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International policy is having a heavy impact on creativity in Art Education. The creative sector includes producers of a wide range of visual culture. Policy-makers in many post-industrial countries are placing a new emphasis on creativity.
International policy is having a heavy impact on creativity in Art Education. The creative sector includes producers of a wide range of visual culture. Policy-makers in many post-industrial countries are placing a new emphasis on creativity.
International policy is having a heavy impact on creativity in Art Education. The creative sector includes producers of a wide range of visual culture. Policy-makers in many post-industrial countries are placing a new emphasis on creativity.
International policy is having a heavy impact on creativity in art education with both positive and negative implications for the future of the professional field. In this paper, I will discuss some of the important dimensions of recent policy that are influencing art teaching and learning and some of the exciting ways that art educators are responding to negative impacts of policy in order to benefit their students learning about the creative, the imaginative, and the inspired. In order for creative or imaginative thinking to emerge in art classrooms, we must challenge students through interests and concerns that are relevant to them, which can be done best by teachers who have had a challenging teacher education. Otherwise, we are just requiring students to make things. As I will illustrate, professional practice that promotes creativity now requires educational leadership, by both teachers and higher educators, which incites creative action on the part of students.
Creativity and the Educational Effects of Policy Social scientists and policy-makers in many post-industrial countries are placing a new emphasis on creativity. What is variously called the creative sector, creative industries, and the creative class, includes producers of a wide range of visual culture, from fine art to popular art (such as film, television, crafts, architecture, comics, toys, folk art, computer games, advertising, and fashion). The recent popular and renewed interest in the creative arts and design is changing conceptions of social, political, and economic development. The growth of visual technologies alone, from computer graphics to digital video, has had a tremendous impact on economic and social development, which illustrates some of the advantages of global conditions. The economic growth of this sector of the post-industrial global economy is becoming influential enough for even business people and politicians to notice. Richard Floridas (2002) often cited book, The Rise of the Creative Class, has made such a compelling argument that government officials across the US are changing local policy and investing millions to attract creative workers and companies to their regions. Professor Florida argues that one-third of the US economy is made up of creative class jobs and he uses the term perhaps more liberally than most people would in the arts. But, even limiting the definition to the realm of visual culture that art educators are now teaching, about 10% of the US economy is made up of the creative sector, which is substantial. The sane giovlh of visuaI cuIluie has occuiied in olhei posl-indusliiaI counliies. Ioi exanpIe, lhe ciealive secloi vas iecenlIy given ciedil foi lvice lhe giovlh iale in lhe UK as conpaied lo lhe econony as a vhoIe (iilish ConsuIale piess ieIease, Novenlei 21, 2OO5). And fion 2OO3, in ils annuaI IoIicy Addiess, lhe Hong Kong SAR Coveinnenl has enphasized an invigoialion of lhe econony ly acliveIy pionoling lhe ciealive indusliies. It is becoming generally understood that cultural strength can no longer be assumed to be about traditional consumer products, but rather it is about information and creative ideas and networks. Economic and public policy experts are becoming increasingly aware that a strong, creative labor force is not only essential to developing the knowledge necessary to succeed in the Creative Economy and that strong social structures are required to ensure the development and distribution of that knowledge (e.g. Florida, 2002; Venturelli, 1998). But, what about the importance of a strong art education? Creative social, political, and economic growth cannot be sustained or valued without the solid foundation of a professional art education for producers as well as an art education for those who will be influenced by the creative arts and the cultural experiences they enable. I raise this question because international public policy is beginning to arrest the healthy growth of creative culture as educational policy is defeating teachers by establishing boundaries that limit the possibilities of student imagination. Current political and socioeconomic conditions are moving us toward an increasing focus on the development of an educational system that emphasizes information gathering and distribution skills without sufficient attention to the meaningful qualities of communication. At the same time, concerns have increased about youth violence and terrorism resulting in new policies intended to increase security, but which may mainly function to reduce individual freedoms. Although the common definition of public policy is based on the idea of public service, policy can hurt as much as it can help. Without intelligent and thoughtful criticism of the public policy that influences educational practice, students experiences in the arts may not reflect educators best, creative vision. Let me provide you with some examples that are currently influencing art education. The following three global conditions are being used to shape policy and limit the possibilities of creative education: 1. 1. Global tensions are causing fear-driven security policies. 2. 2. Politicians are generating conservative fiscal policies for social services, such as education, and promoting the businessization of education through, for example, privatization and corporate sponsorship, resulting in essentialist curriculum and assessment policies. 3. 3. Economic interests are promoting quick-fix creativity development policies. The educational results of these conditions are: 1. 1. Increased fear of addressing challenging topics in curriculum and instruction. 2. 2. Limited spending on learning resources, but increased spending on testing and narrowed curriculum of inputs (reading and math), not outputs (critical thinking and expression). 3. 3. Regional development standardizing creative environments.
