Art History for Art Educators

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This e-magazine, blog was created as part of an assignment for the University of Florida’s Masters of Arts in Art Education graduate program.

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Art History for Art Educators

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his E-magazine and blogging site has been created as part of the technology inclusion into graduate school. I am creating this page for a final assignment created for my History of Art Education class through the online Masters of Arts in Arts Education graduate program through the University of Florida.

I intend to use this format as I progress through the program and take various classes over the next year. The information posted will include a variety of topics which I will be presented as I research throughout the various classes. The information included in this initial foray into the online world of digital publishing will include my work from my History of Art Education class. The work is my research and opinions according to the prompts given us.

As I continue to develop more ideas, lesson, projects, I envision adding onto this publication.

Information will be updated as required as I progress through the program. I hope you enjoy what I present on the topic of art education in public schools, colleges and universities.

Sam Kirby

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Art History for Art Educators

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Interpretive Expression on Structure and Order

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Great moments in Art Education history

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Festive Holidays

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Art History for Art Educators

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Structure and order practice exercises as developed by Arthur W. Dow (1899) in Composition: Understanding Line, Notan and Color

Interpretive Expression

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elow I offer a summary of an assignment produced for my History of Art Education graduate school class through the University of Florida

Art education in North America has long held sacred its New England roots and origins. As the leading force in the evolution, modification and prioritization of the arts in public education, the New England area has given the education field some of the most notable and transformational teachers ever produced.

The journey and growth of American art education originates from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries through the works of influential educators. However, many of these early educators were driven by the European model of educating art students that, according to Okazaki (2003), “suffered from the habit of learning by rote, copying rather than learning art as a craft or skill.

The European and American method of art education was copying objects based on exact observation” (pp. 87-88). America’s nineteenth century industrial teaching method came under scrutiny by Arthur Wesley Dow. His reform movement revolutionized how art was taught in America. Dow, as explained by Mock-Morgan (1985), developed “a synthetic composition system that, for the first time, defined the elements of art and the principles which supported them” (p. 234). Wygant (1985) states, “Dow’s fundamental ‘art structure’ led to an enthusiastic acceptance into the K-12 art education system in the United States” (p.

158).

Dow’s theory that uses order and structure through composition as the fundamental aspects of teaching art. These formal qualities he

formulated are known today as the design elements and principles. Arthur Wesley Dow was born in born in Ipswich, Massachusetts. A landscape painter, curator, philosopher and a lecturer, Dow began his professional career in Boston. In 1884, he ventured to Paris for five years where he studied at the Académie Julian. Through his training in France and on the Breton coast he theorized the European process for teaching art was flawed. The primary method of art education in the United States, France, and elsewhere was based on the premise of copying objects based on exact observation.

Dow believed this to be an inaccurate method for teaching art and articulated that it was impossible for them to freely express themselves. Because of this lack of free expression Dow created his own natural version of teaching the arts and set out to reform the American art education system.

Arthur Dow’s nonwestern teaching method drew from his admiration of Japanese art and aesthetics. His promotion of oriental art principles in place of Western ‘lines from nature’ imitative rendering from exact scientific studying advancing his ‘synthetic’ theory of composition. Dow’s theory of composition is largely based off his study of Japanese ukiyo-e wood block prints as Oriental art provided a reservoir of untainted aesthetic feeling which revealed simple procedural steps for building a composition. After years of studying Japanese art and the Eastern compositional style, collecting thousands of wood-block prints and first-hand knowledge through studying the Japanese aesthetic style, Dow created his book, Composition, in which he laid out practical lessons on the proper way to create art. According to Dow (1902), Composition was created “to find a better method of teaching than the prevailing European

nature-copying method”. His synthesis theory draws inspiration from music, as music notes synthesize the song, so too does composition synthesize art. The main idea of the system is to help pupils create beautiful arrangements from the outset and not wait until they have ‘learned to draw’ to create expression. Students begin with composition and learning to create harmony and not by learning to draw. These qualities would come as they practiced and perfected creating harmonious compositions. In order to create compositions Dow developed three critical features: Line, Notan and Color. According to Dow (1902), “LINE refers to boundaries of shapes and the interrelations of lines and spaces.

NOTAN, a Japanese word meaning ‘dark, light’, refers to the quantity of light reflected, or the massing of tones of different values and COLOR refers to quality of light”. In his book Dow created practical exercises for students and teachers alike that would lead them to understand and appreciate nature’s beauty through composition, through structure, not imitation and copying as prescribed in Europe and early American educational circles. Art was expression, not scientific study, which through guided practice can be advanced from simple lines to complex problems. Every work of art was beauty and the artist must appreciate the beauty in art and call attention to it. Dow wished to create harmony to art where the composition, plan and makeup synthetically relate.

