teaching real art making
TRANSCRIPT
National Art Education Association
Teaching Real Art MakingAuthor(s): Teresa RobertsSource: Art Education, Vol. 58, No. 2 (Mar., 2005), pp. 40-45Published by: National Art Education AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27696064 .
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The
importance of teaching students to make real art?art with
meaning?can be introduced by the following story.
An art dealer (this story is authentic) bought a canvas signed "Picasso" and traveled all the way to Cannes to discover whether
it was genuine. Picasso was working in his studio. He cast a single look at the canvas and said: "It's a fake." A few months later the
dealer bought another canvas signed Picasso. Again he traveled
to Cannes and again Picasso, after a single glance, grunted: "It's a
fake." "But cher ma?tre," expostulated the dealer, "it so happens
that I saw you working on this very picture several years ago."
Picasso shrugged: "I often paint fakes." (Koestler, 1964, p.82).
BY TERESA ROBERTS
As a committed teacher of studio art, one of my goals is to encourage my students to create not fakes, but real art. Real art I define as any work of art that is the result of a sensitive individual's
experience of and response to his or her life expressed through a particular
medium. Real art can be, but does not have to be, entirely original: however, it must involve some kind of creative
thought. And real art must be genuine. It must have meaning and be more than an exhibition of technical skill, an exercise in formal choices, or an exploration of
media. Real art must have content related to the artist's own interests and
experiences and/or arise from the artist's
personal involvement with human issues and conceptual concerns. Perhaps, in the
40 ART EDUCATION / MARCH 2005
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above story, Picasso was just making a
joke. Or perhaps he was referring to the
meaning of the artwork. If even Picasso can create fakes, how then can we
encourage our students to create real art?
How can we teach in ways that promote meaning making in art production?
Teaching students to make real art? artwork with meaning?is a problem that I have been grappling with for quite some time. I first encountered this issue as a student of art. Schooled by primary and
secondary art teachers who apparently felt that a child's artistic development was best served by benign neglect, I despaired of ever learning anything tangible about
artmaMng. My teachers seemed content to be nurturing dispensers of materials and I was left to discover what I could about art on my own. Technique, design, and content for me remained almost
entirely intuitive.
In college I fared slightly better. My art and art education professors alike focused primarily upon technical and
design concerns while politely ignoring content. Content, it seemed, played an
insignificant role in art. However, the more I learned about art, the more I
recognized that the history of art was
replete with individuals, like myself, who
experienced their lives intensely, thought deeply about all manner of things, and used their art, not just as a means of self
expression, but as a way of communi
cating their ideas and experiences to other human beings.
In the 1980s, content reappeared in the art curriculum in the form of Discipline Based Art Education (DBAE) (Fehr, 2004). As an art education student at the
time, I embraced this approach with a certain degree of relief and, later, as an art
teacher, I espoused and utilized it. Here at last was the recognition, as Manuel Barkan (1962) had suggested in the 1960s, that there was subject matter in the field of art that was important to teach. Here at last was the kind of structured approach toward art education curriculum and
materials that Elliot Eisner had been
promoting for years (Efland, 1990). And, here at last was an approach that invited me, as a teacher, to engage my students in
thinking and talking about art history, criticism, and aesthetics as well as art
production.
Recently, however, prompted by a certain passivity in my students' involve ment with art lessons, I have turned my attention to an extension of DBAE, a method that is based on the belief that art students of all ages can best learn about art by working with the same type of content that professional artists work
with?important ideas that are related to their own lives and the Uves of others, and
by using artmaking processes similar to those of professional artists (Walker, 2001). This method differs from an "after the masters" approach and from many DBAE art lessons in that students are not
encouraged merely to work with the
subject matter, techniques, or styles of adult artist models. Instead, artmaking problems are designed around big ideas?
important interdisciplinary human issues and ideas. Student artists are encouraged to make personal connections with these
big ideas and explorations of these issues become the bases of their art. The
artmaking processes of adult artists who work with similar big ideas are studied and sometimes used as models in this
approach. However, the emphasis on
individual exploration and reflection invites student artists to grapple with and
make meaning of these issues in their own Uves. This common-sense synthesis of art
education approaches suggests that it is
possible to engage students both intellec
tually and intuitively in art production. What follows is a brief examination of selected aspects of this approach, which
may prove useful to art teachers who are
also concerned with guiding their students toward making real art.
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...art classes should
not be a rehearsal for
making real art. Nor should they be technical workshops
where students learn about skills and tools that they may use later in meaningful ways. Students should be
engaged in the same
types of activities as real artists.
The Importance of Big Ideas in Classroom Artmaking Year after year I watch some of the art
lessons that I present to my public school
secondary students succeed while some of them fail. The lessons my students and I regard as successful are those in which a
majority of them gain artistic techniques and skills while making personally relevant statements. In retrospect, I have
seen that the most successful classroom
artmaking problems have been those that had a big idea?a broad, important human issue (Walker, 2001)?built into them.