In lhe foIIoving, I viII discuss each of lhese poIicy effecls and sone consliuclive iesponses ly dedicaled and sociaIIy iesponsilIe leacheis.
!"#$%& ()* +,#-./012,33$") Lel ne use a US exanpIe lo iIIusliale lhe fiisl of lhese effecls: incieased feai of addiessing chaIIenging lopics. Lasl ApiiI, a 15-yeai-oId Washinglon Slale loy vas appioached ly lhe US Seciel Seivice foIIoving lhe confiscalion ly schooI officiaIs of sone vioIenl diavings he had done of Iiesidenl ush in a skelchlook foi ail cIass. The schooI officiaIs and lhe IocaI poIice consideied lhese diavings lhiealening so lhey conlacled lhe Seciel Seivice vho deaI vilh lolh lhieals lo lhe Iiesidenl and vilh schooI vioIence. In the US, controversial drawings are protected speech, and although the boy was reprimanded in school, no legal action was taken against him because it was resolved that these drawings were political statements, not threats against an individual or institution. However, this situation raises problematic issues for art educators. Students see graphic representations of violence on a regular basis, so it should hardly be surprising that the same types of images appear in their art. In a political environment where policy becomes law with virtually no public debate and much of the media promotes fear (while doing little actual analysis to inform us), it is understandable that even well-intentioned teachers and school officials could become fearful and avoid challenging topics. In iesponse lo poIicy, sliong leacheis aie leaching aloul lhe conpIexily of ail, incIuding chaIIenging ail. Highei educalois aie voiking lo heIp leacheis undeisland lheii iighls and lhe iighls of lheii sludenls in oidei suppoil ciealivily and fieedon of consliuclive expiession. Ail leacheis aie ciilicaIIy inpoilanl in suslaining such an enviionnenl. HeIping leacheis deveIop Ieadeiship skiIIs and skiIIs lo luiId liusl in lhe cIassioon can pionole consliuclive seIf-expiession and a ciilicaI sociaI consciousness. In lhe US, in oidei lo nove leyond Iinils of poIicy, piofessionaIs in schooIs and in highei educalion aie deveIoping coIIaloialive skiIIs and slialegies, such as schooI- univeisily pailneiships, lo lenefil sludenls and pionole ciealive Ieaining.
Curriculum, Assessment, and Fiscal Policy The second effect of federal policy is limited spending on learning resources, but increased spending on testing, and a narrowed curriculum of inputs (reading and math), not outputs (critical thinking and expression). A generally conservative political attitude toward schooling is reflected in current educational policy, which results in an emphasis on testing and narrowly defined objectives with little consideration of the larger, humanistic aims of democratic curriculum. In the US, the No Child Left Behind act reified this view when it was passed supported by the Bush administration. As a result of strong lobbying by arts education professional groups, art was included as a core subject in this act. However, that was the only good news for art education. The act currently emphasizes reading and math testing. Annual tests are given to students and public records are made of the test scores. Schools that do not show an increase in test scores on an annual basis are punished through budget reductions. With such strong motivation, schools are reducing time and resources spent on the arts and increasing the time and money spent on testing. Rather than promoting arts learning in curriculum (which interestingly has been suggested in some research to improve learning in other school subjects), time is being used to teach students how to take tests. Even art teachers are being contracted by their administrators to help students improve their academic subject test scores. At first, socioeconomic groups whose children have had consistently lower test scores applauded this act as a way of leveling the playing field. However, ninety percent of the people who completed a web survey about NCLB last year stated that they did believe the Act will be successful and a strong majority (over 70%) stated that it required too much testing (http://www.publiceducation.org/nclbhearings.asp). The emphasis on inappropriate assessments and the so-called academic subjects is not only prevalent in the United States. Based on a series of UNESCO reports on art education, from Jordan to Brazil, from Great Britain to Samoa, art is short- changed in favor of other school subjects even when art is considered a core subject. When testing is not the major problem, a lack of resources and materials hinders art education, often because policy is not in place to ensure that these resources are provided. And when testing is the emphasis, policy ensures that short-term learning is the major goal rather than the long-term growth that a good art education can support. The greatest emphasis in some countries is increased control over public schooling through financial incentives (and punishments), the privatization and commercialization of schooling, and a curriculum focused on raising test scores through an emphasis on formal and technical aspects of learning to the exclusion of meaningful content. This problem was illustrated in relation to US art education in 1997 by the results of the last national assessment for art (carried out in eighth grades across the country), concluding that although students had a reasonable level of formal and technical knowledge about art, they were remarkably weak on visual meaning (NAEP, 1997). In response to essentialist curriculum and conservative fiscal policy, teaching is newly being approached as a creative activity. Creative curriculum development and instructional methods promote teaching for meaning, which emphasizes concepts as well as skills of analysis, critique, and synthesis in expressive art making, writing, and speaking. It helps students understand the importance of art in their daily lives and relates this knowledge to other modes of communication.
