ED 404 220

AUTHORTITLEINSTITUTION

REPORT NOPUB DATENOTEAVAILABLE FROM

PUB TYPE

JOURNAL CIT

EDRS PRICEDESCRIPTORS

IDENTIFIERS

ABSTRACT

DOCUMENT RESUME

SO 025 594

Scarr, Margaret, Ed.; Varro, Tim, Ed.Advocacy.British Columbia Art Teachers Association,Vancouver.ISSN-0710-07449347p.; For related items, see SO 025 595-596.BCATA, Provincial Specialist Association of the BCTF,105-2235 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British ColumbiaV6J 3H9, Canada.Collected Works Serials (022) GuidesNon- Classroom Use (055)BCATA Journal for Art Teachers; v33 nl Spr 1993

MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.*Advocacy; *Art Education; Change Strategies;Cultural Differences; Educational Change; EducationalImprovement; Elementary Secondary Education; ForeignCountries; Visual Arts; *Visual LiteracyBritish Columbia; *Canada

This theme issue presents art advocacy as a necessarymeans of bringing art and art education to an elevated status in theelementary secondary curriculum and educational system. Articlesinclude: (1) "Editor's View" (Margaret Scarr); (2) "Art Education:Why Is It Important" (Arts Education Partnership Working Group); (3)

"Why Art in Education and Why Art Education?" (Elliot W. Eisner); (4)

"Informed Advocacy and Art Education" (Rita L. Irwin); (5) "Seeingthrough the Eyes of the Arts" (John C. Polanyi); (6) "More ThanPumpkins in October Visual Literacy in the 21st Century" (NationalSchool Boards Association); (7) "Creative Showcasing Student WorkBridging Gaps, Forming Networks" (Myra Eadie); (8) "Art Instructionin the Elementary Classroom" (R. Lloyd Ryan); and (9) "Arts Educationas a Catalyst to Reform: Cultural Diversity and Arts Education" (F.Graeme Chalmers). (MM)

***********************************************************************

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document. *

***********************************************************************

JOURNAL FOR ART TEACHERS

Volume 33 Number 1Spring 1993

PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE ANDDISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL

HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

.5 v.. clita iJ PAC CoL4 bilog

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

Nstf This document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organizationoriginating it.

Minor changes have been made toimprove reproduction quality.

Points of view or opinions stated in thisdocument do not necessarily representofficial OERI position or policy.

A boy leaving his rainbow coloured house to go swimming

kR

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

2

British Columbia Art Teachers AssociationVolume 33 Number 1 Spring 1993 Journal Editors: Margaret Scarr & Tim Varro

e3==41> 1BCATA, Provincial Specialist Association of the BCTF

_ 105 - 2235 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6) 3H9

ADVOCACYContents

2 Editor's ViewMargaret Scarr

3 Art Education: Why Is It Importantreproduced from "The Power of the Arts to Transform Education"by the Arts Education Partnership Working Group Jan. 1993

5 Why Art In Education and Why Art Education?Elliot W. Eisner

10 Informed Advocacy and Art EducationRita L. Irwin

16 Seeing Through the Eyes of the ArtsJohn C. Polanyi

21 More Than Pumpkins In October - Visual Literacy in the 21st CenturyNational School Boards Association

26 Creative Showcasing Student Work Bridging Gaps, Forming NetworksMyra Eadie

31 Art Instruction in the Elementary ClassroomR. Lloyd Ryan

38 Arts Education as a Catalyst to Reform: Cultural Diversity and Arts Education

F. Graeme Chalmers

ISSN 0710-0744

The BCATA Journal for Art Teachers is an official publication of the British ColumbiaArt Teachers' Association. The opinions expressed in the journal are those of theauthors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or the association.

photo credits: Tim Varro, June Oddsson, Margaret Scarrart work: Alpha Secondary, Burnaby Teacher: Robin Gore

3

EDITOR'S VIEWOne of the topics of greatest interest to our members in our recent needs assessment was that

of art advocacy. This journal is dedicated to that theme. An advocate is one who argues for a cause;a supporter or defender. For as long as I remember, and long before that, teachers of the visual artshave felt themselves placed in the often lonely position of advocating for art; art as a vital mode ofexpression, art as intregal to culture and as a means for developing appreciation of cultural diversity,art as a vehicle for understanding history and exploring social issues, art as a process requiring criticalthinking, art as acquisition of skills and techniques, art as a career opportunity, art as a major force inmedia and technology, and most critically, art as a vital component of a balanced curriculum. Arteducation advocacy is particularly crucial at this time of educational reform, when we are perhapsprovided with the greatest opportunity in recent history to make our case. Will the educational climateevolve into one which values art and art education? I believe it will and that three key forms of actionmust be undertaken as we continue in our roles as art education advocates.

First and foremost we must be willing to take a hard look at ourselves. Are our programs worthyof advocating as central to the experience of all students? Do we engage our students in criticalthinking? Do we engage our students in responding to art, investigating historical and social contextsof art works and researching the lives of artists? Do we encourage our students to engage in discussionof the aesthetic merits of art works? to self evaluate? Do we require students to explore a wide varietyof issues, materials and processes? Are our students developing visual awareness of their environment?Do we provide opportunities for connecting skills and knowledge acquired in our art curriculum toother subject areas? to career opportunities? Do we ensure opportunites for the display of student workto peers, parents and community members? A quality program speaks volumes to parents and students.

Second, it is important in our role as arts advocates that we look around us for support. We arenot alone. We need to ensure we are networking with each other and collaborating with the teachersof the other arts disciplines; music, dance and drama. Togetherwe are stronger. Forming partnerships,with others in our educational community is also important. Find the parents and colleagues whoaresupporters of the arts and would be happy to work with you. Utilize their talent and support in creatinga gallery, putting on a show or collaborating on curriculum development. Count on the students youhave inspired to speak of the importance of art education to their peers and to their parents. Identifycommunity groups such as arts councils who are your allies. Work with them. We must approachadvocacy as an organized team effort.

Third, it is important that we are not speaking only -to the converted. Advocacy implieseducation. We must educate those not yet aware of the value of art education. At every opportunity,speak to counsellors, administrators, colleagues, parents, trustees and students. Explain to themcarefully and patiently why art education is important for every child. Invite them into your classroomto see your students engaged in the learning process. Invite them to your shows and on your field trips.Speak to students and parents on course selection night. Make sure art is represented on curriculumcommittees, awards committees and on every decision making committee in your school. Share thearticles in this journal. Most importantly, don't give up!

In closing I would like to thank the contributors to this journal, those that submitted articles andthose that gave us permission to reprint articles. I would also like to thank Tim Varro who worked withme on this volume.

And a special thanks to all of you who continue to work in the of art advocacy.

Margaret Scarr, Guest Editor

2 4

ARTS EDUCATION:WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

by The Arts Education Partnership Working Group

The arts must be viewed as im-portantfor both their intrinsic andtheir associated educational value.Both dimensions can contributesignificantly to education reform.

Forms of Knowledge,Ways of Knowing

The arts are valuable in and ofthemselves. They are a source ofhuman insight and understandingabout the world and ourselves.They connect us to the past andhelp us imagine new possibilitiesfor the future. As Charles Fowlerhas written in The WashingtonPost:

"The arts are forms of thoughtevery bit as potent in what theyconvey as mathematical and sci-entific symbols. They are wayswe human beings "talk" to eachother. They are the languages ofcivilization through which weexpress our fears, our anxieties,our curiosities, our hungers, ourdiscoveries, our hopes. The artsare modes of communication thatgive us access to the stored wis-dom of the ages . . . Science andtechnology do not tell us what itmeans to be human. The arts do."

The arts represent multiple formsof intelligence and multiple waysof knowing the world that are notduplicated by other means. In hisbook, Frames of Mind: The Theory

of Multiple Intelligences (BasicBooks, 1983), Howard Gardnerhas identified seven differentforms of intelligence: linguistic,musical, logical/mathematical,spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, and thepersonal intelligences that permitus to understand ourselves andothers. North American school-ing generally emphasizes only twoof these linguistic and logical/mathematical ignoring the otherpotentials of the mind. Gardnersays (p. 356):

"Among those observers partialto spatial, bodily, or musical formsof knowing, as well as those whofavor a focus on the interpersonalaspects of living, an inclination toindict contemporary schoolingis understandable. The modernsecular school has simply- thoughit need not have - neglected theseaspects of intellectual compe-tence."

Arts education provides a newapproach. While creative writingexplores and develops linguisticpotential, music education nur-tures musical intelligence, visualarts and design develop spatialintelligence, dance draws uponkinesthetic or movement intelli-gence, and theater exercises thepersonal intelligences. The artstherefore help schools address thetotal mind and cultivate the fullrange of human potential.

As ways of knowing, the artsinvolve us in complex uses of ourintelligence. Other developedcountries with which we com-pete do not miss the opportunityto ensure that their children haveopportunities to cultivate their ut-most mental and emotional ca-pacities. They seem to understandsomething we have lost sight of:To know neither the rich store-house of human experience con-tained in the arts nor the use of theexpressive and communicativefunctions of the arts is to beeducationally deprived. Therewarding and challenging activi-ties of arts education are part ofevery child's education.

Multiple Benefits

Experienced observers tell us, anddata increasingly supports claims,that schools with strong arts pro-grams regularly incur such ben-efits as:

Intensified student motivationto learn;Better attendance amongstudents and teachers;Increased graduation rates;Improved multicultural under-standing;Renewed and invigoratedfaculty;More highly engaged students(which traditional approachesfail to inspire);

3

Development of a higherorder of thinking skills, crea-tivity, and problem-solvingability; andGreater community participa-tion and support.

The arts contribute to an overallculture of excellence in a school.They are an effective means ofconnecting children to each otherand helping them gain an under-standing of the creators who pre-ceded them. They provide schoolswith a ready way to formulaterelationships across and amongtraditional disciplines and toconnect ideas and notice patterns.Works of art provide effectivemeans for linking information inhistory and social studies, math-ematics, science, and geography.A work of art can lead to manyrelated areas of learning, openinglines of inquiry, revealing that art,like life, is lived in a complexworld not easily defined indiscrete subjects.

While the arts alone do notdeliver all these benefits, they canbe, and often are, a critical factorin their occurrence. As the artstransform teaching and learning,they engage students in ways thatmake these benefits much morelikely to be realized.

Based on these findings, theposition of the Working Group isthat:

The arts are forms of under-standing and ways of know-ing that are fundamentallyimportant to education;The arts are important toexcellent education and toeffective school reform;The most significant contribu-tion of the arts to educationreform is the transformation ofteaching and learning;This transformation is bestrealized in the context of com-prehensive, systemic educa-tion reform; and

6

Art educators, artists, and artsorganizations must be stronglyencouraged to actively join inlocal, state, and nationalreform efforts.

EDITORS NOTEReprinted with permission from asummary report entitled 'The Power ofthe Arts to Transform Education"published by The Arts EducationPartnership Working Group, Jan. 1993

"Reflecting onthe rigours and

disciplines involvedin the effective

practise of the artsRobert Louis

Stevenson advisedthat, "As soon as

you say lit will do'you are finished as

an artist."I think too that as

soon as we say thateducation will do

without the arts thenin a very particular

sense we arefinished."

Prof. Ken RobinsonUniversity of Warwick

4

WHY ART IN EDUCATION ANDWHY ART EDUCATION?

by Elliot W Eisner

When a nation is at risk, whenfrom all sides we hear of the vastnumber of functional illiteratesleaving our schools, when reme-dial courses are over-subscribedat even our most selective col-leges, the thought of making thecase for so seemingly a marginalsubject as art in our schools isespecially daunting. How can onerecommend that the schools' mostprecious resource time bedirected from what is truly basicin education to the "luxury" ofstudying art? How can one pro-pose that teachers divert their at-.tention from the skills that arefundamental to economic well-being to an area of study that"properly" comes after basic edu-cation needs have been met? Howcan one propose a broad courseof study when the schools haveapparently been failing at theirmore narrowly defined tasks?

It is this case for art and art educa-tion I wish to present. This caserests upon three major arguments.First, work in the arts developsunique and important mentalskills. Second, the arts representthe highest of human achieve-ments to which students shouldhave access. Third, the school isthe primary public institution thatcan make such access possiblefor the vast majority of students inour nation.

It is tempting to reduce the possi-bilities of education to simpleaspirations, to simplify complexproblems so that they seem ame-nable to quick solutions, toembrace images of schooling thatharken back to simpler, more rose-coloured times. But such visionsof the past are inadequateeducational fare for the present.The so-called basics the ThreeRs were never adequate in theeducation offree men and women.They are even less adequatetoday.

The ability to experience the artsof our culture is not an automaticconsequence of maturation. Whatchildren are able to think about,what they are able to experience,the distance their imaginative lifeallows them to travel are shapedby the kind of educational livesthey have had an opportunity tolead. For children and adoles-cents, schooling defines a majorportion of their lives. Being com-pelled by law to devote forty ormore weeks per year to schoolcreates for them a culture of op-portunities or of opportunitiesforgone. It is we, the adults whocreated the policies that definethe educational environment inwhich so much of their time isspent, who influence the kinds ofminds children and adolescentswill have an opportunity todevelop. It is the curriculum of

7

the school and the quality andamount of time devoted to is vari-ous parts that define the opportu-nities students will have to be-come "literate" in various fieldsthat animate and give substanceto our culture. In this sense it canbe reasonably argued that theschool's curriculum is a mind-altering device.