Dr. Sydney Walker, painter, educator, author and former university professor at The Ohio State University offers contrast to Arthur Dow’s art education approach. Her approach pushes for deeper meaning through understanding processes artist’s use, not through repetitive practice as Dow expounds. Walker’s theory advances educational theories established during the nineteen eighties and nineties such as DBAE and UbD models. Dr. Walker’s belief is that these activities, on their own, do not lead to satisfactory understanding and realistic meaning making in association with art.

Her theory pushes beyond this basic premise and rationalizes the understanding of the artistic processes engaged in by artists as the true roadmap to create a deep understanding of art. The artmaking process can

often be complicated and tedious.

Dr. Walker believes in a constructivist approach to education in which a student constructs knowledge by learning through practice, questioning and developing deeper meaning not gained through copying or memorization. Walker, and Dow, believes copying an artist reflects a superficial rather than in-depth understanding of the artist’s intent. Dr. Walker contends teaching for understanding is a central concern in current educational practices and a lack of deeper understanding of the art processes holds teachers and students back in their search for meaning, knowledge and understanding. This lack of knowledge for the processes artists use in creating artwork led her to her comprehensive art education theory which culminated in her book, Teaching Meaning in Artmaking.

According to Dr. Walker’s (2001) book, “her theory relies on knowledge-based comprehensive approach to instruction centered around teaching valid art concepts at the students level”. A fundamental belief in her theory is that educators must teach big ideas, or broad human conditions and issues allowing for students to connect learning to broader relevance and meaning. Walker (2001) states, “employing big ideas encourages students to investigate in greater depth” (p. 11). Artists use big ideas to provide continuity to their artwork.

Walker often sites environmental and installation artists to help with this point.

Artists would work with objects found in their environment,

in nature, without manmade elements. So what may seem like one thing is actually something completely different when one digs into to the processes used by artists. Merely copying an artists would not give you an understanding for the process behind their creations. These big ideas, coupled with essential questions, technical choices and skill development would engage students into deeper levels of learning than mere technical studio instruction revolving around media exploration and design principles. Walker (1997) states, “Artist’s begin intuitively and gradually realize methods of structure within their artmaking as their choices build upon previous choices. Artists don’t preconceive their ideas, they evolve over the process of creation; therefore, they seek meaning as they create” (pp. 34, 38). Walker believes that it is important for artists to fail and try again as the process is more important than the product.

Taking risks, and failing at times, is necessary to understand the process.

The purpose behind this assignment was to compare two art educators who have made significant contributions to the field of art education. Comparisons were made in relation to their approach to creative interpretive expression, I presented a paper highlighting their contrasting approaches to art education yet showed their similarities on how artists should create artwork using a design process inherent to each individual.

Commonalties between Dow and Walker is evidenced in their main assertions that art education must revolve around creative expression, through investigations, not superficial copying and imitation method. Artists must learn of, as well as investigate the processes in order to create artwork. Both Dow and Walker agree that this artistic investigation is key to creating, as artists create meaning as they investigate. Neither approach relies on imitation or mimicking. Both feel the creative process is more important than the results and artists must investigate, manipulate material and media in order to produce creative, interpretive expressions through structure and order within the creative processes.

SUMMARY Walter Smith, born 1836 in Kemerton, England accepted the drawing supervisor position for Boston Public school in 1871 at the age of thirty-five. According to Green (1966), “having trained in drawing since age 13, Professor Smith started the Massachusetts Normal School in 1873 where he taught Arteducation, Theory and Practice to future state teachers, principals and directors of art schools three days a week and worked for the State Board of Education for the other two days of the week” (p.4). According to Baxter (1878), “State Legislature required every town and city of more than 10,000 inhabitants to maintain evening schools of industrial art for the working men so that education may be brought closely in touch with industrial workers” (p189). Smith’s training of Industrial Arts served multiple purposes for Boston’s manufacturing community.

First, and foremost, the Massachusetts Normal Art School would serve to train teachers. Secondly, according to Industrial Art (1912), “the Industrial Program must maintain and support the manufacturing and industrial supremacy of Massachusetts” (p.628). Baxter (1878) echoes this sentiment stating that “an artistic excellence could only be obtained by skilled labour, in order for New England to maintain her manufacturing supremacy” (p189). As Stankiewicz (1985) explains, “Massachusetts was the most industrialized state in the nation, by passing laws requiring schooling with minimum attendance for working children and local certification for teachers” (p.8). Smith, by accepting the director of drawing position within Boston, was able to train teachers thus becoming a pioneer in art education. His system, according to Green (1966), was one in which “any average person can learn to draw” (p.5) comprised of five basic parts.

