Thursday, March 5, 2009

Why bother teaching art?

1. Visual language is an expression of thought. Lawyers go to school in order to learn to communicate "legally", artists go to school in order to learn to communicate "visually".

2. Because sculpture students must work with many different material processes and types of equipment that depend on mutual cooperation and respect, they develop a sense of community as well as individual responsibility. These are qualities worth developing.

3. Students are encouraged to make the clearest possible connection in their work between methodologies (how they make their work) and content (what their work is about.) Like driving on ice, how ones drives greatly depends upon the type of ice. Same with making art.

4. From early childhood, we are trained to behave and work within the parameters of our teacher’s expectations. We either meet them, or not. Unfortunately, this survival tactic simultaneously discourages self-sufficient thinking. When art students focus on their own ideas, they discover possibilities that otherwise would be impossible to predict through instruction.

5. By forcing students to examine their assumptions, art education attempts to clarify leaps of faith in their thinking. Why do students believe what they believe. Scientists do this everyday, all the time, and look at what it has help yield: Newton's theory of gravity, better braking systems in cars, more options for lettuce in the grocery store. Good for the goose...

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