Our educational policies aredesigned to shape the minds ofthe young. Of course, we do notdefine these policies with suchaims in mind; our conceptions ofwhat we do are seldom so ambi-tious. Yet the effect of our choices,the nature of our priorities, themessages we give to teachers,school administrators, and notleast of all, students, do preciselythis. Through the curricularchoices we make we tell the youngwhat we believe is important forthem to learn. We tell teacherswhat they should devote theirattention to. And we convey toprincipals in countless ways howtheir schools, hence how they,will be evaluated.

In this scheme of things the artsare seldom in the mainstream ofour values. We treat them as out-side the core of schooling. Yet wedo this at the same time that ourculture regards the arts as amongthe highest of human achieve-ments: We build places we call

5

museums to display the fruits ofartistic inquiry and construct con-cert halls to experience the heightswe can reach through music. Ineffect, we recognize as a culturethat the arts represent the apothe-osis of human achievement yet,paradoxically, we provide littleplace for them in our schools.

The results of such neglect areclear. Only a small percentage ofour population visits our muse-ums or attends concert halls. Formost people, the achievementspresented in such places are otherpeople's delights. Yet throughtaxation all citizens pay for them.All of us underwrite what a smallminority can appreciate andenjoy.

If the arts had no unique qualities,if the achievements of great artistswere of no more consequencethan any program randomly se-lected from daytime television,the loss would not be significant.Great art has something unique toprovide. The ability to experiencesuch art enlightens in a specialway and stretches the mind in theprocess. The arts present to thecompetent eye those facets of feel-ing and insight that only artisticform can reveal. There is no ver-bal equivalent of Bach's Mass in BMinor. Words cannot conveywhat the music expresses. But themessages in these works are notthere simply for the taking. Theymust, so to speak, be recovered.They must be read. The worksthemselves must be unwrappedto be experienced. School pro-grams that do not provide ad-equate time and attention to thearts deny students access to a

stunning part of their culture. Suchstudents simply are unable to readour most profound forms of hu-man achievement.

I intentionally used the work"read" in the previous sentence.Visual and musical forms arepatterned forms. They are formsthat reflect a history. They areforms influenced by purpose,shaped by technology, and pos-sessing the signature of theirauthors. To recover the meaningsthese forms possess requires anability to read the language theyuse. It requires one to understand,for example, that Monet wouldpaint the very same haystack fourtimes during the same day, notbecause he was interested in hay-stacks but because he was inter-ested in the way light illuminatedthem at different times. One prof-its from understanding DeChirico's interest in revealing theworld of the unconscious by jux-taposing trains, clock towers, and

8

huge artichokes. Artists have pur-poses and their purposes differ.The experience of art is enhancedby understanding what artists havewanted to accomplish.

We do, of course, recognize thatin the study of history ThomasJefferson's particular vision ofdemocracy is related to our un-derstanding of the Declaration ofIndependence. We teach childrenabout President Wilson's desireto create a worldwide delibera-tive body a League of Nationsand that his efforts are relevant forunderstanding the period afterWorld War I. Indeed, it would bea shallow historical understand-ing or no understanding at allto neglect such features of thepast. The fine arts require no less.The argument thus far is straight-forward. When, through our poli-cies and priorities, we define theschool curriculum, we define whatstudents will have an opportunityto learn. The opportunities they

6

have to learn influence the char-acter of their mental life.

Even though they represent thehighest levels of human achieve-ment in our culture, the fine artsare now afforded little place inthe school curriculum. At theelementary school level they com-mand less than 3 percent of theinstructional time per week, andat the secondary level approxi-mately 80 percent of all highschool students never enrol in afine arts course during the fouryears they are in attendance. Lessthan 3 percent of all school dis-tricts require study in one of thefine arts as condition for gradua-tion.

The result of access denied is aprogram of education that leavesmost students unable to partici-pate in the arts; the great muse-ums and concert halls that popu-late the nation are the resources ofa small minority of our citizens.Artistic literacy is a rare educa-tional commodity.

Thus far the major argument I

have advanced focuses uponaccess to what might be called"cultural capital." There is, how-ever, another line of argument

that I believe to be equally com-pelling. This argument is that par-ticular kinds mental processes areelicited and developed by workin the arts.

If one examines the character ofwhat is taught in schools, particu-larly elementary schools, it be-comes apparent that for the mostpart the tasks that students con-frontare characterized by a highlyrule-governed structure. For ex-ample, arithmetic problems re-quire that children learn the fourbasic operations and how theseoperations apply to the treatmentof numerals. To be correct in arith-metic is to know the right way toperform a particular operation. Ifa student is in doubt, the studentcan prove the answer by perform-ing the appropriate operation.

In learning to spell, there is acorrect and an incorrect way toarrange the letters that constitutewords in the English language.The spelling of words, like theproblems children encounter inarithmetic, are either correct orincorrect. Similarly, in punctua-tion, there tends to be a correctand an incorrect way to evaluatethe sentences children are askedto write. In learning to write there

are models that children are askedto copy so that their letters can beread. Even in early reading thereare correct meanings to the sen-tences and paragraphs childrenare asked to read. In short, the vastmajority of academic tasks youngchildren encounter in school aredriven by a rule-governed systemthat provides little space for per-sonal interpretation; right andwrong are a part of the lexiconthat elementary school childrenare taught to internalize.

What do such tasks mean for stu-dents? What does it mean to chil-dren to have a curriculum in whichfealty to rule is a pervasive fea-ture? Such conditions can lead toa population of rule followers.One of the greatest of educationalfallacies, John Dewey once said,is the belief that children learnonly what they are taught. Chil-dren learn the covert lessons aswell. The school's curriculum iscurrently heavily weighted towarda rule-governed view of learning;there is a correct and an incorrectanswer to each question raised,the teacher knows the correctanswer, and the student's task isto get it right.

"Art is part of the cultural heritage of every society.Art can make an impact on a scale that is literally world wide.

It is therefore the responsibility of all educational agenciesto recognize art education as a fundamental part of

human growth and development."

Saskatchewan Society for Education Through Art

97

In the arts no comparable "com-forts" exist. There is no singlecorrect answer to an artistic prob-lem; there are many. There is noprocedure to tell the student withcertainty that his or her solution iscorrect. There is no algorithm thatone can use to solve an artisticproblem; one must depend uponthat most exquisite of humancapacities judgment.

The exercise of judgment in themaking of artistic images or intheir appreciation depends uponthe ability to cope with ambigu-ity, to experience nuance, and toweigh the trade-offs among alter-native courses of action. Theseskills represent not only the mindoperating in its finest hour, but areprecisely the skills that character-ize our most complex adult lifetasks. The problems that perplexus as adults are not those that canbe treated by algorithms and veri-fied by proof. School programsthat inadvertently teach childrenthere is a correct answer to eachimportant problem they encoun-ter mis-teach children in seriousways. The cultivation of judgmentand the ability to be flexiblypurposive are best achieved whenthe tasks and content childrenencounter in school provide thespace for such skills to operate.When the arts are well taughtsuch skills have an essential place.There is yet another aspect ofmental development that effec-tive teaching in the arts fosters.Ironically, it is an aspect of hu-man development that in our cul-ture we regard as distinct frommind. I speak of the cultivation ofthe senses. Since Plato's time the

senses have been regarded asseparate from mental life; they areconsidered lower in the hierarchyof human capacities. We typi-cally separate feeling from think-ing, emotion from thought, thehead from the hand, and the mindfrom the body. This view is mis-taken. The eye is a part of themind, and the ability to read thequalitative world in which welive is the major avenue throughwhich those forms we callthoughts are constructed. Allthinking requires a content, andthat content emanates from ourcontact with the world. It is oursensory system that first providesthe "material" we experience,reflect upon, and eventuallymanipulate. It is our capacity tocreate images from the world weare able to experience that feedsour imagination. When our sensi-bilities are dulled or ill-developed,the content for reflection andimagination is itself limited. Thesensibilities, wrote Herbert Read,are the sources of our conscious-ness. Learning to see and hear aretherefore the avenues throughwhich an awareness is raised. Tolearn to see and to hear is toachieve a realization of someaspect of the world; it is to theability to achieve this realizationthat the arts contribute so impor-tantly. They call attention to thequalities of the world, they directus to its subtleties, they distill andpresent those qualities in vividand stable form. We can eventu-ally see the geometries, they distilland present those qualities in vividand stable form. We caneventually see the geometries ofthe city through a painting by

10

Charles Sheeler or its lonelinessthrough one by Edward Hopper.We begin to discover what fieldsof colour can do through the workof Josef Albers, or how the powerof line can shape our feelingthrough the images of Franz Kline.Our senses yield sensation andfrom sensation we ascend to theaesthetic. The aesthetic gives riseto feel i ng. Unlike the anaesthetic,which dulls it, art functions in theservice of feeling by reestablish-ing the connection between mindand the senses.

In schools these connections areseldom recognized. The environ-ment of schooling is oftenaesthetically barren think ofthe places where soft surfaces existin schools. It is difficult task. For-mica desks occupying a right-an-gled environment are easier torecall. To the extent the arts bal-ance the environmental picture,to the extent they cultivate thoseaspects of mental life that are nowneglected in the schools, they givethe young an opportunity to real-ize their human potential. Theabsence of the arts in the schoolsis not only a denial of access tothe jewels of our culture, it is adenial of the opportunity to culti-vate the mental potential childrenpossess.

Why arts in the school? As con-tent, the arts represent man's bestwork. Our children ought to haveaccess to such work, and theyshould know that we care thatthey do. When we define ourschool curricula, we not only pro-vide children with access to theintellectual and artistic capital of

8

our culture, we also tell the youngwhat we value for them. Surelythe arts are among the things weought to care about.

The arts are important not onlybecause of what they represent,they are important because of theways in which they engage anddevelop human intellectual abil-ity. To learn to see and to makevisual forms are complex and sub-tle tasks. The child needs to learnhow to look, not simply to assigna label to what is seen, but toexperience the qualities he at-tends. Artistic tasks, unlike somuch of what is now taught inschools, develop the ability tojudge, to assess, to experience a

range of meanings that exceedwhat we are able to say in words.The limits of language are not thelimits of our consciousness. Thearts, more than any other area ofhuman endeavour, exploit thisimportant human capacity.

Even if we were to argue that thearts can make exquisite contribu-tions to the quality of our lives, itwould not follow automaticallythat they should be taught in theschools. It takes no great leap ofimagination to recognize that theachievements about which I havewritten do not occur on their own.One does not acquire subtle andcomplex abbreviations of com-plicated forms simply by getting

11

older. What the culture in generalprovides particularly in the arts

cultivates only a small fractionof what children are capable ofachieving. Not to provide for aneffective program in arts educa-tion in the schools is to teachchildren we do not care about thearts and that it is unimportant thatthey learn to read them. If theseare not the messages we wish toconvey, then programs must beprovided, time must be madeavailable, and teachers must ac-quire the skills to teach the arts insubstantive and meaningful ways.Without a program, adequatetime, and skilled teaching, ouraspirations in this area, as in anyother, are no more than emptyhopes.

Why arts education? Becausewithout it the vast majority of ourchildren will be denied access tothe arts and to the opportunities todevelop the mental skills that workin the arts makes possible. Wecan choose to restrict our pro-gram and deny our children theircultural legacy or we can givethem the opportunity to partici-pate in the artistic wealth ourculture possesses. What kind ofchildren and what kind of culturedo we want?

Elliot W. EisnerStanford University

1984

Reprinted with permission

9

INFORMED ADVOCACYAND ART EDUCATION

by Rita L. Irwin

Many changes are happening inour society and in our educa-tional system. Having lived andworked in three provinces now, Ihave come to recognize some ofthe similarities we hold as Cana-dians, educators, and art educa-tors across Canada. Though thereare also distinctdifferences amongthe people and institutions in eachof these provinces, there is a trendin Western and Central Canadatowards "integration" amongschool subject areas and abilitylevels of students, especially fromkindergarten through grade nine.This represents a departure fromteaching subjects as discrete bod-ies of knowledge or disciplines.The secondary or high school levelhas not escaped this trend, thoughthe relevant political actions takenoften point to the profound ten-sion between the extremes of sub-jects taught as disciplines and ofsubjects taught through interdis-ciplinary or integrated projects.Integration is also a word used bythose who support the integrationof all ability levels of students intoone classroom setting. This prac-tice also raises fundamental ques-tions about teaching and learn-ing. These issues form the contextin which all of us work within arteducation today. Clarifying andarticulating where we feel the artsfit in this new view of teachingand learning is imperative if weare to proceed with any kind ofadvocacy for the arts in educa-

tion. Therefore, I would stronglyencourage each of us to engage indialogue and debate with oneanother regarding such issues.Consensus building is the processthat will yield understanding,respect, and justice. It will alsoyield critical leadership rather thanblind followership.

I am going to take the liberty rightnow of suggesting that with thetrend toward integration amongsubject areas, also comes a dan-gerous view of dismissing the in-tegrity of each of the arts disci-plines. This does not mean thatwe should discourage integrationof subject matter, but rather thatwe should be very clear aboutwhat it is that we are teachingfrom each of the disciplines. Inthis way, integration is not aneasy solution to an old problem,but a more involved approach tosolving the same problem: whatlearning is of most worth and howshould it be taught? My role is notto provide answers to questionslike this, but to raise the ques-tions. If we are to be advocates forart and art education, we must bevery clear about what we believeabout art and want to achieve. Foryou see, advocacy for the sake ofadvocacy is mislead. There havebeen times in the past whenadvocacy efforts began to trivializeart itself. For instance, whenpatrons dressed up to be seen atan art gallery opening or an n-

1

ing night at the theatre, the "beingseen at the event" became moreimportant than responding to theart itself. When we have promotedschool-based art exhibitions andperformances in conjunction withseasonal and festive activities, wewere tempted to celebrate theactivity rather the experience ofcreation. When we donatedmoney to art organizations, wemay have been lead by taxabledeductions rather than commit-ment through financial support.Then again, how many of uswanted our names listed besidewell-known community patronswho have also donated more than$50 this year to a local cause? Yet,many of these patrons remainuneducated in any field of thearts. Finally, how many of us saywe believe that all children shouldhave access to quality art educa-tion, yet we have never actedupon our beliefs and becomeinvolved in creating and respond-ing to a variety of the artsourselves? How many of us havejust decided that fighting for thearts is a losing battle and haveneglected to lobby school,district, or provincial levels ofgovernment to have policieschanged to recognize the value ofart in education?