Environmental Development and the New Creativity The third effect of policy influences students through the visual environment. Regional development, even development that seeks to attract and grow creative industries, often standardizes the environment. Many urban governments in the United States are working to develop their regions in this manner. The same shops can be seen, the same restaurants, even the same landscape design (such as bike paths). Global companies and products make everything look the same and heritage differences in visual culture often become hidden. Without a curriculum that enhances students critical capabilities, they tend to see such commonality with an uncritical eye, undervaluing the creative and the unique. And without experiences that actually engage students with visual culture and cultural institutions, from museums to television, they will not come to understand the importance of the creative arts in their lives. In iesponse lo slandaidized enviionnenlaI deveIopnenl educalois aie leaching sludenls hov lo effecliveIy ciilique vhich heIps sludenls lo lhink ciilicaIIy aloul lhe iange of visuaI cuIluie lhey encounlei. Lducalois aie laking giealei Ieadeiship in pailneiing vilh cuIluiaI inslilulions lhal have liadilionaIIy vaIued ciealivily, such as nuseuns and univeisilies, and vilh popuIai ciealive indusliies, vhich can aid sludenls in undeislanding aeslhelic ieIalionships lelveen lhe popuIai ails and lhe fine ails in a vaiiely of enviionnenls. Thiough such cuIluiaI voik, sludenls can deveIop a lellei undeislanding of lhe vaIue of ciealive voik. These policies and their influences contain remarkable incongruities. While on the one hand, public policy seems to be moving in the direction of creativity as a test of cultural vitality, one the other hand, educational policy is focused on limiting the learning of creative thinking and production. Public policy should be based on the promotion of cultural originality and a diversity of expression. Art education can help students understand this important aspect public life.
What is Basic to Art Education?
Conlenpoiaiy ciealive pioduclion nusl le lhoughl of Iess as lheiapeulic seIf-expiession and noie as lhe deveIopnenl of cuIluiaI idenlily. This is vhy iecenl educalionaI poIicy nisses lhe poinl. So-caIIed lasic skiIIs do nol deveIop adequaleIy vilhoul oppoilunilies foi neaningfuI, ciealive appIicalions lhal Iead lo sludenls peisonaI and cuIluiaI giovlh. Such giovlh depends upon a iich and conpIex knovIedge of sludenls as veII as knovIedge of lhe iange of issues, oljecls, and ciiliques of ail. Il is veII docunenled lhal Ieaining lakes pIace nosl effecliveIy vhen sludenls aie inleiacliveIy engaged. An enphasis on inpul Ieaining is nol as effeclive as Ieaining lhiough ciealive appIicalions lased on sludenls capaliIilies, inleiesls, and goaIs. Likevise, lhe idea of vhal is lasic in ail educalion needs seiious ieconsideialion. We have noved fai leyond lhe idea lhal ail educalion is onIy aloul Iine, shape, and coIoi. Of couise, lhose aie inpoilanl as lhey aIIov peopIe lo iepiesenl lheii ideas in visuaI foin, lul vhal is liuIy lasic lo ail educalion has nol jusl lo do vilh queslions of !"# peopIe nake ail. Whal is lasic lo ail educalion aIso has lo do vilh queslions of #!$ peopIe nake ail, hov lhey &'( ail, and hov lhey )*+&( ail. Iail of lhe jol of pionoling ciealivily nov nusl le lo ievisil lhe concepl in ieIalion lo poslnodein ideas aloul oiiginaIily and iepioduclion. Whal is lasic lo ail educalion incIudes ciealive and ciilicaI skiIIs and concepls and has as nuch lo do vilh lhe ciealivily of audiences as of ailisls. These aie inpoilanl consideialions in lhe cuiienl ail educalion iefoin invoIving visuaI cuIluie, vhich enphasizes ciealive expeiiences lased on leacheis knovIedge of sludenl inleiesls, sociocuIluiaI condilions, and fine ail and popuIai cuIluie (Iieednan, 2OO3). The