Chapter 2

Finding Meaning in Aesthetics, The Interdependence of Form, Feeling, and Knowing

Main Idea/Purpose:
Aesthetic experience is in the process of evolving from formalist theory of the
Modernism and Discipline Based Art Education, to the current aesthetics of postmodernism.
These aesthetics are related to teaching visual culture, and cannot depend on form alone. The
interpretation and teaching of art relies on personal experiences, current visual culture and social
meanings.

Short Overview:
Freedman (2003) believes that the educational system has done a poor job educating
students in the process of connecting meaning to form. The ways in which aesthetics are
included in curriculum are the reason for this decline. She asserts that the former aesthetics only
educates students to analyze art at a superficial level, condition[ing] students to approach visual
culture as a series of objects isolated from larger social meanings (p.27). Contrastingly, in
postmodernist theory, an artwork cannot be analyzed separate of its social context or its
relationship to the viewer. Meaning is derived from this relationship, continuing to evolve and
extend its meaning with different viewers as a result of their life experience.
Freedman (2003) asserts that there is a distinct hurdle to overcome in the contemporary
education system because many of the art teachers were educated in formalist aesthetic
philosophies. She discusses the need for a reconsideration of formalism, distinctions between
high and low art, and social and other extended meanings (p. 32). Rather than placing
divisions between high and low art, visual culture is inclusive to a host of cross-disciplinary
visual expressions. Similar to the beliefs of John Dewey, it is this interdisciplinary aspect of art
education that is important because artistic thinking habits are present across disciplines.
Postmodern artists do not ascribe to using formalist elements and principles of design in their
artwork, but instead use symbols which invite and expect the viewer to interpret multiple
meanings depending on personal experiences and social meanings (Freedman, 2003).
The transformation of contemporary art education to a visual culture pedagogy includes
new methods for deeper investigation such as oral histories, ethnographic studies and online
research. Whereas modernism sought to create newness without reflecting on the past, the
postmodern visual culture and aesthetic theory deliberately recycle the past (Freedmen, p. 35).
Teaching visual culture requires an emphasis on the connection of body and mind in the process
of creating art which is also the same credence that John Dewey held. This belief that aesthetics
are related to daily life and experience builds deeper meaning in art rather than being dismissive
in the sense of formalist aesthetics.

Critical Response:
As an art educator, I have taken the incorporation of visual culture very seriously into my
current and future curriculum. Being taught art through a modernist/DBAE lens was my exact,
personal experience in middle school and high school. While much introspection has led me to
understand this was my experience, it has made me grateful to have had 17 years of my post-
collegiate life as a learning ground to my current beliefs in pedagogy. I believe in an evolution
of the teaching perspective in art education. The multidimensionality of art education is its
beauty. It is a disservice to only focus on the formal qualities of art. While not all students will
 become artists, it is imperative for them to be able to appreciate and interpret the social
meanings present in art. While many individuals of my generation still retain their former
educational perspective that art is truly an elitist construct, I find an imperative in teaching art
as it crosses disciplines, cultures, ages and meaning. I want to extend the value of art across all
aspects of life, and this can be achieved through visual culture as well as the deeper
investigation of it social connections. It is here that students will find personal and collective
meaning. It is here that through carefully constructed pedagogy students will build their
knowledge in the breadth of art and its function as more than an aesthetic creation. It is through
art that students can investigate meaning, solve problems and communicate ideas that cannot be
expressed another way.

Chapter 3
The Social Life of Art: The Importance of Connecting the Past with the Present

Main Idea/Purpose:
Art education must assist students in navigating and understanding the complicated realm of
visual culture. In order to do this, curriculum needs to address the social and cultural contexts of
art history, the quality and breadth of its exemplars, and how visual culture relates to the past,
present and future.