All of these examples have onething in common: the differencebetween informed and unin-formed advocacy. Advocacy for

10

the sake of advocacy is notenough. Advocacy must beprincipled, that is, bound byethical responsibilities andcommitment. The priority in anyadvocacy movement must belead by clearly articulated goals.In the case of art education, nomatter how we conceive of teach-ing and learning in the arts, wemust be guided by giving priorityto the individual student, thecreation of art, and the disciplineand experience of art. The inter-pretation of these priorities is leftto the professional artistic andeducational community.

Through my involvement with avariety of arts organizations, I havecome to recognize four principlesthat gu ide advocacy efforts. I havechosen to refer to them as princi-ples because we must rememberour ethical commitment to thepromotion of art. As art educa-tors, we are ethically responsibleto our students and the society inwhich we work. The four princi-

ples in which I refer are: publicawareness, professional develop-ment, policy-making, and patron-age. None of these are moreimportant than any other and assuch, each contribute substantiallyto creating informed advocacy.

PUBLIC AWARENESSThe public often lacks an under-standing of the significance of thearts in education. Therefore, anumber of strategies need to beemployed to encourage individu-als in the community to becomepersonally involved in the arts.As more individuals becomeinvolved, a community of voiceswill soon be heard.

Encouraging members of the corn-munity to consider the importanceof art in education may be besthandled through the provision ofinformation about events orprograms such as artists in theschools, local performances,travelling shows, recent arts pub-lications, volunteers for arts

events, etc. To provide the abovesupport, advocacy groups shouldattend to publicity, publications,and promotion. Each of theseinclude slightly different contentand may be directed toward aspecific audience.

Publicity may be viewed asadvertisingfor specific groups, andin so doing, may be used to raisean awareness among the publicas to the number of quality artprograms that are available. Aspeople become informed, theyare more likely to participate inthe events or programs, thusincreasing the level of support.Publicity is often associated withnewspaper articles, radioannouncements, and televisionadvertising.

Publications in the arts shouldprovide substantive informationto the public rather than advertis-ing for specific audiences. Typi-cal arts education publicationsinclude curriculum guidelines

"It is our belief that arts education is valuable not only in and

of itself but, moreover, that it is a catalyst for interdisciplinary

learning, multicultural understanding, the design andapplication

of new and emerging technologies, the fostering of access

and equity in learning, and the development of

assessment techniques."

Leilani Latin Duke, Getty Centre for Education in the Arts

13

11

and resource materials for teach-ers. Often we assume that thepublic includes only those peo-ple who are not educators, but ifyou think about it, we have a largepublic within our professionwhich we cannot neglect. At therecent Canadian Society for Edu-cation Through Art (CSEA) Sym-posium, one of the common con-cerns expressed by teachers wasthe lack of support materials thatcould be taken to principals orsuperintendents promoting thesubstance and design of qualityarts education programs. Thoughmany of these people are special-ists in the field, they feel alone intheir endeavours to promote art.Brochures that detail what a qual-ity art, music, drama, or danceprogram looks like across the prov-ince or country would not onlydescribe the content of a programbut would send the message thatthis kind of program is expectedelsewhere. With the dismissal ofso many arts consultants in recentyears, this kind of publication takeson added significance to teach-ers. They need to feel they canarticulate the value and substanceof an art program. In my experi-ence,-these kinds of brochures area valuable source of informationfor parents and the general publicas well. In particular, parent-school associations and schoolboard trustees would all benefitfrom such brochures.

Promotional activities take theabove efforts of publicity and pub-lications and systematically planto provide information to specificand general audiences across theyear. An easy way to conceive of

such a plan is to list all of thestakeholders-in one column verti-cally, while listing samples of in-formation and publications in onehorizontal and perpendicularrow, thereby forming the basis ofa grid. By checking through thegrid, an arts advocacygroup couldsystematically speak to eachstakeholder group specificallythrough publicity and publicationsseveral times during the year, andin a more general way, severalmore times during the year. Bymaintaining such a constantprofile, art programs becomemore visible and more likely tobecome recognized by thegeneral public and in turn, bykey decision-makers.

If an art advocacy group consid-ered the above, they might becompelled to design a specificbrochure for superintendents, trus-tees, and \or principals, whiledesigning another brochure toaddress the questions raised by

14

parents. How many of us have setout such a plan? By establishing asystematic plan, publications canbe designed one year for meetingthe needs of generalist primaryteachers who have never taughtart with the subsequent year meet-ing the needs of another group ofeducators. Setting up a systematicpromotional system will also helpan art advocacy group define itspriorities according to its primarygoals for art education.

If you are a member of an artadvocacy group, the above mayseem like an awfully large task. Itis, if we think that only a smallgroup are responsible for advo-cacy. On the contrary, all art or-ganizations should actively assistteachers to be art advocates.Teachers can be very effectiveadvocates if they believe they canbe teacher-leaders. One of ourgreatest problems as educators,isour fear of discussing our subjectwith colleagues, parents, and ad-

12

ministrators. As teacher-leaderswe need to keep informed of whatis happening in our field and thenshare this knowledge or informa-tion with others while we talkwith them informally. Popular mis-conceptions about arts educationcan gradually be dismissed if weonly talk to people. This leads toanother form of teacher-leader-ship: articulating the role of thearts in a balanced curriculum forthe benefit of all teachers andadministrators. Non-art special-ists will also come to appreciatethe role of art as special activitiesgive visibility to art programs. Theonly concern here may be in howthe latter strategy is perceivedwithin the total program of theschool. In other words, art pro-grams may work with, rather thanas a hand maiden to, other disci-pline areas.

Another way teachers can be lead-ers is by personally and profes-sionally maintaining their involve-ment and commitment to theirchosen artistic field. Throughmodeling our commitment to cre-ating or appreciating art, we havegreater credibility in the eyes ofthe public and our colleagues. Aswe model our commitment, othersubject matter specialists may bemore inclined to personally expe-rience art. If you think of it, if wehave felt success with something,we are more likely to be support-ive of it. Just as art advocacy groupsshould set up a systematic promo-tional plan, teacher leaders shouldendeavour to discuss the role ofart in education with colleaguesas well as school-based and dis-trict-level administration. The

more these people hear from arteducators, the more informed theywill become.

Art advocacy groups at the re-gional or provincial level mightconsider other ways of acting liketeacher-leaders who promote arteducation through discussion witha variety of stakeholder groups.For instance, regional seminarsfor parents one year and schooltrustees the next. The productionof videotapes or audiotapes thatportray, describe, and interpretquality art programs, are anothergood source for promotion.

In summary, public awareness isan important principle of informedadvocacy. Four characteristics ofthis principle should be attendedto by individuals and groupsconcerned with arts educationadvocacy: publicity, publications,promotional activities, and teach-ers as leaders.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTGeneralists and specialists alikeneed to feel confident with thesubject matter they are teachingstudents. If this confidence is notachieved, arts programming isseriously jeopardized. Therefore,the principle of professionaldevelopment must be continu-ously addressed for and by alleducators.

Most art advocacy groups alreadyprovide a great deal of profes-sional development activities. Arange of staffing patterns exist inelementary and secondaryschools: generalists, generalistswho take on specialist responsi-

15

bilities, and specialists. Each ofthese groups of educators havedifferent needs which becomemore punctuated by the variouslevels of instruction held by teach-ers. A wide variety of preservice,inservice, and staff developmentactivities should be carefullydesigned to assist the specificneeds of the teacher. In the past,many staff development activitiessought to change beliefs and atti-tudes in an effort to change andimprove classroom instruction,which in turn would improve stu-dent learning. In recent years,researchers have come to realizethat teachers need to see the ben-efits of new teaching practices intheir own classrooms throughimproved student learningoutcomes, before teachers willintegrate these new experiencesinto new beliefs, and attitudes. Allof us know that change is a long,slow process. As long as we takethe time to give teachers regularinstruction and feedback as theytry new ideas, provide additionalfeedback as to how students arecoping with the change, and fol-low-through with additional sup-port as needed, all teachers willchange and improve their teach-ing practices. All levels of leader-ship, that is, local, provincial, andnational, need to provide profes-sional development experiencesand feedback for teachers andtheir art programs. As we havelearned in recent years, co-opera-tive and collegial support groupsformed through such experienceswill encourage networks of teach-ers learning and working togethertoward common goals.

13

POLICY-MAKINGAll art organizations, at all levels(local, provincial, and national)need to be concerned with devel-oping and promoting art educa-tion policy. Ideally, policies fromone level to another should bephilosophically parallel orconsistent among one another. Ifthey are, then packages or sets ofpolicies can be delivered to deci-sion makers as a concerted forceof professional consensus. How-ever, all art organizations shouldbe primarily concerned withdeveloping art education policythat meets the needs of theirclientele and their mandates.Government departments that areresponsible for certification ofteachers need to be lobbied byprovincial art education associa-tions to increase the amount oftime dedicated to learning the artsin preservice programs. Thesesame departments need to bereminded of the constant inserviceneeds of teachers through policystatements devised by arts educa-tion organizations. Whatever thegoal of the art advocacy groupmight be requires considerablelobbying for political and educa-tional change. This is no smalltask and remains a constantconcern to art educators.

There are many times that as arteducators we forget about coun-terpart art organizations whocould give us additional support.These organizations may not belead primarily by educative goals,but they are dedicated to the arts.The more we network with theseorganizations and people, themore support we will gain for our

own cause. We need to increaseour critical mass of advocates ifwe are ever to cause substantialsocietal change.

Just as the principle of publicawareness needs to be supportedthrough promotional strategies ofsystematic timelines detailing ini-tiatives, so too does the principleof policy-making. Art organiza-tions need to raise important is-sues with their membership inorder to bring about debate anddialogue. Through discussion andclarification, appropriate and rea-sonable timelines can be designedto write and rewrite potentialpolicy statements. With furtherreflection and reference to cur-rent research in the professionalfield, policy statements will havean even greater chance of beingviewed as having integrity.

PATRONAGEIn the past, patronage has beenregarded as simply financial sup-

port for individual artists or artinstitutions. In more recent years,patronage has come to reach be-yond this definition to also in-clude advocacy. Yes, funding inthe arts needs to be increased andso public and private financialsupport is sorely necessary. How-ever, there is an even greater needfor private and public supportthrough informed advocacy. Non-professional patrons of the artsneed to become informed on whatconstitutes quality art educationprograms. They need to learn whatobjectives art educators have fortheir programs and for their stu-dents. They need to recognize theprimacy and integrity of the arts asbeing central to education. Thiscall for an informed view of advo-cacy flies in the face of past pa-tronage when individuals gavemoney to institutions without everattending a function, celebratingan achievement, or recognizingan artist or artisan. This form ofadvocacy also calls into question

1614

the current practice of corpora-tions donating financial supportto individuals or institutions with-out taking express interest in theexperience or creation of artitself. Marketing consumablesand trivializing artifacts does notencourage meaningful under-standing of the artistic processand eventual products. Informedadvocates would be educated inand about the arts, and through,personal and professional com-mitment, act as spokespersons onbehalf of the arts in education.

A very important strategy tostrengthen the principle of pa-tronage is the networking and sub-sequent dialogue among groupsof artists, educators, patrons, andothers interested in advocacy. Aseach brings their ideas, precon-ceptions, and numerous compe-tencies to the shared commitmentof promoting art, a greater senseof commitment among the artisticcommunity will emerge. This par-

ticipation is critical to advocacyefforts. We have to feel like wecan learn from one another andthus communication remains anendless goal of all advocates.

IN SUMMARYWhat I have shared with you maybe viewed as a series of ideas thatwe have all heard before. Advo-cacy is not new. If I have tried tobring anything different to thisnotion of advocacy, it is that wehave to remain principled in ourefforts. We cannot forget what weare all about. Art is our personalpassion and art education is ourprofessional passion. Each of uscan remember why we came intoour roles as arts educators. I amsure we each have our stories ofhow the creation of an image or aperformance consumed our ener-gies and somehow made thewhole world make sense. Wecannot afford to lose sight of whywe came to be artists and educa-tors. We have an ethical responsi-

1 7

bility to ourselves, our students,and our public. We have tobelieve in the integrity of art, andprovide an educated and informedview for all individuals who arewilling to commit themselves tobeing art advocates. We cannotbe advocates for the sake of com-plaining or pleading any longer.We have to believe in the integrityof the arts and we have to believein the primacy of the arts in abalanced curriculum. If we com-mit ourselves to this belief andarticulate the experiences orreasons behind these beliefs in aconstant yet penetrating manner,we will find more and morepeople who will support art.Advocacy is simply a way ofcommunicating between thosewho support art and those whomake decisions regarding thearts. The message we deliver' isvery important but the techniqueused to deliver the message alsobecomes the message. This pleafor accountability and responsi-bility is not often heard in profes-sional circles. But then again, ifwe really are committed to art,we already know and appreciatewhat we have and what othershave yet to find.