conceplion of ail educalion as heIping sludenls lo Ieain aloul lhe chaIIenging aspecls of visuaI cuIluie is iIIuslialed ly a nuiaI piojecl caiiied oul ly lhe sludenls of leachei Lisa KasleIIo. As lhese inages iIIusliale, lhis piojecl enalIed Lisas sludenls lo undeisland ail as lhe visuaI expiession of poveifuI ideas. Aflei giving appiovaI foi lhe sludenls lo do a nuiaI in lhe schooI cafeleiia, schooI officiaIs iejecled lhe sludenls design lecause il incIuded an inage of a gun, aIlhough lhe nessage of lhe nuiaI vas peacefuI. The leachei used lhe silualion as a vay lo heIp lhe sludenls undeisland lhe conpIexilies of ail and luined lhe silualion inlo an even noie effeclive Ieaining expeiience ly enalIing lhe sludenls lo painl lheii nuiaI on paneIs, vhich lhey lhen exhililed in olhei Iocalions in lovn. This type of experience is consistent with the new forms of consciousness that are used by students today in the construction of their identities. Art educators have long known that art helps students understand the human condition through their investigations of themselves, particularly when students find their strengths and are allowed to develop them in-depth. As I found during the research I conducted with teens who play computer games (Freedman, 2003), and as Danish visual culture researcher Helene Illeris (2005) states, young people engage in encounters with art as active participants rather than passive viewers. Performances, installation art, video and computer art are preferred to traditional art forms. (p. 235) being hooked, experiencing otherness, participating in social exchanges and engaging in meta-reflective processes of learning seem to underline all the positive learning experiences that young people have in their encounters with contemporary art. (p. 239) Another important influence on this reform of art education has been changes in student populations and in the visual culture that influence them. Teaching visual culture is more multicultural, more interdisciplinary, and more technological than art education in the past. It addresses the range of challenging issues that lead professional artists and students to make powerful visual statements. Fundamentally, it is about art as a form of cultural production and seeks to reveal the creativity (by both makers and viewers) that gives images and artifacts their meanings.
Making Art/Making Change I work extensively with school districts and other cultural institutions to aid individual teachers and education officers who work to improve students lives through art outside the limitations of policy. To illustrate the power of teachers to make change, I will read a statement published in the Illinois Art Education Association newsletter by one of my students, Robert Hewett (2005), who is the Chair of his secondary school art department. (I am showing the work of his students now.) Bob states: Aflei accepling a high schooI leaching posilion, I legan lo iefIecl on ny ovn leaching piaclices vilh one significanl queslion in nind. Whal is lhe ioIe of lhe visuaI ails vilhin a high schooI cuiiicuIun`
I vanled lo give ny sludenls a neaningfuI expeiience lhal vouId nolivale lhen lo naslei nedia and lechniques. |ulj il occuiied lo ne lhal a ieIevanl conlenpoiaiy high schooI piogian is sliucluied aiound sludenl inleiesls and significanl sociaI issues and conceins. Conlenpoiaiy poslnodein ail, design, lechnoIogy, and popuIai visuaI cuIluie vouId piovide an invaIualIe iesouice foi addiessing lhese inleiesls and Iaigei issues. Wilh lhese as nolivalois, consideialions such as nedia and lechnique vouId le suljecl lo lhe needs of sludenl Ieaining.
|Taking an appioach lo leachingj visuaI cuIluie addiesses nany of lhe queslions and conceins lhal I had iaised iegaiding ny ovn leaching piaclices. Change vas inlinidaling and chaIIenging al fiisl, il sliII is. ul lhe lenefils foi ne, ny sludenls, and ny piofession aie vasl.