Short Overview:
The discipline of art history has overwhelmingly relegated the category of fine art to an
elevated stature, one that also exclusively separates popular forms and non-western art from its
study. Freedman (2003) points out that in fact, popular visual arts and mass media images are
considered unrelated to art history to such an extent that they tend to be studied in different
departments at universities, such as cultural studies, anthropology, communications, or media
studies (p.45). The teaching of art history and its text books have been determined by the
opinions and valuation methods of art historians which are based on a white male, western
perspective. The new art history includes social influences and dynamics of cultural
development rather than from the perspective of connoisseurship. Additionally, instead of art
history being taught as a linear construct of time, Freedman advocates for it to be presented as a
multidimensional space where groups and ideas coexist and cross-influence each other. Time is
no longer represented as if it is in isolation from other critical aspects of the past, and an
education in visual culture becomes the study of heritage and identity (p.48).
Freedman promotes a reconsideration of the quality of exemplars that art teachers present
to students. She states that quality has predominantly been determined through formal aesthetics
rather than conceptual assets. Freedman (2003) asserts that a teacher should not ask What art is
good? but rather What art is worth teaching? (p.54) in order to select quality exemplars.
Previous assumptions in art education have been to only teach good art based on elements and
principles. However, teaching visual culture begs that teachers present artwork that is socially
influential, and this includes both good and bad representations of artwork to incorporate context
and ensure well-rounded educational value. To contextualize learning is to help students
understand that many conditions influence judgments of goodness and that those judgments are
made based on the relationship of these conditions (p.54). Ultimately, visual culture influences
student thought about the world, how they visualize it and live within it, thus making powerful
images of visual culture worth teaching.
Freedman argues that while the teaching of metaphor has been considered an important
aspect of art education, in contemporary curriculum it is not. Art education can no longer rely on
the belief of universal meaning within metaphorical imagery. Postmodernism contends that this
is because within the context of multiculturalism and diverse social groups, individuals bring
their own life experiences and perspectives to the interpretation and meaning making in art.
Similarly, Freedman (2003) states that people encountering the same visual culture will extend
meaning differently and in different directions, making the ideas of metaphor difficult to
maintain (p.56). While visual culture incorporates the past, present and future in its framework
of meaning, it inherently demands an interpretation and extended meaning dependent on the
viewer. Visual culture frequently recycles imagery from the past making conceptual connections
across a multitude of time and space which demands classroom acknowledgement and
connections to students personal stories and daily life experiences.

Critical Response:
Art education curriculum must include a very thoughtful and carefully selected repertoire
of artists and art exemplars for its students. This curriculum must be designed around the
students needs both on an individual and collective basis. This will engage students, broaden
their experience as well as create a greater social consideration. Exposing students to art of
different cultures, including the social milieu and historical context of the time, students will
perceive that art is not created in isolation. In fact, they will perceive how art influences culture
and likewise culture influences art. In my experience, it is important for students to be given the
timeframe within an artwork has been created. I value using maps to show students the location
of an artists home, couple with the time periods history. In my own seventh grade lesson,
students we interested in the background of the Dada movement and how its art was in part a
protest of World War I. Rather than separating the art from its history, they should be connected.
All art has a story, and its connection to history is part of that story. The key to engage students
is to connect the story of the production of the art with the story of influences and social climate
of the time period. Through these connections, then students can begin to relate the artwork to
their own lives, extending meaning further.
Within the inclusive nature of a visual culture curriculum, students will be able to see
themselves as existing within an artistic framework, not set apart from it. Utilizing postmodern
theory, all students can contribute to the interpretation and creation of art within the realm of
their own personal experience and perspective. In fact, the interpretation and creation of art
become more meaningful because of this diversity. As witnessed in class room observations, the
analysis of art in the art classroom becomes a safe space for practicing the art of disagreement. It
is important for students to be able to form an opinion, and then have a healthy discussion with
classmates where agreement and disagreement coexist peacefully. I believe that the subjective
nature of art interpretation is a perfect platform from which to guide students in healthy
discourse across genders, race and socioeconomic status.
 Chapter 4
The Social Life of Art: The Importance of Connecting the Past with the Present

Main Idea/Purpose:
Cognitive processes are an integral part in the production and viewing of art. A recent departure
in thinking supported by research asserts that a combination of psychobiological and
sociocultural effects influence thinking and meaning making, rather than occurring separately.
An art education curriculum of visual culture is integral for extending knowledge in this manner,
thus furthering individual development.