For a more elaborate version of this topic pleasesee: Irwin, R.L. (1993). The four principles of artadvocacy: Public awareness, professional devel-opment, policy making, and patronage. Art Educa-tion, 46(1), 71-77.

er:=4:3-

Rita L. Irwin, Assistant ProfessorVisual and Performing Arts in

Education. University of BritishColumbia, 2125 Main Mall,

Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4

15

SEEING THROUGHTHE EYES OF THE ARTS

Let me begin with some pedanticobservations. Education, fromeducare means "to lead out"; outof chaos into order. It is the mostimportant thing that happens tous in our lives.

At the moment, and for years tocome, the human species is tryingto educate itself to live with thecolossal power of modern tech-nologywhich itself was one ofthe fruits of education.

A new collectivity, the UnitedNations, must lead us out of thejungle of war toward a new inter-national order. If, today, the neworder looks all too much like theold jungle we would complain,but not despair. For education is acreative actthe fashioning ofsomething that has shape from arecalcitrant material. The path tocreation whether in art, scienceor politics, is never a straight one.

In the instrument of creation, inyour field or mine, is contempla-tion. The Latin for that is"cogitare"; "to think". The realmeaning of the word cogitare,one is told, is "to shake together".This is something that I havebeen doing since, at the age ofeight, I got my first chemistry set.In those distant days the realiza-tion of my goal was signalled by astench or a bang. Later I learnedto shake things together with more

by John C. Polanyi

definite, though not necessarilymore wondrous ends in view.

in the process of education welearn to manipulate the elementsof composition as much throughthe arts as through the sciences.The sciences are distinguishedby dealing largely with the partsof human experience than canbe quantified. But not exclusively.For if that were all they dealtwith, science would be a fruitlesspursuit.

Because two measurements agree,it does not follow that one hasmade a discovery. When, onesnowy day, Pooh and Piglet madetheir famous discovery that theirfootsteps fitted precisely into thosewhich preceded them they con-cluded, eventually, that theymight have been walking in acircle. There are, it seems, certainsimply symmetrics that form apart of the experience even of abear and a pig.

The scientist whose eye has beeneducated through the arts hasaccess to more subtle symmetries.Any individual who is required tothinkand in a democracy onemust pray that this includes themajoritywill know so more ef-fectively if she or he has at sometime experienced the creativeprocess through the arts.

18

It is, as you know, a terrifyingexperience to think. Problems asyet unsolved, in common withpainting unpainted, give theappearance of being foreverbeyond our reach. One thinkshere again of the Middle East, asalso of the wider problem of arriv-ing at a global modus vivendiwithout blundering into a calamitous world war. You will under-stand, therefore, that I do not pickmy example at random when Iattempt to illustrate the fearfuladventure of creating in terms ofPicasso's sketches for Guernica.There have been two events inthis century that marked the dawnof a new age. They reinforced oneanother in such a way as to changethe course of history, as it is

changed only once in the courseof several millennia. The first ofthese events was attitudinal andthe second technological. I havein mind first of all the acceptanceof the concept of total war. Thismany of us have come to associ-ate with the Spanish town ofGuernica. The second pivotalevent which came a very fewyears later, was the invention ofnuclear weapons, which madetotal war a threat to the very exist-ence of our species. Neither ofthese events is, in my view,reversible.

What is required of us is that weeducate ourselves to a new view

16

of the 'world in which we put ourhumanity and our obligation tothe future of humankind ahead ofsectarian interests. It is a vastchallenge to education.

The challenge, though presentedin part by science, can only bemet through marshalling theenormous power of the arts:speech, literature, theatre, poetry,painting, sculpture, music anddance.

To recapitulate I have said twothings. First, that scientific discov-ery, since it depends upon givingshape to observations, drawsstrength from the arts. And sec-ond, that our ability to adjust to aworld transformed by science willdepend once again on the powerof the arts, to stimulate and guideour thinking.

Here then is an example of thecivilizing effect of the arts throughpainting.

On April 26,1937, Franco's andHitler's airforces, allied in theSpanish Civil War, attacked a ci-vilian target, Guernica. The at-tack was a pin-prick comparedwith those we see in contempo-rary warfare, nonetheless it filledthe world with horror.

I was eight years old at the timeand I watched the bombing ofGuernica on the Pathe newsreelat the Tatler cinema in Manches-ter. The audience, I recall, sat stilland quiet as they watched pic-tures in which small black flecksfloated down toward the fleeingfigures below. The name Guernicawould by now have been forgot-ten but for the fact that the eventsof that day call out to us fromPicasso's mural.

I show you three sketches, dated.May 1,1937, in which Picassocogitated on this event, "shaking"the symbolic elements togetherextinguished lights, tortured crea-tures, shattered infants, lament-ing parentsbefore having themfall in place in a composition inwhich each element supportedthe others. I have never seen theoriginal (in the Prado, Madrid) butfor me, as for millions of others, itis one of the most powerfulexpressions of the damage ofmodern war.

At the time it was considered ashockingly abstract canvas.Shocking it was, and remains.Abstract it never was, unless oneregards E=mc2, because it is

expressed symbolically, as anabstraction. Guernica constitutesan observation and warning inregard to the new age.

A work of art, I wish to suggest, isnot merely an artifact, an objectcreated, but also a discovery sinceit makes a statement that is true.

The culmination of Picasso'sexperimentation with Guernicawas not an arbitrary terminus, anymore than the conclusion of ascientific paper is arbitrary. Bothcan equally well be described attheir close as something createdor both as something discovered,since both elements are present.

The scientist and artist communi-cate with the world they inhabit,as a blind person does with acane. If he holds the cane tightlyhe is a scientist receiving the

17

"The true artist, like the true scientist, is a researcherusing materials and techniques to dig into the truth and meaning

of the world in which he himself lives, and what he creates,or better perhaps, brings back, are the objective,

results of his explorations."

Paul Strand, photographer

impressions that nature makes onthe people, with minimalinvolvement of the instrument ofmeasurement. If he holds thecane loosely he is more of anartist, since he seeks to be con-scious not only of the world butalso of the instrument throughwhich he perceives it, be it achisel, a brush, or a baton.

The difference between the artistand scientist as an explorer is asubtle one, and I have surely failedto do it justice. But it is thesimilarity that is more important.Both categories of explorer, whenthey succeed, become discover-ers. Since the world they exploreis the same, the means by whichthey explore it must be comple-mentary. They have an unlimitedamount to teach one another.

Is this obscure? To me, as a prac-tising scientist, it appears self-evi-dent.

Perhaps I should now tell youhow the pursuit of science looksto this practitioner.

First of all it is not a passive but anactive pursuit. When Isherwoodwrote "I am a Camera" in hisBerlin diary, he was engaged inhiding behind that statement. Hewas, in fact a part of what he sawin the Berlin of the late 1930's.

Neither I, nor any other scientist,can lay claim to being a camera.The camera is in fact incapable ofseeing. That is why it is not (adver-tisements notwithstanding) idiotproof. I have repeatedly provedthe contrary. The reason is thatthe camera cannot aim itself, can-not compose the picture, and can-not decide whether to focus onthe foreground, middle ground,or background.

A favourite illustration of the factthat seeing is a function into whichthe observer, whether artist orscientist, projects her or himself isthe way in which we view whatsome people call a reversiblegoblet, the invention of a Mr. EdgarRubin. The observer, by a con-scious act of will, determines notwhat his eyes see, but is what his

20

mind acknowledges is what hiseyes have seen.

Even at the unconscious level,seeing is an actionan act ofdiscovery. Behaviourial psycholo-gists have now recorded the move-ment of an individual's eye when,as one might think, he is passivelyviewing an object. The eye is notmerely receiving signals, it is ac-tively and continuously seekingthem. It is feeling its way aroundthe object.

Since the eye belongs to an adult,it is bringing all that the individualknows about the world to bear onthe viewed object. The object isscanned not as the electron beamscans the face of a television tube,but as the artist sketches a subject.First the viewer's eyes establishesthe major outlines, and then itreturns to the featuresthe eyes,mouth, nose and earsthat areconsidered to be most likely toprove revealing.

A viewer from another culture, forexample an oriental viewer, might

18

use his eye differently, just as anoriental hand would sketchdifferently. The act of seeing is acultural act.

This rich pattern of activity takesplace without the volition of theviewer. It is an inescapable part ofconsciousness.

My wife was handed this card bya visiting Shriner in Toronto. Heasked her whether she was goodat proofreading, and then had herread from this card. Try it. I estab-lished some sort of a record bymisreading the text more tena-ciously than anyone else, so de-termined was I to shape it to mycultural preconditioning.

One could readily expand on thislist of examples, but these areenough to make the point that inthe most elementary acts of see-ing one is involved in a commit-ment to a set of believers regard-ing what is more or less probable,and what is more or less impor-tant beliefs that draw uponintellectual milieu that we callour " culture".

If the act of observation, andtherefore the pursuit of science,consists of a culturally conditionedsketching with the mind's eye,then one is bound to wonderwhether one can distinguishscience from any of the arts.

The confusion represents a betterstarting point for understandingscience than most. It leads us tothe recognition that the enormouspower of science lies in the subtle

ways in which it differs from theother arts.

At first sight the differences arenot such as to commend scienceto us. Where the artist dares tostart by shaping a complete pic-ture, the scientist merely hopes toend with one. The scientist's start-ing point is narrow. The subjectbeing viewed, he believes, shouldbe seen as far as possible, in iso-lation. It should be as simple asubject as possible. The explana-tion offeredthat is to say therepresentation of what is beingobservedshould be simplerstill. In common with the artist,the scientist is groping ceaselesslyfor symmetries, for patterns.Unlike the artist he forswears allpatterns but those irreducible tosimpler ones.

In this Renaissance picture theartist, Darer, pays homage to thescientist. The scientist, atthe right,is a noble figure, impressive forhis concentration on the task athand. At the same time the under-taking has its tragic aspects sinceit is designed to reduce theshadings of a voluptuous figure toa Cartesian function of twocoordinates. A living form is inthe process of being reduced to acatalogue of distances, x and y,measured on a plane.Trivialization and dehumaniza-tion are hazards of the scientificmethod.

Derer did not, however, underes-timate the importance of thisundertaking, nor should we.

21

So great was the power of sciencefour centuries later, that art waspaying science the complimentof attempting to gain powerthrough a comparable reductionof its own subject matter, to in-clude only the simplest ofsymmetries. For a short time artdid indeed succeed in gainingpower through this extremeeconomy of means. It took thegenius of Picasso to burlesque thetrend to reductionism in art, ofwhich he himself was among themightiest exponents.

This final slide will service as areminder of the central theme ofthis talk which is that the arts andsciences are complementary waysof seeing the world, and that byeducating our vision they causeus to see ourselves afresh.

Since we express our view of our-selves most clearly in our actionsthere will always be a section ofsociety that regards the thinkingthat underlies those actions asbeing of subsidiary importance.To be professionally engaged inplaying with forms, as the artistdoes, or with symbols, as we sci-entists do, is to appear to be lead-ing a frivOlous life.

Here again, in the accusationsthat are made against us, the artistand the scientist find themselveson common ground.

I and my colleagues are engagedin basic science. We address, orshould address, those questionswhich are of the greatest impor-tance to understanding nature, and

19

which in addition give evidenceof being answerable in a reason-able time-span at an acceptablecost.

In doing this we have no specificapplication in view, since beforemaking a discovery it is difficult toknow what it may best be usedfor. Instead we make our discov-eries where, at any given time,nature permits them to be made.To the charge of irrelevance werespond that it is only the failureto make discoveries that leads toirrelevance. It is on this basis thatwe seek creative freedom.

But that emphatically does notinclude the freedom to do workthat is shoddy or derivative orthird-rate, either in science or inart.

The charge of irrelevance is mosteffectively belied by oppressiveregimes, which fear the independ-ence of mind of the scientist andthe artist, and rear them aboutequally. Here again your commu-nity and mine find commongroundthis time in the prisoncell.

Not long ago Ceausescu, thetyrant of Romania, installed hiswife as President of the RomanianAcademy of Science, and notbecause of her scientific prowess.In one neighbouring countrySakharov was in exile and inanother Havel, the playwright nowPresident, was in prison.

Among the supposedly "irrel-evant" the only individuals asdangerous as physicists to regimes

se-

22

that fear thought are poets, sinceboth have a passionate interest inthe truth.

I should like to close with theseremarks to salute Mr. Gang Liu,aged 29, a physicist who is on trialfor his life today in Beijing, China.Inspired by another Chinesephysicist, Lizhi Fang, Mr. Liu tooka public stand in favour of free-dom of thought and discussion.He was one of the organizers ofthe sit-in in Tiananmen Squaretwo years ago. Our thoughts arewith him; we wonder at thesource-of his courage. A greatcivilization debases itself bytreating those who embracefreedom as criminals.

It has seemed in recent times thatthose who treasured the truth wereon the winning side. If so, it is insubstantial measure because thearts and the sciences have keptthe name of independent thoughtalive under the most adverse cir-cumstances. How much more im-portant the arts and sciences canbe in nations where they are per-mitted to flourish.

John C. Polanyi Polanyi (Professor,University of Toronto,Canada)

Reprinted with permission

20

MORE THAN PUMPKINS IN OCTOBER -

VISUAL LITERACY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

PART 1. THE IMPORTANCE OFART EDUCATION

WHY DO STUDENTS NEEDSUBSTANTIVE ART EDUCATION?What exactly can art educationbe and how can it promote crea-tivity and enrich students' educa-tional development? What is in-volved in putting together a qual-ity K-12 visual arts program? Andwhat can art education add to thedevelopment of the whole child?As a school board member, theseare the types of questions youwant answered.