Whal is lhe ioIe of lhe visuaI ails vilhin a high schooI cuiiicuIun` Nov, I feeI I an liuIy leginning lo ansvei lhal queslion. (p. 8)
Lalei, aflei naking changes in his piogian, ol (peisonaI coiiespondence, 2OO5) viole: The effecl on oui ail piogian has leen has leen ieaIIy nolicealIe. Sludenls aie liuIy nolivaled and inleiesled in vhal lhey aie Ieaining and ciealing. I lhink lhal lhis is due lo lhe sludenls seeing ail as ieaIIy ieIevanl and connecled lo lheii Iives and expeiiences no nallei lheii aliIily lo nanipuIale nedia.
We liy lo piesenl lhe visuaI ails as a vay of knoving, naking neaning, and consliucling knovIedge. We sliess visuaI and popuIai cuIluie, cuiienl evenls, and conlenpoiaiy visuaI foins and lechnoIogy. AIso inpoilanl, lhis appioach has nade a diffeience in lhe vay oui schooI adninislialion vievs oui puipose and ieIevance, especiaIIy vheie visuaI lechnoIogy is conceined. We ieceive funds nuch noie easiIy vhen ve fiane oui iequesls in leins of pioviding lhe sludenl vilh ieIevanl Iife skiIIs such as lhose foi conlenpoiaiy visuaI lechnoIogy and consliucling and deconsliucling visuaI knovIedge and connunicalion.
Conclusion So, vhal can leacheis and poIicy nakeis do lo nake ail educalion neaningfuI in lhe conlexl of gIolaI condilions and confIicling poIicy` I ieconnend lhe foIIoving: 1. 1. Woik vilh olhei educalois and cuIluiaI inslilulion pailneis lo nake iegionaI and IocaI cuiiicuIun slay up-lo-dale vilh lhe conlenpoiaiy visuaI ails and vilh changes in lhe piofessionaI fieId. 2. 2. Suppoil ail educalion poIicy and piaclice lhal is lolh individuaIIy ciealive and sociaIIy iesponsilIe lo heIp sludenls and aduIls ieaIize lhe inpoilance of lhe visuaI ails in lheii daiIy Iife. 3. 3. HeIp sludenls lo Ieain lhe nany ieasons vhy peopIe cieale al lhe sane line as lhey Ieain aloul hov peopIe cieale. 4. 4. Iionole ciealivily in sludenls lhiough voik lased on sludenl conceins and slienglhs, using aulhenlic assessnenl, so lhal lhey have an oppoilunily lo Ieain deep, cuIluiaI knovIedge aloul lhe povei of ail and lheii povei lo connunicale lhiough ail. 5. Emphasize leadership in higher education and in teaching practice with the goal of developing local, national, and international coalitions to influence policy. We should feel pride in the history of our field and in the past art educators who have emphasized important foundations of artistic creativity, such as, childrens drawing development and the growth of individual talents. But, in the context of current global conditions, postmodern identities, and political economies, new policies demand our attention. Helping students to think and act with insight and imagination now requires a redefinition of professionalism in the field and new strategies for leadership at all levels.
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British Consulate-General Press Release (November 21, 2005). UK Design Savvy Boosts UK Economy and Links with Hong Kong. http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage &c=Page&cid=1065717807901&a=KArticle&aid=1132595264925 Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Hermanson, K. (1999). Why does one want to learn? In Hooper-Greenhill, E. (ed.) The educational role of the museum (2 nd ed.), London: Routledge. Florida, R. (2002). The rise of the creative class: And how its transforming work, leisure, community, and everyday life. New York: Basic Books. Freedman, K. (2003). Teaching visual culture: Curriculum, aesthetics and the social life of art. New York: Teachers College Press. Hewett, R. (2005). Mosiac: The newsletter of the Illinois Art Education Association, Fall, p. 8. Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce (March, 2003). Developing Hong Kongs creative industries An action-oriented strategy. Illeris, H. (2005). Young people and contemporary art. International Journal of Art and Design Education, 24(3), 321-242. The NAEP 1997 Arts Report Card: Eighth Grade Findings from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Washington, DC: NAEP. Venturelli, S. (!998). Liberalizing the European media: Politics, regulation, and the public sphere. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.