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Lesson Plans


Re: Art and Spontaneity

[ Thread ][ Subject ][ Author ][ Date ]
Jane Shiflett Manner (jmanner)
Sat, 30 Oct 1999 22:22:51 -0400

Metaphor, analogy, archetypal imagery, design elements and principles, an
understanding of how ideas have been presented visually at different times
and in different cultures, and the role of art in the evolution of
civilization are as much a part of art education as techniques and media.
Students who are educated in art have a knowledge base of what has been
done both intellectually and technically by artists in the past. Those
students are much better prepared to solve the problem of how to get their
"voice"-the creative images in their heads and hearts-into a visual form to
be seen and interpreted by others. They know they need to learn to both
think and produce like artists. Self-esteem does not come from having it
be OK "to be mediocre or horrible at something;" it comes from knowing one
has succeeded at doing a good job. When students learn that persistance
and hard work are more likely to result in good artwork than "raw talent,"
they have grown as artists and as human beings. Students know the
difference between hollow praise and real success. They also know when
they are reaching just past what they thought they were capable of and they
take pride and gain self-esteem from their accomplishments. Frankly, I
think there is less negative comparison and competition in visual art than
in any other educational area, because there are so many directions a
student can take and still come up with an authentic solution to the
problem of putting their voice into visual form.

Art teachers should have styles based on their personality and their
response to the students they teach, but there are standards that we are to
address. The learning of standards is supposed to be addressed in both the
acquiring an art education degree and being awarding a teaching
certificate. I am not new at this, I have been teaching since the mid 70s.
At no time in that period have I been led to believe that I could choose
to teach or not teach part of the visual art curriculum of my state. There
are actually national standards for art education.

What is taught at elementary, middle, and high school level should be
sequential but the teaching approach differs considerably because of the
nature of the students at the different levels. Imagination is very
important in young children as is the evolution of a vocabulary of symbols.
Middle schoolers need to experiment and by the 8th grade become successful
at realistically reproducing what they see (concrete thinking). By high
school students should begin to think about mood, meaning, metaphor,
analogy,etc. (abstract thought).

>Date: Sat, 30 Oct 1999 16:52:11 -0800
From: "Christine Colera" <cmcolera>
Subject: Re : Art and Spontaneity

I would like to agree and disagree about the comments made, which can be
taken I sure in many ways. Every art teacher has their own theories and
philosophies on their subjects and what should be taught, and I totally
agree that teachers need to take time to explore media and techniques, but
if you can foster creativity and a love for art, the information out in the
world is enormous. Any person who has been inspired and opened to not being
afraid of art is an artist. We have to understand that our students have
learned to be afraid of not suceeding; grades, peer ridicule, etc. have led
to this environment. We have to teach our students that it is okay to be
mediocre or horrible at something, only by practice and exploration with
enthusiam will help them to go anywhere after they leave your classroom.
>Tina in San Diego