It's likely, however, that these andother questions about art educa-tion haven't been dealt with dur-ing your school system's curricu-lum discussions. Too often in thepast, the main arguments for artinstruction have been "soft," emo-tional ones rather than cognitiveones, usually along the lines of"art is good for students" and thatincluding it in the curriculum isthe "right thing to do."

Such arguments aren't compel-ling enough these days, whenparents want an education for thei rchildren that will enhance overallcompetence and ability toachieve. But there are soundarguments that the inclusion inbasic curricula of comprehensivevisual arts education (and its newtype of art education coursework)is increasingly necessary if

by National School Boards Association

students are to receive a completeand balanced education.

A complete education that pre-pares students to succeed in the21st century should include acomprehensive visual arts pro-gram as an integral part of theK-12 curriculum. Because itfleshes out the core curriculumbeyond the bareboned basics, arteducation is a 21st century essen -.tial that helps create well roundedgraduates with multidimensionalinterests and capabilities.

Further, a growing body of evi-dence from classrooms indicatethat strengths gained in the studyof art carry over into other subjectareas. Skillfully taught and inte-grated into the general curricu-lum, the arts help achieve manyof the aims of education reform. Astudy of the arts gives children thetools to see and make valid judg-ments about their environments.The arts also provide an effectivebridge to understanding and ap-preciating other cultures.

An educationally substantive,sequenced, comprehensive visualarts program expands knowledgeand contributes to developing stu-dents' reasoning capabilities. Ithelps students develop concen-tration and encourages them tothink critically. In today's increas-ingly visual and interconnectedworld, comprehensive visual arts

23

education teaches students to bevisually I iterateand multicultural lysensitive and aware. In addition,using art images when teachingmath, science, geography, litera-ture, and other subjects canincrease student learning andimprove attitudes toward learn-ing. Such a program is academi-cally worthwhile and providesopportunities for all students, notjust budding artists. As in othersubjects, student learning can beevaluated through graded home-work, classroom assignments,studio work, portfolios, and tests.An effective art educationprogram is more like other parts ofthe curriculum than unlike.

Increasingly, the reasons for pro-viding art education are becom-ing clearly understood and widelysupported. National organiza-tions, including the Council ofChief State School Officers, theCouncil for Basic Education, andthe National Conference of StateLegislatures, endorse this com-prehensive approach to visual artseducation. In 1990, for the firsttime, the National School BoardsAssociation's Delegate Assemblypassed a resolution on art educa-tion. The resolution reads:

"NSBA urges local school boardsto establish and maintain com-prehensive, multi-faceted arts edu-cation programs in their schooldistricts as a means of:

21

A. providing students with train-ing and experiences in the aes-thetic qualities of the world aroundthem; B. allowing them to expressthemselves through the arts; andC. developing in them an appre-ciation for the arts as an expres-sive record of mankind's devel-opment."

When put in place, such pro-grams provide knowledge andskills as well as enrichment. Theyengage not only students' handsbut also their minds. Furthermore,such programs have the potentialto benefit all students, from alleconomic, social, racial, andethnic backgrounds.

This manual, written specificallyfor you in your role as a schoolboard member, presents the phi-losophy underlying substantive,comprehensive visual arts educa-tion programs; details suggestionson how to put an effective, K-12art education program in place;provides case studies of ways ef-fective programs are being imple-mented; and lists resources to turnto when creating a program. Itshould help answer your ques-tions about the value of art educa-tion and provide a step-by-stepprocess for building a serious andsubstantive art program in yourdistrict.

WHY THE VISUAL ARTS?IT'S AS SIMPLE AS ABC. Art isBasic to the Curriculum. Withoutincorporation of comprehensivevisual arts education in the corecurriculum, a student's schoolingis void of essential learning op-portunities and thus incomplete.

"The arts must not only lie at the heart of

the classroom, but the classroom itselfmust become a cultural experience"

Lise Bissonnette(Publisher, Le Devoir, Montreal)

Arteducation helps provide a thor-ough, balanced learning experi-ence for all students.

While an effective K-12 visualarts education program includesthe making of art, it also involvesmuch more. The four necessarycomponents of a comprehensivevisual arts programsometimesreferred to as discipline-based arteducation or DBAEare arthistory, art criticism, aesthetics(understanding the nature of art),and production of art. (More onthese four visual arts disciplinesshortly.) There is a growingnational awareness of the needfor this type of comprehensiveapproach to teaching art. Alreadymore than 37 states have adoptedframeworks that reflect thisapproach to art education. Anincreasing number of statesmandate art education for highschool graduation and/or requireit for college entrance.

The value of art education toschoolchildren often is vastly un-derrated. Many peopleinclud-ing many school board mem-bershold beliefs about art edu-cation that result in its relegationto the margins of the curriculum.This may be because they did nothave substantive, comprehensive

24

visual arts instruction during theirown schooling.

The art education program thatresults from following the guide-lines presented in this publicationwill be a multidimensional onethat helps develop the whole child.It will help students become bet-ter learners by teaching them toanalyze relationships, interpretmeanings, make judgments, andwork toward completing goals.

Such a program trains students tosolve problems in different ways,helping them develop the con-ceptual underpinnings needed tocope with ambiguity in situationswhere there is no immediate rightor wrong answer or where thereare several ways to arrive at asolution. It serves as a counterbal-ance to rote learning and multi-ple-choice tests by helping to ex-pand and refine the imaginationand to develop critical thinkingand reasoning skills.

In many school systems, currentvisual arts programs need tobecome more subject-based andcontent-driven. In addition tohaving students make art, it is alsovaluable to expose them to artand to help them understand artthrough more substantive pro-

22

grams that are evaluated, account-able parts of the curriculum.

The need for art education isgaining additional importance asvisual images take on more andmore societal importance and ourworld becomes increasinglyvisually oriented. Today's stu-dents have grown up accustomedto the fast-paced images on tel-evision and in videos. As a result,they often think in visual termsand respond best to instructionthat has strong visual components.

Writing in the New York Times,Robert W. Pittman, a senior ex-ecutive at Time Warner Inc. and acreator of the MW cable net-work, notes "because of TV per-haps, TV babies seem to perceivevisual messages better: that is,through sense impressions. Theycan 'read' a picture or understandbody language at a glance....Whether we like this new multidi-mensional language or not, it ishere. Only by learning to conducta dialogue that conforms to itsgrammar can we improve thechance of affecting change inthose whom we so desperatelyneed to reach."

Because the world is becomingincreasingly oriented to visualcommunication, it is becomingmore important that today's visu-ally attuned students receive train-ing in interpreting and makinginformed judgments about themeanings of visual images. Putanother way, schools must helpthem develop educated percep-tion, providing training so thatstudents will understand whatthey

are seeing, who is presenting theimages, and why the images arebeing shown to them.

A comprehensive visual arts pro-gram enables students to interpretimages that come into their liveson television, in magazines andnewspapers, on billboards andalbums and compact disc covers.It can help them understand di-versity, be comfortable with am-biguity, and articulate similaritiesand differences among cultures.

Art education helps students de-velop the type of practical crea-tivity needed to meet the chal-lenges of a competitive world. AsDrew University PresidentThomas H. Kean wrote while hewas governor of New Jersey, "Theengineer who has studied paint-ing will grasp the 'utility' of beautyin a world of increasingly sophis-ticated design.... Creativity andexpressiveness will be valuablecommodities in an economy thatplaces a premium on adaptabil-ity." Noting that businesses needto hire workers with basic skillsthat include problem-solving, lis-tening, negotiating, and knowinghow to learn, President Kean goeson to say, "art may well providethe best career training a solici-tous parent could hope for."

As the world moves toward aglobal economy, the multiculturalnature of art helps provide a win-dow into other cultures andheighten awareness of the inter-national community. Visuallanguage is a language we sharewith all other cultures; havingaccess to this language provides

23

skills for cross-cultural communi-cation and understanding.

This multicultural dimension ofart education takes on increasingimportance as American schoolenrollments become moredemographically diverse. As BillHonig, California's superintend-ent of public instruction, notes,"the United States in particularowes a cultural debt to just aboutevery part of the globe. As thediversity and numbers of {the}student population continue togrow, the power of the arts toshow our children their commonhumanity and build bridges ofunderstanding should not beunderestimated . "

THE FACTS ABOUTCOMPREHENSIVE VISUALARTS EDUCATIONART EDUCATION BUILDSKNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES, ANDCREATIVITY. Creating and un-derstanding often involve solid,rigorous workas any boardmember who has built a budget orhelped craft policy knows. It's noaccident that "build" and "craft"are both art terms.

It's time to knock down some oldstereotypes about art education."The way it was" is a long wayfrom what can be. So, put asideyour memories and assumptionsand discover the kind of mind-building K-12 art educationprogram your school system cancreate.

A well-constructed comprehen-sive arts education program is abuilding block in a vital, varied

23

curriculum. It presents thechance to augment, complement,and interweave other disciplines.Art education gives unique in-sight into what it means to behuman by providing a means forunderstanding history and expres-sions of cultures and civilizations.

Teachers know that words aloneare not enough. Just as it is gener-ally accepted that "a picture isworth a thousand words," learn-ing-styles research has shown thatthe visual arts are able to sparkdisciplined inquiry in manystudents, especially those whodo not respond well to language-only, lecture-type instruction.Because the arts can help schools'move beyond one-dimensionalinstruction and enhance an inter-disciplinary approach to learn-ing, comprehensive visual artsinstruction expands and evenopens new learning pathways formany students.

Visual arts education providesways for students to express them-selves both nonverbally andverbally. Perception, imagination,and creativity are among the non-verbal skills art education helpsdevelop. Among the verbal skillsare an expanded vocabulary,development of metaphoricallanguage, and skills related to criti-cal thinking. These skills areamong the most rewardedcompetencies in later life.

In fact, the lasting dividends of acomprehensive visual arts pro-gram include numerous skillsneeded in life. Such programs helpstudents:

learn to solve problems andmake decisions;build self-esteem andself-discipline;build informed perception;build skills in cooperation andgroup problem solving;develop the ability to imaginewhat might be;learn to weigh meanings andevaluate what is seen;appreciate, understand, andbe aware of different culturesand cultural values.

In the onslaught of education re-form efforts, a variety of subjectsare vying for inclusion in corecurricula. Rather than cutting backon art as some suggest, now is thetime to include art and to improvethe quality of art education. Toinclude art education in core cur-ricula is fully compatible with re-form efforts to create excellentschools and competitive students.

WHAT A COMPREHENSIVEVISUAL ARTS CURRICULUMSHOULD INCLUDE ANDACHIEVEWHEN AN ART CURRICULUMTEACHES ONLY ART PRODUC-TION, it s as incomplete as aliterature curriculum thatteaches only creative writing or achemistry lab without a text.

Comprehensive visual arts edu-cation is part of the basic K-12curricular program and consistsof more than taking studio/ pro-duction courses. It goes beyondholiday arts and crafts. It reachesmore than a small pool of talentedstudents.

Such a curriculum stands on itsown, yet fits, well with efforts to

26

teach other core academic sub-jects across the curriculum; it hasthe ability to tie in with coursessuch as history, math, social stud-ies, economics, literature, and lan-guage arts And, like those sub-jects, art education should be heldaccountable by an evaluation/as-sessment procedure. (Specificexamples of how visual arts pro-grams are able to provide an inter-disciplinary framework are givenin the case studies for Nevada'sClark County School District andTennessee's Cleveland CitySchool System in Part 3.)

A comprehensive visual arts cur-riculum should integrate ideas,skills, knowledge, values, andcreative ability from four art disci-plines:

1) art history, which allows stu-dents to understand and appreci-ate works of art from differentcultures, places, and times; 2) artcriticism, which allows studentsto analyze and evaluate the struc-ture, meaning, and significanceof works of art and to make rea-soned interpretations and judg-ments about them; 3) aesthetics,the inquiry into understanding thenature, beauty, and experience ofart, which allows students to for-mulate opinions about art and toarticulate therri using appropriatevocabulary; 4) art production,which allows students to presenttheir ideas and feelings by creat-ing expressive images in one ormore of the visual art forms.

When examining the content ofan art education program, the fol-lowing points should be part of abasic checklist:

24

It should be a component ofthe school system's corecurriculum.It should be taughtdistrictwide.It should be taught at all levelsof the K -12 curriculum.It should be based on awritten, sequenced curriculumwhere content builds onearlier learningIt should integrate with otherportions of the curriculum.It should be taught to all chil-dren, not just to those who areidentified as having talent orwho express interest.It should provide encounterswith authentic works of artfrom various cultures throughmuseum visits, artists in theschool programs, and othercommunity resources.It should go beyond holidayarts and crafts, drawing itscontent from the four visualarts disciplines.It should be assessable. Bothteachers and students shouldbe held accountable for whatis learned in art class.

If education is to become all itcan be, school board membersneed to take a leadership role inputting in place a comprehensivevisual arts education program. Bytaking decisive action, the boardmakes an important, far-reachingcurricular decision for localschools and meets its responsibil-ity to provide students with a com-plete and high-quality education.According to one school boardmember, "I'm a 20-year boardmember in the Montebello (Cali-fornia) Unified School District.This is where I grew up. So, I am

now on the school board in thesame community where !attendedschool.

When I was going to school here,there was no formal education inart. I didn't know how to go to amuseum and understand what Iwas seeing. I might look at a paint-ing and say 'Oh, look how old thisone is.' But I didn't know how totalk aboutthe painting. When mydaughters were in school, theywere told to draw and copy art. Ithad no meaning; it was rote. It didnot have any self-expression. I

realize now I was short-changedin my education, and so were mydaughters.

