within a greater timeline and helps stimulate cognitive development. Talking about evolution also demonstrates how technologies change and how societies evolve. This helps us understand that things are not stagnant, change happens all around us, in all areas of life. This portion of the lesson utilizes storytelling, learners who learn through storytelling start to engage deeply and connect personally to this experience, medium and process.
I then introduce students to the tools and materials we will be using and I ask them how they think these tools are used. This encourages critical thinking and problem solving. It’s a puzzle for learners, our brains love puzzles! This approach of having learners solve the puzzle levels out our roles, I (art educator) am not here to give answers, I am here to encourage exploration and discovery. When art educators act as facilitators of an experience we are empowering the learner to use the tools and skills they have been developing throughout their years. This portion of the lesson engages in scientific and systematic problem solving, I’ve seen how learners who engage deeply with analytical and investigative practices often find their place in the lesson through this portion.
Learners then start creating their works. This is when they get to express their ideas visually. Engaging meaningfully in visual literacy as they create their own visual language. They encounter challenges and have to overcome these hurdles. They experience success and learn that they are capable of doing something different and new. They work through frustration and see that frustration is part of the process, and it doesn’t mean that we aren’t “good enough” or we are doing something wrong. Learners engage in the steps of the process and see how they can adapt what they are doing to resolve certain issues - more pressure, less pressure, more ink, less ink, etc.. Learners work together and offer one another possible solutions. They also experience that some things are out of their control, and develop the ability to let go of control and accept unknowns. I’m always inspired to see how young learners are able to find themselves in a new situation, to experience challenges and yet come out of that with a positive overall experience. This cements my feeling that we need to give young learners more credit in their ability to do and face hard things.
Put it All Together
When we put everything that’s happening here together the art or the product is just the tip of the iceberg. Everything happening below the surface is helping the cognitive and social development of learners. It is allowing them to connect with and trust themselves.. I believe this development should be the goal of art education and the driving force behind our lesson planning. Looking beyond the product or the elements and fundamentals as the key element in the art education allows for a deeper and more meaningful learning experience. It allows the art lesson to deepen our understanding of ourselves and one another. It allows us to face and connect through our humanity. It’s hard to sum it all up, but I hope that these few points have inspired and pushed you to consider the role of art educator and art education in a different light.
I guess the next time someone asks what I do I will explain it in these terms and not simply I teach art :)