Walter Smith: Massachusetts Normal Art School (MassArt) The State Normal (1875), describes “a graduate as mastering Instrumental drawing, Freehand drawing, Model drawing, Painting: Watercolor, tempera, oil and Industrial design (p.115).

Located next to Boston’s Fine Art Museum, allowed Smith’s students to study master art as well as cast sculptures within its collection. This study and interaction, according to Stankiewicz (1985) allowed for “common sense methods of instruction, student interest, self-confidence” (p.12) as students created original design from natural forms using “Line, geometric shapes, object line drawings, rules and scientific principles of drawing” (p.11). Smith’s determination, foresight and fortitude helped The Massachusetts Normal Art School reform Boston, New England’s and American thinking on art education within public schools. His dedication and commitment laid the groundwork for what we now know as Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

References Baxter, S. (1878), The Art-Schools of Boston, The Art Journal New Series, Vol. 4, pp.

189-190 Green, H. (1966), Walter Smith: The Forgotten Man, Art Education, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 3-9 Stankiewicz, M. A. (2001). Freeing the child through art. In M. A. Stankiewicz, Roots of art education practice (pp. 25-43). Worcester, MA: Davis Publications.

“Industrial Art” (1912) Industrial Art in Massachusetts, Art and Progress Vol. 3, No. 8 p. 628-629 “The State Normal” (March 6, 1875), The State Normal Art School and the Massachusetts Art Teachers' Association New England Journal of Education, Vol. 1, No. 10 p. 115

FESTIVE HOLIDAY S

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ontemporary educators are tasked with maintaining a delicate balance between expressions of art that can encroach on a student’s personal beliefs. Educators must decide which activities benefit the classroom learning environment and which activities would distract from the classroom. To this end, teachers continuously make choices in balancing the need of the art room with the needs of their students. How does the contemporary art teacher include holidays, seasonal festivals and other celebrations into their classroom?

Stankiewicz (1985) states, “traditional festivals connect us to history, national identity, and communal values” (p.67). How does an educator decide which to celebrate and which to disregard? Which to prop up and which to suppress? Which culture takes precedent over another culture? All questions that modern educator faces in deciding how to balance art with celebration. According to Stankiewicz (1985), early twentieth-century holiday art was related to seasonal conditions as schools were seasonal activities” (p. 68). Teachers created festive atmospheres within the classroom as well as throughout the school as a means, according to Stankiewicz (1985), “to relieve the repression of mechanical teaching, to contrast and balance the regimentation of industrial work and escape from a hum-drum working world by adding excitement to dull seasons” (pp. 71,75).

Stankiewicz (1985) states, “early twentiethcentury educators promoted holiday symbols to evoke a range of values. Christmas trees from harvest festivals, heart pierced arrow and flowers for Valentine ’s Day, jack-o’-olanterns and May baskets” (pp. 72,74). Henry Bailey’s School Arts Book magazine featured holiday art activities, illustrations and lesson ideas for all months of the year. Lessons were made accessible and meaningful to all walks of life, giving credence and relevance to celebrations within art.

Stankiewicz (1985) credits Bailey with “pages full of easy holiday projects using symbols, such as a turkey line drawing, but much without content” (p.74). School Arts (1909) states, “following unsolicited testimonials helped make The School Arts Book what it is” (p.730). The ease of use, helpfulness for its ideas and lessons lists correspondences from England to Canada, from principals, teachers, substitute teachers, clergy as well as from mothers, children and students themselves.

School Arts Book created a greater influence in advancing holiday art as well as art in general to the public. Another common form of holiday and festival inclusion into the art curriculum came through the school pageant.

According to Stankiewicz (1985), “art teachers used school pageants and festivals to bring all classes together by creating an art of, by and for the people as a means to integrate holiday art with other subjects, to provide students with vivid and expressive experiences” (pp. 78,80).

Key Points Under the right circumstances, holiday art can be an impactful aspect of the art curriculum.

To create festive atmospheres, to bring people together, to escape boredom, to develop good taste and grow the soul. However, the question becomes, as a country of immigrants as well as a classroom of diverse immigrants, how do we celebrate holidays and festivals from a diverse multicultural lens, not solely through the normally associated European lens?

Stankiewicz (1985) states, “cultural diversity enters the curriculum through exotic foods, fun projects, holidays and festivals but is inadequate in arresting the European viewpoint and supplanting a global viewpoint” (p. 71).

Bailey, Scratchboard, 2017