Short Overview:
According to Freedman (2003), teaching visual culture involves creating connections
between form, emotions and prior knowledge. When an individual first views an artwork, the
mind searches for familiarity with the purpose of making personal connections from which to
build meaning. Freedman (2003) asserts that learning takes place based on cognitive
connections, including those that relate to emotion, and more connections mean greater learning.
Learning is dependent on student engagement, which is an indicator of emotional investment
(p.68). Visual culture brings elements of everyday life into the learning environment, and with
these connections students begin to build upon meaning through investigation of topics and art
materials.
Quite surprisingly, art that is unfamiliar can increase cognition just as much as the
familiar when sensory experiences (such as emotion) is coupled with reflection. It is through
memory that stored knowledge can be accessed when an aspect of an artwork sparks familiarity
through extended association. Reflection offers an imperative device for constructing
knowledge. Freedman (2003) declares, The infusion of critical analysis and interpretation when
making and viewing visual culture leads to learning conceived as a highly interactive process.
At the same time as students develop ideas, attitudes, and beliefs in and through visual culture,
they should be reflecting on that development and the way in which it changes them as they
learn (p.76-77). It is through this active construction of knowledge in art education that students
restructure previous knowledge, developing it into new knowledge. The effects on curriculum
are important with this reveal that development is more dependent on teaching and learning that
previously thought (Freedman, 2003, p.74).
Aligning with Vygotskian theory, Freedman (2003) believes in the greater inclusion of
social context within art curriculum. Sociocultural influences have been largely ignored in the
development of artistic expression and knowledge within art education. Freedman (2003)
contends that the contents and structures of childrens drawings differ across histories and
cultures, indicating that the development is influenced by time and place (p.76). Not only do
emotions and social interactions influence artmaking, but artmaking influences emotions and
social interactions. It is an interwoven, cross-disciplinary experience. Freedman (2003)
contends that distributed cognition is the understanding that in the real world, objects and
people are part of not only what we know, but how we know (p.83). Within this realm of
interconnectivity, experiences build upon each other to construct meaning. For curriculum, art
teachers must carefully create lessons that actively form knowledge, finding that balance
between allowing for open investigation but simultaneously remaining as a facilitator for
students discovery and learning.
Critical Response:
During my seventh-grade class final critique, two students responses in particular illustrated
how a sensory experience and reflection grew their knowledge of self. They openly expressed
this deeper understanding of themselves through the process of building the self-portrait collage.
A self-portrait that was built on superficial qualities alone or elements and principles alone
would not garner nearly as intense of a meaning for students. Incorporating a discussion and
mind map of identity coupled with investigative research of self, supplied students the reflective
time to ponder their values, beliefs, character, skills and culture. The contextual application of
this self-portrait extended the students meaning making, connecting them to each other and to
their community. Likewise, the incorporation of technology by way of an app to uncover
recorded sound integrated students affinity for technology. The sound portion of the art show
further allowed students to contextualize personal meaning for viewers. Not only could viewers
see aspects of their identity, but viewers could also hear it!

Using visual culture in my curriculum, I have sought to make connections within the classroom
to my students lives. It is through this method that students become invested in art lessons, and
grow meaning. My own academic experience was from a formalist perspective, and most often I
did not personally connect with my own art. The problem there was that if I could not connect
with my own art, the art theoretically could not connect with anyone else. At a middle school
level of teaching, my goal is to know what my students are learning in other subjects during the
time they are in my class. With this information, I can deepen learning through a combination of
cross-disciplinary and socially conscious lessons. Not only will my lessons become richer for
this integration, but my colleagues lessons will be richer.

Connecting art to everyday objects and life is a critical goal. My belief in an interconnectivity of
all life extends to the arts, as they are extensions of human beings. Cognitive and social
development is crucial during adolescence. I seek to incorporate lessons that instill wonder and
an appreciation for beauty in everyday experiences and forms. I seek to incorporate lessons that
facilitate awareness of the communicative capabilities of art through content, as well as give
students an understanding of the vast interpretive dimension of the arts.

Chapter 5
Interpreting Visual Culture: Constructing Concepts for Curriculum

Main Idea/Purpose (2-3 sentences): Contemporary visual culture contributes to an individuals

meaning making and approaches to creating art far more than ever before. As such, an
expansion of art education curriculum must occur for a broader acquisition of skills to navigate
this complex realm, incorporating a cross section of sociocultural relations, viewpoints and
experiences.

