Unpacking Art Standards

After unpacking the Visual Arts Standards as a class and taking time to read the Framework for Arts Learning and Artistic Literacy, to be artistically literate means having the tools and ability to unpack and connect to art in meaningful and personal ways. Artistic literacy means finding empowerment through art. Empowerment does not necessarily correlate with ‘success’ or ‘aesthetics’, it can look like exploration with a new material that provides an appreciation and greater understanding of its purpose. For example, experimenting with pastels can provide empowerment over the process of blending, mark making, and color that deepens students' experiences and connections with art. I found the National Core Arts Standard (NCAS) definition to limit artistic literacy to what “authentically participating" is defined as. Access to encounters with art is often limited, and tools to navigate and form meaning from these experiences are critical. I appreciated the article noting the “extraordinarily diverse range of backgrounds and needs” of audience members and art students, and this is something I will carry with me into my teaching. Representing a thoughtful range of artists, both in their content area and identity, is critical in creating authentic experiences for humanity to be seen and connected with through art.

Guiding students through becoming artistically literate is connected to fostering curiosity and creative thinking. Similarly to how art was described as a “hook” into other disciplines, approaching students intuitively and thoughtfully can provide jumping-off points to incorporate their areas of interest and meaning into the curriculum. Continuing the process with accessible vocabulary and models that allow for choice and independent explorations of artists and topics is also critical. Knowing that time with students is limited, using quick time at the beginning of class to highlight an artist related to the specific learning objective is important. Additionally, having resources and tools available in the classroom for their self-empowerment in the process of artistic literacy will be integral parts of my practice. Also, intermittently having time for “jigsaw” learning so students can empower their strengths and practice skills while teaching other students would be a great way of reinforcing the active nature of arts education.

While all of the standards provide scaffolding for successful art education, I found myself coming back to Anchor Standard 1, 6, 10, and 11. In standard 1, I appreciate the emphasis on skills to encourage creative thinking, and to help students curate their artistic process. Documentation is important for understanding development and validating and reinforcing artistic growth, and I appreciate how it was outlined in standard one. I also connected with standard 6’s emphasis on the audience and how art conveys meaning to communities through presentation. Presentation could also cultivate community engagement by highlighting local artists and art history. Introducing installation and the importance of presentation in art is also integral in affirming the work and process students have created by seeing their work displayed. I believe art should be process-based, not purely outcome-driven, and with that in mind, I still greatly appreciate how presenting art can affirm and help contextualize the creative process. The category of connecting struck me immediately, and standards 10 and 11 are practices that will drive my teaching. I appreciate how mindfulness and the studio habit of mind ‘observing’ is present in these standards. Oberving plays a key role in investigating how art informs daily life. I have always appreciated it when my art teachers had us take reference photos from our life outside of class as research for projects.This standard helps bridge the gap between art in the classroom and student's non accademic lives and experiences. Standard 11 is similar, and I appreciate its connection to varieties of periods and cultures. I think the idea of preservation is a great tool in framing how art can capture the students, their values, experience, and cultures.

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Art for Art’s Sake