National Art Education Association

Teaching Art: An OverviewAuthor(s): Hilda Present LewisSource: Art Education, Vol. 41, No. 1, Teaching Art (Jan., 1988), pp. 4-5Published by: National Art Education AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3194128 .

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Teaching Art:

T" ̂ ^SAn Overview

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n this issue six authors offer suggestions for dealing with problems in ,^^^ ---^^ __i^Si^I *teaching art. The first one, in James Iams's words, occurs when "The

students settle onto their stools, pads comfortably placed, with palette and paints and brushes close at hand, ready to begin sketching .... It is

then that I see the expected blank looks. The problem has appeared on schedule. There is a growing silence. The students are puzzled; they do not understand what

E ' -,' ,~:, - _ they are looking at . . . . What to do?" lams goes on to describe his way of ,'~;v?'z' : t . s 5, e v vovercoming this common impediment.

z''.''-i5?.,-./i'];," ^George Szekely picks up at a later point in the process. The work is finished, and it X {'"l:. 2;:1;^ ^ ~ .' . :H is successful. What do you do with it? Hang it in the corridor? Send it home hoping ' .' .;:,> : _)~ .that it will wind up on the refrigerator? Is that a proper culmination of the artistic

!~ ,. : ^ .; ', ' - _:^ process? No, says Szekely. The completion of a work can usher in a second series of

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' ;"; , . '.-,' ' _? learning experiences through using the art exhibit as a teaching tool.

. :'.i; . J.! ' ;. .;; '.'Phyllis Knerl Miller and her co-authors, Robert Blomeyer and Anna Martin,

describe a new solution to the perennial problem of acquiring, storing, preserving, and retrieving slide reproductions of works of art. Laser videodisc technology now offers art teachers easy and economical access to collections in major museums. The authors also describe the rewards that await teachers who are willing to invest additional time and money in order to become more sophisticated users of laser

i_,.~ L'~~ ' videodisc technology. "How can the historical content of art be presented as stimulating and experience-

oriented learning activity?" That is the problem Frank Susi addresses. Susi sees academic games and simulations as a way of motivating and enriching learning. He describes their potential in the art class, provides guidelines for their development, and offers examples of how they can be used.

Donald Hoffman deals with the special problem of teaching art to adult beginners. He reminds us that adults who have not experimented with the visual arts

_ since early adolescence usually possess the drawing skill of an 11-13 year old and often have underdeveloped understandings of art, aesthetics, and art history as well.

'^j, flP^^^^^^,^^^S ^ This can cause embarrassment for the adult student and condescension by the EHIfc X ji^^^^^^ ^S^ t 1 teacher. Hoffman describes his Scale of Visual Interpretation which helps naive

c- <_ --^^._ adult beginners to understand that making art is not necessarily copying three- "_ . ji dimensional objects and that each artist is free to create his or her own vision of the

world. Doug Blandy, Ernest Pancsofar, and Tom Mockenstrum offer guidelines for

teaching art to children and young people who face severe mental or physical difficulties. The authors point out that content of value for all students is of value for these special students as well. Modifications in the use of instructional materials and the sequencing of lessons can make it possible for these students to participate in the same kinds of lessons provided for other students of the same age. The authors urge the provision of activities that bring learners with special needs into the greater social and artistic community.

This issue has a new feature, a crossword puzzle developed by Donna Janeczko called Printmaker's Dream. Use it to test your knowledge and that of your students of terms used in printmaking. D

Hilda Present Lewis

Art Education/January 1988 5

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