Short Overview:
Because of the pervasiveness of contemporary visual culture, a higher-level of
interpretive skills is needed to deconstruct this complex imagery. This includes: (1) unpacking
underlying assumptions, (2) forming multiple, possible associations; and (3) performing self-
conscious, critical reflection (Freedman, 2003, p.88). Within a visual culture curriculum, the
context of arts production must be considered. Freedman (2003) believes to teach visual
culture requires interdisciplinary investigations of the underlying assumptions that can be
revealed in the conceptual space between images and objects (p.89). It is the power of
suggestiveness which generates personal connections of emotional or cognitive responses that
aid in extending meaning far more than formal qualities of an artwork, and the interplay of an
array of interpretations within a classroom additionally furthers interpretive skills.

Technology has directly contributed to the global distribution of art, rendering it as a

form that simultaneous is shaped by culture and shapes cultures. Visual Culture reaches far
outside the museum walls and into TV, film, magazines, advertising, product packaging, and
more. Lest they become non-critical consumers of this media, students must learn how to
navigate the imagery of visual culture so that they can make informed decisions for themselves
in adolescence and beyond. The impact of imagery has a wide range of sociopolitical and
economic issue which, in turn, influence students identities, notions of citizenship, beliefs about
democracy, and so on (Freedman, 2003, p.97).

Freedman contends that it is imperative for students to possess skills for interpreting and
responding to global visual culture, and this happens through reflection. Reflection is an essential
component for student growth to enact critical thinking skills. Reflection allows for individuals
to think metacognitively, constructing understanding of how and why they arrived at their ideas
and opinions as well as how these ideas are connected to prior life experience (Freedman, 2003).
She states,
Few educators would argue against the idea that students need to develop good
critical skills and that citizens in a democracy should consider these skills
essential to good citizenship. And yet, visual culture can work to shape audiences
in ways that can confound critique and allow students to be uncritical observers.
Good students of visual culture make informed decisions in all their roles as
members of an audience, as producers, as artists, and so on. (p.101).
This statement illustrates the need for thoughtful visual culture curriculum. Superficial inquiry
does not provide the complexity of thought that the complexity of contemporary imagery and
messages demand.

Critical Response:
Because of my personal, adolescent experience coupled with raising my own children to
be responsible consumers of media, I am acutely aware of the barrage of images and messages
people encounter every day. In my own youth, I was not taught to navigate visual culture. It
was not a part of art education, nor was it a part of core subject curriculum. Additionally, it was
not a part of my family discussions. This provides me the belief (just as Freedman pointed out)
that students need guidance to build a critical eye towards visual culture. I attribute much of my
own identity struggles to my unquestioning attitude toward advertising, the shows that I watched,
and the magazines that I read. I see the danger of passive consumption, and I see the benefit of a
discerning eye. Because art is pervasive in everyday life, not separated, a successful visual
culture curriculum will address these interpretive challenges along with adolescents.
Like the benefits of teaching reflections, students must also reflect on their ideas, actions
and creations in the art classroom. The act of doing is not fully meaningful until a reflection
brings the experience into full view, extending meaning with successes, challenges and ideas for
improvements. While visiting the International Baccalaureate School in Fall 2016, I found that
through the students research journals, they performed many reflective exercises. Through an
interview, it was apparent that the level of inquiry and extended meaning came from their written
and visual reflections. This is a meaningful component to curriculum that I would like to
implement in my own classroom.

Chapter 6
Curriculum as Process: Visual Culture and Democratic Education

Main Idea/Purpose:
A transformation of curriculum for contemporary art education must include representations that
are made by a diverse grouping of artists and created for a wide variety of people. It must also
provide critical discussion of the meaning and power of images, and allow for students to create
their own visual culture. In developing a visual culture curriculum, teachers need to carefully
consider thematic instruction over media-based instruction, and provide a curricular plan which
ensures freedom, individualism, equity, and social responsibility.