Big ideas are associated with the artist's
subject matter or theme, but assume
primary importance by providing the
conceptual groundwork for artmaking. Big ideas are some of the enduring questions and principles, based on universal human experiences, which
artists and other thinkers have pondered over time. Since big ideas are not answers
or solutions but rather topics of inquiry, they can be addressed at many levels. An
example is the human desire to impose
order on nature. This big idea can lead
secondary students into widely diverse and meaningful explorations of architec ture and the design of individual dwellings or a theme park. This same big idea can lead elementary students into an exami
nation of gardens and the construction of a miniature garden or playground. Art
teachers can use big ideas to organize and
align lessons, instructional activities, artmaking problems and assessments.
(NTIEVA Newsletter, 2000, pp. 1-2) The big ideas and the exemplars chosen
for use in art lessons should be accessible to the students. While a third grader might be able to mimic Picasso and create a
"Cubist" puppet, it is doubtful that a third
grader is actually capable of working with the complex perceptual ideas that led to the development of Cubism. Such
artmaking might provide results inter
esting to adult observers, but unless the
activity is meaningful to the child, the Picasso puppet is destined to a life on the closet floor, never to be included in a
puppet show because its face "looks
funny."
In addition to a big idea, successful classroom artmaking
problems may also be enhanced by the inclusion of a strategy that
sufficiently jars or stimulates a student's
capacity for creative thought. One
example is the construction of an
artmaking problem with inconsistent or diverse elements that encourages a
synthesis of ideas. Nicholas Roukes
(1982) provides numerous strategies such as transformation, substitution, conceal
ment, and disruption. These strategies can be tied to lessons unified by a big idea. Walker (2001) provides suggestions for
practical ways to utilize such strategies in
exploring and examining a big idea.
The use of a big idea to focus artmaking on content is paramount. With this focus on relevant content, my students estab
lished personal connections and created
meaningful artwork they considered to be successful.
In thinking about the importance of big ideas in classroom artmaking, it is partic
ularly illuminating for me to reflect upon Manuel Barkan's (1962) insistence "that artistic activity anywhere is the same,
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*sS~~~~~~~~~~~ISe~:i whether at the frontier of art or in a third
grade classroom" (p. 14). This means, among other things, that art classes should not be a rehearsal for making real art. Nor should they be technical
workshops where students learn about
skills and tools that they may use later in
meaningful ways. Students should be
engaged in the same types of activities as real artists. As George Szekely so aptly puts it, "Whose art is this, anyway?... If artistic search, inspiration, decision
making, moments of discovery, collection, and rehearsal are omitted, how will the students' art have any personal relevance?" (Little, 1990, p. 225). And if it has no personal relevance, how can
student artwork mean anything to either its creator or its viewers? How can it be real art?
As the only art expert many students will ever know, an art teacher must be
knowledgeable about the artistic
processes and the working procedures of artists. Armed with this knowledge, teachers can set about creating classroom
environments that encourage students to work as artists work and thereby make it easier to learn about art.
A Teacher's Ability to
Conceptualize the Artmaking Process Can Enhance Classroom Communication and Artmaking Problem Construction
Although most art teachers are familiar with the artmaking process on an experi ential level and some have even studied the act of creation on a cognitive level, the
importance of naming the specific parts and attributes of the artmaking process
may come as a revelation. Similarly, Helen
Keller was thoroughly acquainted with water and understood its uses and value, but gained a certain power in learning its name. It is one thing to have an intuitive
knowledge of something, it is quite another to be able to conceptualize it.
With conceptualization comes the
ability to think consciously about an idea and to apply this thinking in situations where one might otherwise have waited for circumstance or intuitive insight. And with naming comes the ability to commu nicate one's thinking to others. Art teachers benefit from a conceptual knowledge of the artmaking process.
One way to gain such conceptual knowledge is to study the artmaking practices of professional artists?artists
of the past and contemporary artists. David Galenson (2001) provides insight into the working methods of more than 100 painters from the late 19th through late 20th centuries, and a wealth of infor
mation about contemporary artists is available on the Internet. The working practices of these artists, regardless of differences in their individual artistic
styles or works, are strikingly similar.
Among the practices employed by artists
during the artmaking process are risk
taking, the postponement of final
meaning, inquiry, purposeful play, and
experimentation (Walker, 2001) and can have direct application to classroom instruction.
Reconceptualizing the Artistic Problem
Reconceptualizing the artistic problem over time (Mace, 1997) is one artmaking process that can be utilized in classroom instruction. In my own work, I have
watched the artmaking problem that I started out with change over the course of a work or series of works. I have seen the
meaning of the work change while I
proceed, unfolding as a normal part of the creative process. I have also seen this
happen in the work of my students.
MARCH 2005 / ART EDUCATION 43
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An art teacher may suggest outrageous alternatives with
regard to the student artwork in progress in an attempt to inspire the students to probe more deeply into what they are trying to say.
When an art student experiences these
surprising changes in direction or
meaning, the encouragement that an informed art teacher can provide is invaluable. Armed with a conceptual knowledge of the art process, a teacher can confidently explain to students that continual exploration, reformulation, and
problem solving are inherent parts of the
artmaking process. A teacher can
encourage a student to follow a direction or idea as it presents itself, even though this may seem contrary to procedures and
methods of thinking that she encounters in other areas of school. Thus, conceptual awareness of the artmaking process can
enhance the level of communication at an art teacher's disposal for both teaching and artmaking.