Ten years ago, I'd say the majorityof our board was not comfortabletalking about art or familiar withmany specific artists. Now,through learning about art educa-tion and having our board imple-ment an art program, I finally feelcomfortable going to museums. Ilook to see what an artist is tryingto say and the ways colors, shapes,and forms are used. I'd say thewhole board has a new under-standing of art at this point. Ourart education program, which hasbeen in place about six years now{since 1985), has made us allmuch more visually aware.

If there were any board memberswho were doubters about the vir-tues of art education, it probablywas the presentations studentsmade and continue to make toour board that convinced us of itsworth. These students are com-fortable talking about specific art-ists and styles. They are muchmore aware of colors and shapesthan my classmates and I were.

2

You can tell this even from thingslike their clothes and the way theycoordinate the colors. Art is be-coming part of the everyday liv-ing process for them.

Our district's art program is {im-plemented) throughout the entirecurriculum. In the earliest grades,we teach children to count colors.Is that not math? Art is a method,a tool used in many learning situ-ations. You give youngsters a boxof crayons in a science courseand teach them about mixingcolors. Is that not art? Art has thecapability of interacting with allother disciplines. In history andgeography classes you can talkabout what country an artist livedin and what kind of life he or shelived. Art opens whole newavenues for discussions.

I wish I had known years ago whatI know now about art. Like read-ing, writing, and doing math, art isa basic and a basis for all types ofeducation. We have seen the re-sults here from acknowledging itas a basic.

My advice to other school boardmembers would be, please, keepan open mind about comprehen-sive visual arts education. Stopand think about it and what it hasto offer. It is the type of life enrich-ing instruction you would wish togive your own children and grand-children. As a board member, youare in a position where you cangive it to all children. "

Eleanor ChowSchool Board MemberMontebello, California

25

CREATIVE SHOWCASING STUDENT WORKBRIDGING GAPS, FORMING NETWORKS

by Myra Eadie

In the Intermediate ProgramFoundations document one of themajor tenants of active learningstates that "While learning is anindividual process it is also a so-cial process" and the "opportuni-ties for students to share their workwith a wider audience can makelearning experiences morepurposeful and meaningful". ArtEducation in the past has tendedto over emphasize the individual-istic and psychological aspects ofcreativity and to overlook thesocial conditions generallyproductive of art. Exhibitions ofstudent work provide an impor-tant, if often overlooked, forum,for developing the social aspectsof learning through art. Throughexhibitions students have theopportunity to reflect on, com-pare and contrast their imageryby putting it into a broader con-text of human endeavor as well asa narrow context of individualexpression and achievement.Exhibitions also provide thepotential for networking amongststudents, artists, teachers and thecommunity.

Robert Henri, a painter of theAshcan School noted earlier inthis century that art today is anoutsider, a gypsy wanderer overthe face of the earth. If we as arteducators are to continue to di-rect this gypsy into its rightfulplace in a balanced curriculumand into a respected and mean-

ingful place in modern culture itis worth re-examining our exhibi-tion practices of the past andpresent and the potential that suchart events have for the social as-pects of art education and thenetworks they provide. It is worthclarifying our objectives in exhi-bition practices, examining alter-native organizational structuresand understanding outcomes.

If we examine our pasts many ofus will come up with a history ofcreative forms for showcasingstudent art. In the CoquitlamSchool District for example, wehave had yearly shows at the lo-cal mall, monthly elementary andsecondary exhibits at the teachercentre, exhibits which featuredpast and present students fromone school, artist teacher exhibitsat a local gallery and openings forArtist in Residence projects. Eachexhibit was unique and provideddifferent opportunities for reflec-tion, self evaluation and network-ing. One particular exhibit comesto my mind however for the unu-sual, multifaceted and long last-ing meaning it has had not onlyfor students, but also for the artistsand teachers and the community.Although it took place 9 years agoI have always wanted the oppor-tunity to re-examine it in a morethoughtful way, share it with oth-ers and to build upon its successthrough future endeavours.

28

Poco-Rococo was a group art ex-hibition in a formerfurniture storein Coquitlam Centre Mall held in1984. The artists were 60 studentsfrom Port Coquitlam SecondarySchool (now called Terry Fox)and 25 established Vancouverartists including Ian Wallace,Sherry Grauer, Marcia Pitch, I.

Braineater, Georgiana Chappell,Ray Alton and Jeff Wall. Theywere brought together by KenLum, who runs the Or Gallery inVancouver and by three PortCoquitlam art teachers: MyraEadie, Lorne Whorley and TukCaldwell.

The idea for th is event came aboutduring an artist in school visit toPort Coquitlam Secondary by Art-ist Ken Lum. Ken whose interestswere turning to forms of popularculture recognized a vital force inthe work and lives of our students.This interest was expanded uponin a published artist statement"High- school students are particu-larly involved with mass cultureand this shows in their art workwith_ a directness that expressesthe actual conditions of their lives.This directness is a symbol for anew generation's form of artisticinvention. Although we are notuncritical of aspects of this situa-tion, we see new and importantpossibilities emerging in it. Wewant to learn form this processand contribute to it".

26

As a prominent figure in the Van-couver Art Community, Kenshared his artist in school experi-ence at Poco with other artists. Hebrought them to the school and anerve was touched that seemed tovibrate throughout a few art cir-cles. Out of this shared enthusi-asm for the students work and thesuburban culture that producedit, there developed a desire for ajoint exhibit not in the city butin the heart of the suburbs. Ourstudents responded enthusiasti-cally and led us to meet in avacantfurniture store in CoquitlamCentre Mall. It was here that theidea germinated for a collabora-tive art event involving artists, stu-dents, and teachers in the furni-ture store of the Coquitlam Mall.

In the statement prepared for theexhibition the artists clarified theirinterest in the collaborating withthe students and choosing the mallas the venue for this exhibit

"As artists who live in the city, wewant to develop new links with asuburban audience because wethink that the culture emergingfrom the suburbs is crucial to theartistic development of the city asa whole. Culture in the city isgenerally defined in terms of tra-ditional institutions like art galler-ies, museums and symphony halls.But we think that contemporaryculture includes movies, rockmusic, sports and other popularforms. There is a real connectionbetween traditional art forms andso-called "mass culture", and thisis reflected in our work. Suburbslike Coquitlam are often centerednot on museums and galleries,but on malls. So malls function ascultural centres. From our view-point, this is a fascinating reversalwhich we want to explore".

From the students' point of viewthe prospect of showing their workin their own community with es-

29

tablished artists and college in-structors was exciting and full ofpromise. To many it provided awelcome reversal an undoing offixed roles and elitist notions aboutyouth and the suburbs.

"With Poco-Rococo we will get achance to show what we can doin the place where our art wascreated. We are always having togo to the city to become known. Ithink we all feel excited that thecity is coming to the suburbs".(Jodie Apel)

In a student statement preparedfor the exhibit Kathy Hama de-scribed the collaboration and thechoice of the Mall as adventure-some and she foresaw the excite-ment and questioning this exhibitwould promote

"I think that the suburbs are thebeginning, the hatching of a city,and, in bringing art from the cityand mixing it with our own, wecan create an atmosphere totallyoriginal non city, non suburban.The shopping centre (the citywithin the suburbs) is a good areafor an exhibit for it is where all thepeople gather. We should get quitea response from the passers-by,and maybe a little confusion aboutwhy artists' work is shown withstudentssome viewers may evenbe resentful. I don't think thatshould matter, however, for artshould stir up many feelings andexplore ideas even if they areuncomfortable or new".

The collaboration of students andteachers was an essential aspectof this show. The artists and stu-

27

dents both viewed the most val-ued parts of their education as aconstant interchange betweenteacher, artist and student, an in-terchange between generations.One student phrased it this way

"I feel that the reason we arehaving this show in the mall andwith artists is to encourage peopleto see art and to show that art-making is a creative process atany age". (Tracy Fei I)

The artist spoke of this interchangeanother way

"Ideally, all artists are both teach-ers and students. The collabora-tion of students and teachers is anessential aspect of this show. Arteducation is a constant inter-change between teacher and stu-dent, an interchange betweengenerations. This relationship be-comes deeper and broader as timegoes on. High-school is one of theearliest moments when an indi-vidual begins to feel that art couldbecome an important part of hisor her life. This exhibition wishesto develop the implications of thatmoment". (Ken Lum)

Dynamic relationships and part-nerships were formed betweenartists, teachers and students,school and community during allstages of Poco-Rococo's life. Thestudents, teachers and artists metat least five or six times at the OrGallery or the furniture store todiscuss, criticize and exchangeideas about the work, the selec-tion process and the hanging. Acuratorial group representing art-ists, teachers and students decided

"There are four reasons why arts education

is important: to understand civilization,to develop creativity, to learn the tools of

communication, and to develop the

capacity for making wise choices

among the products of the arts."Toward Civilization: A Report on Arts Education

National Endowment for the Arts

that each person submitting workwould be represented by at leastone work. A diversity of workcentered on the theme of youthand suburban culture was se-lected, hence the title "Poco-Ro-coco". An organizational struc-ture was developed wherebygroups were formed to take careof the publicity, the hanging, thereception, and the caretaking dur-ing the two weeks of the exhibit.

A partnership was formed with alocal art store who donated framesfor the student work. A partner-ship was also developed with theadministration of the mall who, inexchange for publicity and theopportunity to support suburbanculture, lent us the furniture storeunit free for three weeks! Oncethe school staff and administra-tion was aware of the scope andeducational value of the proposedproject, they provided financialand moral support and flexibilityfor students who had to help withthe exhibit caretaking duringschool hours.

Needless to say, the excitementgenerated from this event moti-vated many students to work hardso they could earn the right to getdown to the gallery. Many crea-tive but poorly motivated studentsmade a dramatic turn around dur-ing and long after this show. Theirimproved self esteem, sense ofdirection and commitment be-came infectious. Parents andteachers grew curious. As theopening date grew closer the stu-dents knew they were involved insomething new and important.Their opinions, their insights andtheir work were being taken seri-ously. They recognized that theteachers and artists were derivingstimulation from their ideas andthat their experiences as youngpeople as expressed in their workwere pivotal to the exhibit.

The artist work was infact chosenpartly on the basis of connectionsto the suburbs and to young peo-ple. Ray Alton was included, forexample, because his dinosaurpainting had a relation to high

30

28

school imagery and Ian Wallacewas chosen for his photo imagesof suburban wastelands. As EveJohnson states in her review of theexhibit in the Sun "Modern ArtFrom the Suburbs"

Curiously enough there's no senseof a generation gap. I. Braineater'spainting might have been createdby one of the students; Poco stu-dent Tracey Feil's 'Atomic Tan' isa statement on nuclear annihila-tion that has no visible age."

Poco-Rococo was a dynamic andeven controversial show. Over150 people attended Poco-Roco-co's gala opening and over 800people attended during the twoweek period. Comments rangedfrom admiration of individualworks, to surprise concerning theprofound social and political com-ments embedded in the studentsand artists work, to amazementthat such a diverse group of artistscould work together to put onsuch an unique event.

There were also a number of com-ments about the furniture store asan appropriate but unusual sitefor such an exhibit. At times theworks competed with the fakelattice walls, the columns and thegarish wall paper but on the wholeit seemed to work as a unifiedstatement. A number of artists evencapitalized upon the 1980's "de-cor". Georgiana Chappell createda neon fire sculpture for the fakefire place. One student with thehelp of his sister and grand-par-ents installed a child's bed in thefront show room. On the headboard the student painted a sceneof Cold Lake Alberta (the home of

the cruise missile). One viewer,seeing the bed thought he wasentering a furniture store whenmuch to his surprise he saw acruise missile emerging from thehead board. He then noticed thetitle "A Child's Nightmare". Asstudent Kathy Hama stated, notall aspects of the show were com-fortable but it made people thinkabout young people, the role ofart on their lives and their future.

Poco-Rococo, was as much aboutthe process of reflection and ex-change that occurred as about thefinal product. Networks wereformed that were quite remark-able and had long lasting mean-ing that are still alive 8 years later.By collaborating together in afairlychallenging and meaningful eventthe students and teachers had anopportunity to get know the art-ists. Many of the artists wereinstructors at the Emily Carr,S.F.U., U.B.C. or local colleges;others were involved with galler-ies, art journals or artist networks.Students had the opportunity totalk to the artists about their ownaspirations and a number of art-ists became mentors to our stu-dents during and after the show.With the help of the artists, stu-dents discovered the value ofcreating strong portfolios for entryto an art college and the impor-tance of developing in art. Theywere pointed in the direction ofgood post secondary art programs,sources of funding, galleries andother artists working in the samemedia or genre.

In an exhibit "Artipelago", held afew years later for past and presentstudents of Port Coquitlam Sec-

31

ondary, it was amazing to talk tothe numbers of students who stillmaintain these connections, whofollowed their leads, who tookthemselves seriously and went onto succeed in their post secondaryart education or art related ca-reers. I am still in touch with sev-eral young art teachers, two chil-dren's book illustrators, a filmanimator for CBC, a cultural an-thropologist and numbers ofyoung artists who were part of thisevent. Many students felt it wasthe beginning of a life long in-volvement with visual art. Onestudent Laurie Papau has arrived9 years later to a prominent posi-tion in the art world.

For the teachers, the partnershipsthat were formed were invigorat-ing and produced a range of ben-efits. Our new connections withgalleries, artists, art schools anduniversities gave us the means tohelp direct students in their searchfor post secondary training. Fueledby the excitement of this eventand by our new links with the artworld, our own personal art workgained a momentum too. Tomotivate students it is essentialfor the teacher to know and expe-rience the driving forces behindthe creative process. Our owndevelopment as artists no doubtbenefited our students. Not longafter Poco-Rococo I, infact openedmy first one person show entitled"Transitions" at Ken Lum's "OrGallery" and many of my studentshelped organize the exhibit andthe opening. Students learned agreat deal about exhibition prac-tices, public relations and theimportance of public awarenessduring these events.