Short Overview:
Conceiving of postmodern curriculum as a living, breathing organism, it changes along
with the students. Freedman (2003) writes, Conceptualized as a process, curriculum can refer
to the ways in which students learn outside, as well as inside of classrooms or institutions, and
the intended part of the curriculum process may change as the curriculum is enacted (p.108).
Rather than forming curriculum that the students must find a place within, curriculum should be
formed around the students and extend to their interests and experiences outside the classroom.
Freedman likens curriculum to a collage. It is a creative production (and process), bringing
together a tapestry of representations, sources and contributions (Freedman, 2003).
The planning and design of art education curriculum sets specific objectives, through
which students construct meaning in a myriad of pathways and results. Freedman (2003) writes
that objectives can be planned, but important learning outcomes cannot always be predicted,
and in art education, the best outcomes are often those that are beyond the box of the
objectives in their creativity, imaginativeness, and originality (p.112-113). Utilizing a variety
of structures, such as sequential curriculum, interactive curriculum, event experiences, and
interdisciplinary curriculum, a well-built art program addresses students learning needs. It
provides flexibility, personal engagement and social connections.
Rather than the traditional form of skills-based instruction, Freedman (2003) advocates
for thematic-based instruction, stressing the importance of enriching conceptual knowledge over
skill alone. The concepts behind why an artist or group of individuals create artwork is of
paramount importance in art education because studying formal qualities alone gives a
superficial understanding of art. In addition, Art teachers need to continually assist students in
their navigation and interpretation of contemporary imagery. Art education can provide
increased understanding of visual representation both inside and outside of school where both
benign and conflicting concepts exist. If we want education to be intellectually challenging,
educators must take the responsibility to teach about conflicts because conflicts often give rise to
meaning (Freedman, 2003, p.124). With a conceptual curricular approach, students construct
 knowledge within the art class room based on the contextual production of art, giving rise to the
cultural, social, political, economic and environmental circumstances surrounding an artworks
creation, and thus rendering the study of art valuable and more meaningful (Freedman, 2003).

Critical Response:
In my pre-service teaching experience, I have approached curriculum development as a
creative process has been thoughtfully and carefully researched. Considering curriculum as
collage resonates with me. Because each teacher approaches her profession differently, I believe
that curriculum is a construct created through knowledge and strengthened by experience.
Reflection has been a key aspect to bettering my own teaching perspective and personal
confidence. Through the methods and curriculum development courses coupled with my
adolescent psychology course, I feel that I have learned about strong theory that strengthens my
curriculum planning. Additionally, through the rearing of my own adolescent, I am aware of the
cognitive growth and needs of adolescent students.
Applying my studies and observations to planning a visual culture, I have invested my
time to be sure that I include a wide breadth of artists and visual representations. Reading
multicultural theory by Dipti Desai, Joyce Barakett, Elizabeth Sacc, and Laurie Eldridge, have
reinforced the necessity and work needed to overcome the inaccurate representations of art from
around the world. Because we live in a global world, as well as an extremely diverse and multi-
ethnic country, it is critical for art educators to display a diverse repertoire of artists and artwork.
Believing that art reflects culture and history, a visual culture curriculum crosses boundaries of
school subject matter, and broadens the scope of discussion and interrogation of art and how it
relates to life as a whole.

Chapter 7 Art.edu: Technological Images, Artifacts, and Communities

Main Idea/Purpose:
New technologies have an increasing influence on the way in which individuals perceive,
interpret, and create art. As a result, it is necessary for art education to include a visual culture
curriculum which uses technology for creative and social development rather than simply as a
conduit for learning subject matter.

Short Overview:
Imagery is historically more influential now through modern technologies. Television,
computers and digital devices provide a continual stream of visual culture into peoples lives.
Freedman (2003) contends that technological imagery blurs the boundaries between truth and
fiction by acting as both (p.129). Because imagery is highly assessible and more believable
than text, it broadens the persuasive possibilities of their forms.
Freedman gives examples of contemporary video games, films and advertisements
around which young people distort reality. Important to note, media is simultaneously creating
this imagery around their target audience of impressionistic young people, so it should be
continually considered with a discerning eye. While aspects of technology can be beneficial, its
intent can also be to take advantage of young or passive minds. With this understanding, it is
imperative for teachers to discuss the significance and implications of techonologys readily
available information, imagery, messages (Freedman, 2003).
 Art teachers must utilize these familiar technologies within their curriculum to engage
students as well as teach about their use in creating and viewing visual representations. This
means that teachers will have to increase attention to the interpretive and critical analysis of
imagery and other visual forms of information (Freedman, 2003, p. 139). Deconstructing the
imagery and messages of advertisements, films, and video games will reveal deeper, complex
meanings of these visual representations, allowing students the chance to build themselves into
an active, rather than passive, consumer. Concurrently, Freedman asserts that art teachers must
also incorporate technologies as a medium in creating art for the purpose of personal and social
development (Freedman, 2003).

