“If you could teach your students three things, what would they be?”
When I was asked this question last week, I knew it would be very challenging to narrow down what I felt was important in art to three things. From my perspective, there is so much to know about this field, and it is my job to teach as much of it as I can. To try to come up with an answer, I immediately started to tick through the list of elements and principles of design I’ve focused on in my teaching, and tried to decide which ones were most important. I soon realized that picking three of those and deeming them essential would have been as ludicrous as picking three major scales and telling a piano student that knowledge of these was the heart of understanding music. I changed my approach, and started to think bigger than just the ‘how to’ aspect of art.
When I was asked this question last week, I knew it would be very challenging to narrow down what I felt was important in art to three things. From my perspective, there is so much to know about this field, and it is my job to teach as much of it as I can. To try to come up with an answer, I immediately started to tick through the list of elements and principles of design I’ve focused on in my teaching, and tried to decide which ones were most important. I soon realized that picking three of those and deeming them essential would have been as ludicrous as picking three major scales and telling a piano student that knowledge of these was the heart of understanding music. I changed my approach, and started to think bigger than just the ‘how to’ aspect of art.
Yesterday, I came across an interesting quote by George Sand: “Art for art’s sake is an empty phrase. Art for the sake of the true, art for the sake of the good and beautiful, that is the faith I am searching for.” This quote inspired the first principle on my list: Art, although it has had a variety of purposes throughout history and different cultures, should have purpose, and should be meaningful.
I would like to encourage my students to see art in an authentic, meaningful way. Art should help people wrestle with essential questions, or understand some facet of the human experience. This may involve religion, social concerns, or appreciating the beauty of nature. Whatever the artist’s purpose in creating his or her art, ordinary people should be able to connect with it, on some level. Understanding this would encourage my students to try to learn about society and the world through art, and also to strive to make art that is meaningful.
A second truth I would like my students to remember is that artists often get their ideas from their surroundings and experiences. I want them to look for inspiration from people, places and things in their everyday lives. I would also like them to think about the relationships between the works of art they see, and the lives of the artists who created them.
Third, it would be important for my students to understand that sometimes the art making process is more important than the product. Even though art should communicate something to the viewer (and good art naturally will), creating the art is often first and foremost the means by which the artist interacts with his or her environment or experience. Sometimes that is the sole reason an artist creates. It can help the artist understand his or her surroundings more fully. The act of creating can also be the consummation of the artist’s emotional experience toward his or her surroundings.
Even though I have attempted answer to this question here, I know I will ponder it for years, and my answer will probably change multiple times. I do not really think it is possible to pick three principles that are absolutely the most important to understanding art. However, thinking about this question is challenging me to focus on a few essential aspects of art, and emphasizing them in my teaching, rather than trying to teach everything.
1 comment:
Nice list of 3 "big ideas," along with thoughtful rationales for each. Now, the next challenge is to figure out what students must do or say to show you that they understand these idea? What evidence will you accept that your students understand what you want to know? For example, let's say you want your students to understand that "line can be used to express ideas and feelings." What would they need to do to show that they understand this principle or big idea? Now, take this question and apply it to your 3 "big ideas."
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