29

The Coquitlam Centre was alsodelighted with the interest in themall that this show generated.They have in fact welcomedCoquitlam Schools as a partner toshow every year in the mall con-course.

Poco-Rococo was one of the manyunique art events at PortCoquitlam Secondary School thatseemed to turn the image of artstudents and the art programaround. There developed a con-siderable prestige in being an artstudent at Poco, as we continuedto stage major art events that ofteninvolved the whole school andoften several departments. Be-cause we were so busy with theseevents we often said "no" to theart housework like posters forsports events. Instead we heldposter workshops so that studentscould teach each other.Determinion, commitment, in-creased risk taking in their workand improved self esteem wereonly a few of the wonderful out-comes we sensed in our studentsas a result of Poco-Rococo.

The circumstances for an eventlike Poco-Rococo do not alwayspresent themselves nor does timealways allow for such a compre-hensive, and complex exhibit.What occurs to me after this re-flection is that we as art teachersowe it to ourselves and our stu-dents to take our exhibitions ofstudent work more seriously. It iswell worth the time to exploreways students can use exhibitionsas a forum for reflecting and,critiquing their own and otherswork. In Poco-Rococo studentsstepped in the shoes of art criticand had their statements published

'4F°

I;,-

'

t 144°,

.4°

,MTSCI=.-

)

in several journals and papers. Itwould be valuable to hearof otherpossibilities.

By forming partnerships and cre-ating opportunities for students toexhibit with artists from variousethnic, cultural, age or socialgroups we can provide studentswith a forum for understandingand valuing their work on abroader context. Pathways for fu-ture post secondary education orcareer aspirations can be forged,as well as meaningful friendships.By collaborating in all stages ofthe exhibition process studentsmay gain knowledge about pub-lic relations, galleries and curato-rial work. Most importantlystudents are given recognition,respect and an opportunity tothink like an artist.

As Robert Godfry stated on hispersonal manifesto "Civilization,Education and the Visual Arts"(Phi Delta Kappan, April 1992)

"I am for the student who comesin lean, hungry, passionate, curi-ous, and kind. I am for the studentwho has been taught not to ac-cept distorted views of racial,sexual, political, social, and cul-tural differences on the way toestablishing a personal point ofview. I am for the student whocomes to college prepared not somuch in making art as in thinkinglike an artist."

32

Myra EadieVisual Art Consultant,

Coquitlam School District

30

ART INSTRUCTIONIN THE ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM

If school art instruction is to besuccessful and if children's expe-riences in art are to be meaningfuland of value, teachers must con-sider some important issues. In-deed, if these issues are notthoughtfully considered, the ex-periences which children have in"art" classes may be undesirable,and even destructive. Inappropri-ate "art" activities can be quitedamaging and can underminechildren's self-confidence, dimin-ish self-esteem, foster learningdependence, impede or destroycreative impulses, and cause fearof risk.

In this article I describe some im-portant issues for the teacher pro-viding art instruction in the el-ementary setting to consider.

ISSUE 1: Dittoed coloring sheets.

Probably the most destructive andunjustified activity is providingdittoed sheets to children forcoloring or for cut-and-pasteprojects. All identical Easter bun-nies, unimaginative witches,cliché Santas, and humdrum "ILove You Mommy" valentines arenumbing children's minds! Allcutesy little cut-out baskets, andclowns made from toilet paperrolls, are similarly destructive.There is absolutely no room forany of this kitsch in classrooms, inany subject area.

by R. Lloyd Ryan

I have heard teachers say, "But Idon't use dittoed sheets in Art anymore." However, if such sheetsare used in any other curriculumarea, the damage is still beingdone. Such junk serves abso-lutely no educational function inany subject area; it cannot bejustified on any pedagogicalgrounds. For similar reasons, chil-dren should not be permitted tobring coloring books to school,coloring work should not receivepraise, and parents should bediscouraged from purchasingsuch pap for their children.

Some teachers argue that theygive children coloring work tohelp them develop fine motorskills. Where did they getthe idea?There is no research evidence tosupport their contention. Physi-ologists tell us that practically anyhand motion will be just as effec-tive as coloring dittoed sheets.And insisting that children "staywithin the lines" may be counter-productive too! Children may notbe physiologically ready for con-fined hand movements, and theirfrustration with fine motor move-ments may cause a dislike foranything resembling art activity,and a perception that they arefailures.

If teachers feel that children abso-lutely must have such mindlessexperiences, rather than give chil-dren adult stereotypes (such as

those sickening bunnies andteddy bears that blind percep-tion), they should give childrengeometric figures, or patternsbased on geometric figures, tocolor. At least the kids will learnabout triangles, circles, squares,and other regular and irregularshapes.

Some teachers will argue that"children love to color! "But somechildren "like" to color simplybecause they have receivedpraisefrom Mommy and Daddy,from teachers, and from GreatAunt Agatha who regularly giveschildren coloring books forChrist-mas and birthdays. Kids aren'tstupid! They have learned thatthey receive approval and accept-ance by being diligent colorers ofcoloring books. If teachers do notpraise such activity but, instead,praise independent creative ef-fort, then children will quicklylose their liking for coloring booksand will begin to like creating.

However, it could be quite defen-sible, and enhancing of the artprogram, to provide idea sheets,or motivation sheets, or inspira-tion sheets, in an art center or artcorner. Children can access themfor independent art activity, if theyhave time on their hands or, Glorybe!, if the teacher is sufficientlyenlightened to provide a bit offree time in the regular schedule.The caution, though, is that inde-

31

pendent art activity is valid only ifthe idea sheets foster creativity, iflearning-independence is encour-aged, and if a child ' s self-confi-dence and self-esteem are sup-ported.

ISSUE 2: Use appropriatecolours!

Another practice that destroyschildren's creativity and self-es-teem is insistence on "proper"colours. There is no basis for this.Children should be permitted touse whatever colours they choose.Their color choices are not wrong!If a child chooses to paint Mom

green, be pleased. Green may bethe child's favorite colorand themost appropriate color to use torepresent the person he or sheloves most. If the grass is purple,enjoy it; if elephants are pink,appreciate them; if bears are redand yellow and blue, be thankfulfor the fresh view that the childhas provided.

Some teachers will respond withan exasperated and pained, "Buteverybody knows that elephantsare grey! " My response is, in-deed? And what color, pray tell, isthe size of elephants in compari-son with a child? And what color

34

is that bristly touch? And whatcolor is that awful stench? Andwhatcolor is thefact that elephantsare an endangered species? Andwhat color is the neglect of somecircus elephants? And what coloris the fear that some children haveof such large creatures? And whatcolours are the pleasures and ex-citements of riding on an elephantat the travelling fair? The childtries to convey all of that informa-tionall of those cognitions andemotionswith color. If pink doesthat for the child, so be it! Besides,which colours would you use torepresent the stench and the fear?Besides, are elephants grey orgray?

In general, smaller children willnot have color preferences andwill be quite as happy with threecolours as they will be with eightor more. In fact, if children areprovided with just blue, yellow,and red, they will make all sorts ofinteresting discoveries for them-

"An artlessschool is an

impoverishedplace reflecting aset of values that

bodes illfor our society"

Elliot Eisner,Professor of Education and Art

Stanford University

32

selves: that when blue is mixedwith yellow green results, andwhen yellow and red are com-bined orange appears. Let chil-dren make their own discoveries;rarely should it be necessary totell a child which colours to mix.(Of course, if a child asks, theteacher may suggest colours withwhich the child might experi-ment).

ISSUE 3: Visual education.

Art is a means to educating thechild's sight. Without educatedsight, children are likely to havemore learning problems. Chil-dren's sight is educated, theirvisual perception powers are en-hanced, and their learning poweris increased if teachers engagechildren in particular, carefully-orchestrated cognition-focused,multi-sensory experiences. Twoactivities which will contribute toeducating sight are (a) looking atpictures and (b) looking at paint-ings and other works of art.

"Looking" at pictures

At the beginning of the year, teach-ers should schedule 10 or 15 min-utes every week to lead childrenin a discussion about a speciallyselected picture. Children shouldbe led through series of criticalthinking exercises in an atmos-phere of free and open, visually-focused, cognitive -and affect-ori-entated investigation. This activ-ity should be conversational, andnot undermined by the teacherimposing "superior" closure. If achild supports her or his opinionwith evidence from the picture,

the view is valid, even if theteacher "knows" that it is not"right." The objective is not todetermine "rightness" it is to helpchildren look and see and makedecisions based on the informa-tion in the picture. The teacherhas no right to bring in exterior(i.e. superior, smug information.Much of art appreciation is detec-tive work, and children should beencouraged to bring all theirinvestigative powers to bear. Ifchildren can enlighten other chil-dren through personal experienceor insight, then such behaviourshould be encouraged Childrenshould be complimented for theirvisual and perceptual acuity,praised for drawing valid conclu-sions from available information.Again, notice that "valid" is theoperative word; considerations of"right" are out of place. (Interestedteachers may wish to read mypaper Using pictures in teachingart *)

"Looking" at paintings and otherworks of art

At least once a week teachersshould lead children in another1 0-1 5 minute discussion, this timeabout a work of art. After studentshave had several such experi-ences, they may wish to take turnsleading the discussion. This could*pen as early as the first orsecond grade and should be wellestablished by the elementarylevel. Intermediate and second-ary students are probably able tolead such discussions as well asthe teachers can; children don'tneed as much spoon-feeding aswe educators are prone to think!

35

The foci of such discussions arethe elements of design (color,shape/form, space, line, texture)and principles of design (empha-sis, unity, variety, movement, bal-ance, contrast, rhythm).

Students should also be given theopportunity to interpret the workof art being analyzed. My experi-ence tells me that they will readilyrecognize:

the joys of childhood inWinslow Homer's "Snap thewhip"the fun in Norman Rockwell's"Swatter's rights"the ambiguity of Joan Miro's"Composition, 1963"the parent-child affection inGeorges de la Tour's "St.Joseph the carpenter"the allegorical significance ofthe Child "bringing the light"the dark and foreboding quali-ties of the work of LawrenHarris (for example, "Clouds","Lake Superior") and EmilyCarr (for example, "Forest, Brit-ish Columbia"the chi Id-I ike qualities of muchof the work of Matisse (forexample, "HarmOny in Red"(Red Room) and Gauguin (forexample, "The YellowChrist"and soon, and so on.

Children's interpretations of artshould be accepted. Teachers donot have superior knowledge inthis respect! There is even theview that artists themselves donot know the "messages" of theirworks; only that they felt they hadto paint and felt some kind ofrelief or catharsis after the paint-ings were completed. Teachers

33

should not provide closure. Thatway, the next time children seethe work of art, they will still havequestions and will examine thework anew. If the teacher shouldbe so presumptuous as to "tell" themeaning of a work of art, childrenwill be blinded to it.

Students should also be given theopportunity to say whether theylike a work or not, and to explainwhy they like or dislike it. A deci-sion about liking or disliking awork of art is a separate act fromanalyzing and appreciating thework's elements and principles ofdesign. It is also not the same asattempting to interpret a work ofart. Many people appreciate Pi-casso's "Guernica"; few "like" it.Similarly, many Canadians ap-preciate the technical aspects andthe artistic and creative qualitiesof the work of David Blackwood;few would want one of his paint-ings in their living room.

If teachers have difficulty findingworks of art, their principal couldpurchase a subscription to Scho-lastic' s Instructor for them. Manyof the compositions mentionedabove appeared in recent issuesof that teachers' journal.

ISSUE 4: The art gallery.

Every school should have one ormore "art galleries "free spaceson corridor walls. The works of"famous" artists should hang withthe work of student "artists". Art isnot meant to be hidden away inmassive and snobbishly aloofmuseums; it is meant to be lived

with. If art is to have a meaningfulrole in students' lives, it has to beavailable to them in their environ:ment. If children are to appreciateart, it has to be available wherethey live! If art is displayed inschool corridors, students' art ac-tivities will have much moremeaning in art class.

The teacher organizing a "gallery"space should:

take on the job of curator ofthe school's "art gallery"; orsee if students would take onthe job.Ensure that each work of arthas a card identifying theartist and providing personalinformation, particularly forstudent artists:

"Mary Sullivan is a grade sevenstudent and is a fan of the poprock group Travelling Gangsters.She is currently working on a newwork called "My Pink Sneaker"."

Ensure that art works are notdisplayed too long. If fish andhouse guests stink after threedays, works of art in the schoolcorridor will probably be per-ceived similarly after twoweeks.

ISSUE 5: Art collection.

Since no art program is completewithout the "discussion of pic-tures" component, schools needart collections. Such a collectioncan be filed in the resource center,appropriately categorized, so thatthe collection can be used in allcurricular areas.

36

Pictures are easily obtained, andchildren will normally respondenthusiastically when enlisted tobuild up the school's picture file.

You don't really have to askpeople you visit for the calen-dars off their walls, but I do(and I haven't been refusedyetthough they have lookedat me strangely as they tookthe calendars down!).Visit your local travel agency.Write embassies.Talk to local businesses; askfor donations of pictures.

You will be pleased at how quicklyyou will have an extensive andvaluable picture file.

If you can afford it, buy goodreproductions,if you are rottenwith money, purchase originals.You could request that your schoolput aside a small budget of $100a year for purchasing prints:

A great many art prints areavailable inexpensively. Scho-lastic's Instructor and Art andMan have monthly good qual-ity reproductions. And manyart magazines havefairly largereproductions.The works of many artists areavailable in specially-pub-lished calendars. The cost ofthese reproductions may be aslittle as $1.00 each.If one can afford $20-35 perprint, there are several mailorder companies which wouldbe happy to supply your needs.One source that should not beignored is local artists, whomay even wish to donate someof their works!