Critical Response:
Having a background in graphic design and advertising, I believe strongly in working
with students to critically view all media. While it was my job to promote consumerism, I am
keenly aware of the deceptive and alluring qualities inherent in advertising as well as other
media. I agree with Dr. Freedman that students need guidance in navigating the world of modern
technology. Adolescents are in such an impressionable time in their lives, they require an
opportunity through which to test the reliability and trustworthiness of modern technologies and
visual culture. One manner to do this is by viewing and interrogating visual representations both
individually and as a class, constructing a tapestry of the students perceived meanings. This
type of discussion should happen on an ongoing basis, across the interests of all students,
because the pervasiveness of visual culture is present in every students life in one form or
another. Lessons incorporating the big ideas of reality vs. fantasy or alternative realities open
conversations about the topic as it pertains to each students preferred visual culture.
Additionally, I think that incorporating lessons about social media and their use as an
agent of change is imperative to cutting through the narcissistic tendencies these medias cause in
individuals. Using social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram as a conduit for
social action bridges that hard-to-reach place in adolescents minds when they question how they
personally can make a difference. Likewise, when I recently hear Dr. Kim Cosier speak on Art
Activism, she specifically spoke about taking art and using technology to multiply its impact.
Examples of using different technology are making multiple copies of an artwork for flyers,
signs, pins or t-shirts, or through making a stencil design and having technology cut it out (one or
many copies) to then stamp the design across town.

Chapter 8 Contributing to Visual Culture: Student Artistic Production and Assessment

Main Idea/Purpose:
Building knowledge in art education hinges on the production of art. The practice of
assessing the visual arts is not a simple, standardized matter, but rather it is a holistic approach
including student work, reflections, student observations, and teacher observations and
interviews. It is also dependent on teachers expertise, as well as a social consensus of art
teacher colleagues and current art examples.

Short Overview:
 Students exposure to a broad range of art and creative production opportunities allows
for richer knowledge in the visual arts. Teachers means of assessing this knowledge has
ventured into the scientific realm because of testing pressures. It should instead be approached in
a holistic manner. Freedman insists that assessment can include numerical rubrics for assessing
the quality of artwork, but it should also allow for the possibility of students work go above and
beyond the skill and conceptual objectives. Student feedback is valuable, and for non-traditional
forms of artwork such as installations and performances, community feedback can give accurate
assessment (Freedman, 2003).
Freedman (2003) states, Assessment of art is not a matter of being subjective or
objective; it is a matter of experience (p.150). Just as students need the experience of creating
art to build knowledge, it is the teachers experience and consequential expertise which allows
for accurate assessment of student learning. Through careful consideration of students process,
conceptual inquiry, and technical skill, teachers assess student learning through a myriad of
procedures. Group critique, peer critique, individual interview, videotaping, observation, and
portfolio review are example forms of assessment. Freedman points out that democratic ideals
are best advocated for in the art classroom through healthy dialogue and discussion which can be
modeled and practiced during critiques (Freedman, 2003).
To ensure reliability, Freedman (2003) believes that teachers experience should include
the most up-to-date student and professional art being produced at any given time (p.168). She
also suggests that art teachers use their art educator colleagues to work together for creating
communities to arbitrate the quality of student work.

Critical Response:
In my own experience, I believe in a holistic approach to assessing artwork. I think that
emphasizing innovation and creativity in artwork is very important, so that students use their
creative thinking skills to process information, reflect on ideas and then create. During
elementary clinicals, I had a student who very creatively problem solved a sculpture. He final
piece of artwork did not fit within my objectives and rubric, so I learned quickly how to
formulate rubrics that promote and value innovation. Artists thinking habits are creativity-
building habits, and these are the skills that students should learn. These skills will be used
across all other disciplines. In middle school clinicals, one student worked in such a creative
manner while cutting photographs and composing them together. I had been sure to allow for
creativity within my rubrics so that students were not confined but liberated (and valued) by the
assessment.
In my own classroom, I intend to use journals for students to make personal records of
their art-making process from idea inception and research to final sketches and reflections on
their art projects. I would also like to combine it with a digital portfolio. Combining the two
will bring a fuller picture to a students learning. It will also invite participation and hopefully
give the student a desire to share their experience with others.

I very much like the ideas of using communities of art educators to assist in assessing
artwork. Not only does it allow for sharing of ideas for curriculum and assessment with each
other, but it build stronger relationships and expertise to the field.