In 2003,1 attended a summer workshop at The Ohio State University. In creating a
postcard series on the big idea of place at the workshop, I experienced a reconcep tualizing of the artistic problem. I began the series with specific ideas about a
place, the Washington National Cathedral.
I wanted to show the transcendent nature of the cathedral's grand architecture and rich detailed ornamentation. At the end of each day's class, I intuitively chose an
image and an appropriate medium and worked more or less realistically, as suited my inclination. I addressed the cards to a friend, and wrote as if I was lost in the cathedral. I used this process as a
metaphor for my experiences in the class. On the third day I realized that on a
deeper level, the metaphor also addressed the search for meaning in life. As a result of this reconceptualization, I readdressed the cards to the occupant of the cathedral,
made revisions, and more consciously
incorporated additional layers of
meaning.
Artmaking Problem Construction and Conceptual Strategies
The construction of artmaking problems is another example where
conceptualizing aspects of the artistic
process has significance. When working
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with students, an art teacher may suggest
outrageous alternatives with regard to the student artwork in progress in an attempt to inspire the students to probe more
deeply into what they are trying to say. Recognizing these attempts to promote clarity as the conceptual strategies of
disruption and opposition (Walker, 2001) may enable an art teacher to apply them
more consciously, both in consulting with students and in planning lessons.
Encouraging Active Reflection During Artistic Creation
Learning about the reflexive transfor
mative nature of the artmaking process
(Mace, 1997) and the importance of
avoiding premature solutions (McCarthy and Sherlock, 2001) may also expand one's awareness of the artistic process.
Sometimes, I envision images with
enough clarity and strength that I must
give them life in the material world.
Usually, these images are embodiments of
ideas or issues that I have been wrestling with over a period of time. At this point the artistic problem becomes technical.
How can I use an artistic medium to make
this image? At other times, the beginning and
direction are more vague. Perhaps because I am a secondary art teacher and
my artmaking time is limited, I am less inclined to embark upon these vague and
ambiguous journeys. Mace (1997), McCarthy and Sherlock (2001), and Walker (2001) have reawakened my awareness of the importance of conscious
exploration in artmaking. Their writing has given me courage to set out upon
uncertain artmaking journeys. I have also
gained a greater understanding of the
necessity of encouraging my students to embark for the unknown and to write
postcards?to reflect upon their own
artmaking process?along the way. An
important instructional strategy to aid students in the development of
meaningful inquiry and creation in
artmaking is the requirement of active reflection during and after the creation of artworks (Walker, 2003).
Conclusion In the maze of curriculum considera
tions, content standards, and measurable
outcomes that chart the course of a public school teacher's day, it is easy to lose track of the value of artmaking as inquiry and exploration of important human and
social issues and aesthetic concerns.
Artmaking, especially when translated to
pedagogical practice, can and should be an exploration of big ideas about self, others, nature and the universe as well as
an exploration of forms and media.
Ultimately, if teachers are avid and enthusiastic explorers of personal, social,
and aesthetic issues, approach art making with both intellect and intuition, and
encourage students to do the same, we
will all engage in making real art?art that is rich with meaning.
Teresa Roberts is an art teacher at
Northern Garrett High School in
Accident, Maryland. E-mail:
trob5@verizon. net
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Efland, A. (2002). Art and cognition. New
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Fehr, D. (2004). Dogs playing cards:
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Galenson, D. (2001). Painting outside the
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Koestler, A. (1964). The act of creation. New
York: The Macmillan Company.
Little, B., Ed. (1990). Secondary art education:
An anthology of issues. Reston, VA: The
National Art Education Association.
McCarthy, P., & Sherlock, G. (2001). Drawing: An image-making approach, Journal of Art
and Design Education, 20 (3), 346-348.
Mace, M. (1997). Toward an understanding of .
creativity through a qualitative appraisal of
contemporary art making. Creativity
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Roukes, N. (1982). Art synectics. Calgary: Juniro Arts Publications.
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POSITION OPENING Arkansas State University Position: Assistant Professor, Art Education, full time, Tenure track
Responsibilities: Teach art education courses, advise students, serve on both
Art Department and College of Education committees, teach other courses as
needed, promote graduate program.
Qualifications: Earned Doctorate in Art Education or Art History (ABD consid
ered) or MFA in Art. Three or more years of experience teaching K-12 required. Publications/presentations or exhibitions required. Expertise in a studio area,
graphic design or art history desirable. DBAE knowledge. Arkansas State University is located in Jonesboro, 65 miles northwest of Memphis, TN. The Department of Art, withing the College of Fine Arts, has 13 full time faculty members. Minorities are
encouraged to apply.
Application: Send letter of application, vita, phone number, your e-mail address
and phone number, and e-mail addresses
of three or more references, transcripts,
teaching philosophy, evidence of scholarly and/or artistic research, SASE to: Gayle Pendergrass, Art Ed. Search Chair, Department of Art, P.O. Box 1920. State University, AR 72467
MARCH 2005 / ART EDUCATION 45
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