34

Another very important sourceis the students themselves.Why not put aside $50-100 ayear to purchase works of artfrom your school's studentartists? $5 fora student's paint-ing or drawing will give stu-dents an absolutely tremen-dous ego boost, not to men-tion the good will the schoolwill develop with parents.Besides that, just think of theprofile that art will then havein your school; just think ofthe conversation in the can-teen and in the washroomswhen students discuss the factthat Frank and Kelly got fivebucks each for their art!

We raise money for every-thing else; whatcould be moredeserving and rewarding thana little fund raising to pur-chase a quantity of art prints?

ISSUE 6: The instructionalsequence.

In my discussions with educators,they frequently tell me they donot know the appropriate i nstruc-tional sequences for school artinstruction. I'd like to describebriefly three instructional se-quences that are supportive ofgood child art experiences.

37

In whole language

In "whole language" instruction,before student writing takes place,students engage in discussion,reading, and all sorts of other pre-writing activities. Astute teachersrecognize that once children areready to be verbally creative, theyare also prepared to be visuallycreative. Since the work has al-ready been done for the languagearts, simply use the same themeand all of that motivational activ-ity as preparation for the art activ-ity. However, the art activity willbe better if it comes after the writ-ing activity since a great deal ofcognitive organization, synthesis,and affective response will alreadyhave occurred within the child.Likewise, a child's writing will beenhanced if the visual expressionoccurs prior to it. Hence the crea-tive teacher will alternateon oneoccasion having children paintthe story before writing it, the nexttime writing the story beforepainting it.

In whole curriculum

An alternate sequence for crea-tive art instruction makes use ofthe child's experiences in othercurricular areas. If a discussion,some reading, some research,some writing, and some groupwork has just been completed, oris still in process (for example, onthe exploration of Canada's north,or erosion and possible ecologi-cal damage, or community help-ers), then the preparatory work forart has been done! It remains onlyto decide which media and mate-rials to use; then the children cancreate.

35

The Ryan sequence

The third instructional sequencemay be more formal. This is the"Never -Fail- Art Instruction" se-quence. In this approach theteacher and students decide thatthey would like to explore a par-ticular theme for their art experi-ences. Maybe they choose "SpaceFlight". An appropriate sequencewould be as follows:

1. Discussions for planning pur-poses: deciding whetherto ex-plore as a class, as smallgroups, as individuals, or somecombination of all three.

2. Research: library books, topi-cal magazines (e.g. NationalGeographic), news maga-zines, encyclopedia. Notes aretaken, thumbnail sketches aremade, reports are written.

3. Whole class and small groupdiscussions: information is

shared; questions are an-swered; probing questions areraisedsome have no an-swers.

4. Decisions are made aboutmedia, methods, materials.

5. Students engage in creativevisual activity.

ISSUE 7: Time.

Students must have time to workon their art. A 20 to 40 minuteperiod may be sufficient for pri-mary children; it may not be suf-ficient for elementary children,probably unsatisfactory for inter-mediate children, and positively

frustrating for secondary students.Two issues have to be addressedby educators: the frequency of artexperiences and their duration.

For primary children, thereshould be art activity almostdaily .

Elementary to secondary stu-dents should have art activi-ties at least several times aweek.At the upper intermediate andsecondary levels, one weeklytwo-hour art period is far su-perior to two one-hour peri-ods, especially for senior andvisually mature students. Ad-ministrators should try toachieve schedule flexibility,either by scheduling specifictimes or through flex-time orswap-time arrangements.

ISSUE 8: Curriculum planning.

Periodically teachers should haveformal meetings with principalsspecifically to discuss planningfor art just as in any other cur-ricular area. Such discussionsmight be delegated to a vice-prin-cipal or to a teacher designated asvisual art chairperson. But thatdoes not remove responsibilityfrom the teacher and principal toensure that long term and shortterm planning for instruction inart takes place in a professionalmanner.

ISSUE 9: Safety.

The asbestos scare is well remem-bered. But in school art we com-monly use materials that maycause much more damage than

3836

asbestos. This is not only a safetymatter; it is also a matter of legalresponsibility. Very briefly:

Oil paints have no place inschool art programs. They con-tain such noxious componentsas cadmium, arsenic, anti-mony, cobalt, lead, mercury,and manganese. Acrylic paintsshould be used. They are in-expensive, generally safe (butthat needs to be determinedfor specific brands), easy touse, quick drying, and main-tain their fresh color.Powdered tempra should bemixed with water by an adultin a well ventilated area. Theadult should use a dust mask!Likewise with powdered clay,which usually contains a heftyproportion of silica (remem-ber silicosis?).Photographic developersshould not be used at all byelementary children. In othersettings they should be usedonly by, or under the supervi-sion of, an adult who under-stands the nature of the chemi-cals that are used. For exam-ple, do school staff know thehealth hazards (and requiredtreatments) if children ingest:

1. pyrogallic acida photo-graphic developer, or

2. mercuric iodide or potassiumcyanideintensifiers, or

3. Thioureaa toner that hascaused cancer in rats and issuspected of being carcino-genic to humans?

Most chemicals used for photo-graphic developing are highlytoxic and should be used onlyunder the supervision of excep-tionally knowledgeable people.

Many glazes used in ceramicprojects contain lead, arsenic,zinc, and other equally dan-gerous components.Many dyes have components(such as benzidine congener)that are suspected of beingcarcinogens, and other com-ponents that can cause severeallergic reactions.There is enough solvent in onesmall permanent marker tocause permanent brain dam-age to a child or adult ! Theyhave no place in schools.Other types of markers areavailable (generally water oralcohol based, such as theCrayola brand) which are usu-ally quite safe.Some commercial wall-paperpastes which teachers like touse for paper-mache projectscontain the preservative usedin rat-poison. It causes inter-nal bleeding when ingested.

The implications for educatorsare clear:

Much school-related litigationhinges on whether a dangercould reasonably have beenforeseen. Educators cannotclaim ignorance as a defense;they must determine whichproducts are used in class:rooms and whether they can

39

be used safely by and aroundchildren.Teachers should ensure thatchildren with particular sensi-tivities are not exposed to al--lergy-causing materials.Some border-line products canbe used safely only under con-trolled conditions. Principalsshould ensure that such con-ditions exist before such prod-ucts are utilized.

Conclusion.

It is critical that elementary teach-ers consider art instruction withthe same careful planning andattention, accorded language arts,math or science. When this oc-curs art instruction will likely pro-vide children with positive andenjoyable aesthetic experiences,and will enhance students' self-esteem and confidence. Our stu-dents deserve the best possibleinstruction in all subject areasincluding visual art.

R. Lloyd RyanAssistant Superintendent,

Notre Dame Integrated School Board,P.O. Box 70, Lewisport.Newfoundland, Canada

AOG 3A0

Reprinted with permission

37

ARTS EDUCATION ASA CATALYST TO REFORM:

CULTURAL DIVERSITY ANDARTS EDUCATION

When I was invited to take partin this session I was told that it wasdesigned to explore how arts edu-cation can enhance multiculturallearning and understanding. Animportant topic, yes; but whenwe are told that" confused," "con-tradictory," "inconsistent," "amess," and "muddled" are allwords that have been applied todefinitions,programs,andpracticesassociatedwithmulticulturalism and multiculturaleducation (Grant & Sleeter, 1986)where do we start? Not only havemulticultural approaches toeducation been criticized by thosewithout a commitment to culturaldiversity; the multiculturaliststhemselves have presentedconflicting concepts and pro-moted conflicting goals. So wheredo we start?

I believe that we have to start withquestions such as these:

Why should arts educators be-come sensitive to, and awareof issues of pluralism in thearts and in society?Can we make arts educationmore meaningful and relevantfor all students? How? Whatsort of commitment and pas-sion is required to success-fully teach the arts in a cultur-ally diverse society?

by F. Graeme Chalmers

Is a multicultural approach toarts education just a matter ofincluding the arts of othercultures in the curriculum?Can we build tolerance fordiversity through the arts? Towhat degree can arts educa-tion be an agent for socialchange?How can questions about thearts be raised, and framed, inways that will promote thediscussion of diverse exam-ples? Should we use cross-cultural and thematicapproaches in the teaching ofthe arts?To approach arts education asmulticultural education whatwill we have to give up? Doesmulticulturalism mean givingup the Western canon?What sorts of partnerships arerequired with other disci-plines?

-lc-- How do we include the learn-ing styles of diversepopulations and unique indi-viduals?How do we implementchange?Why should arts educators be-come sensitive to, and awareof issues of pluralism in thearts and in society?

This question is the easiest. Artseducation's simmering concern

40

with multiculturalism overthe past25 years has been quickened bythe release of statistics and pre-dictions such as those by Daniel(1990) in her introduction to Art,Culture, and Ethnicity. She writes:Schwartz and Exter (1989) predictthat by the year 2000, 34% ofchildren under the age of 18 in theUnited States will be Black,Hispanic, Asian, or other"minorities."

This proportion will rise by theyear 2010, resulting in minoritychildren becoming the majorityin the largest states . . .NewYork, Texas, and Florida (accord-ing to my reading, they alreadyare in California, Hawaii, and Mis-sissippi). Concurrently, minorityteachers are predicted by NEAToday (National Education Asso-ciation, 1989) to decrease fromthe year 2000 proportion of 1 in 8to 1 minority teacher in 20! (p. ix)By the year 2000, 5 billion of the6 billion people on earth will benon-White (Baker, 1977). Wesimply cannot maintain the statusquo. All students regardless ofethnic or sociocultural back-ground should be prepared to livein a pluralistic society. I believethat a pluralist multicultural ap-proach is for everyone. The criti-cal priority resolutions of the As-sociation for Supervision and

38

Curriculum Development (1992)encourage members to lead themovement "toward a mosaicemphasis in multiculturalprograms and education through...implementing a multiculturalemphasis in all schoolsregardless of communitydemographics," (p. 1) and artseducators, I believe, should beamong the leaders. Perhaps chil-dren from culturally homogene-ous societies need a multiculturaleducation even more than oth-ers? To equip them for the twenty-first century their understanding,appreciation and respect for cul-tural diversity and the artistic pro-duction of others needs to be ex-panded and their possibly limitedviews of the world need to bechallenged.

"Multiculturalism" has now alsocome to mean more than justacknowledging ethnic differences.Differences in gender, religion,sexual orientation, social class,economic status, language, agephysical ability, etc. are also fac-tors to be considered, respected,and implemented in educationreform.

Can we make arts education moremeaningful and relevant for allstudents? How? What sort of com-mitment and passion is requiredto successfully teach the arts in aculturally diverse society?

If we are to use the arts as acatalyst for education reform thenwe must have a clear understand-ing of what the arts do and howthey function in all cultures. I

believe that we first need to par-

ticularly probe two related ques-tions: What are the arts for? andWhy is art? And we need to askthese questions and seek answersto them in ways that truly ac-knowledge cultural diversity, be-cause existing answers to ques-tions about art have usually beenextremely culture-bound. Youwill notice that these questionsemphasize the function and roleof the arts; I am not simply asking:What is art? In a multiculturalcontext, as Ellen Dissanayake(1988) found, "in many cases cat-egories are better approached byconsidering how they functionrather than what they objectivelyare." (pp. 58-59) Similarly, Nel-son Goodman (1968) found itmore appropriate to ask: "When,"rather than "what" is art? AsDissanayake (1988) states " Likemany questions no one bothers toask, "What is art for?" only showsits intriguing possibilities whenone starts prodding it about." (p.3)Although "What are the arts for?"has been asked by a number ofanthropologists working in a vari-ety of cultural settings, it has rarelybeen asked by students who aretaught the arts in schools, or bythe teachers who teach these stu-dents. The answers to such ques-tions should, I believe, becomethe focus for effective curriculumdevelopment in the arts.

Is a multicultural approach to artseducation just a matter of includ-ing the arts of other cultures in thecurriculum?

No, it is much more than this!Acknowledging diversity requiresreal courage. Cultural pluralism

41

challenges their nature of curricu-lum, instruction, and assessment.But, new theories and practice inmulticultural education may wellrepresent new, exciting, and ex-tremely powerful roles for the arts,as the arts gain new life and vigorin education by being increas-ingly seen as integral to humanand societal growth (Temelini,1987). Even groups that havetraditionally not paid much spe-cific attention to arts education,such as the Association for Super-vision and Curriculum Develop-ment (1992), state that "The artsare key to understanding everyculture" and that "it is thereforeimportant that the study of the artsand their history and influence inall cultures be included in everystudent's education." (p. 2) Butfor students to see this connectionthe arts will have to be taught andexperienced in ways that are farmore complex than simply mak-ing totem poles out of milk car-tons, or beating out a rhythm onan African musical instrument. Amulticultural approach sees thearts as having a significant role inhuman lives and as inevitable inall cultures.

Can we build tolerance for diver-sity through the arts? To whatdegree can arts education be anagent for social change?

I believe that if we are to use thearts as a catalyst for educationreform we need to see that it ispossible for arts educational pro-grams, materials, activities, andstudent learning in the arts topromote cross-cultural under-standing. I suggest that we do this

39

by identifying similarities (particu-larly in the role and function ofthe arts) within and amongst cul-tural groups. We need to recog-n ize, acknowledge and celebrate,in the curriculum, racial and cul-tural diversity in the arts withinour pluralistic society, while alsoaffirming and enhancing selfesteem and pride in .one's ownartistic heritage. We need to ad-dress in all arts areas and disci-plines issues of ethnocentrism,bias, stereotyping, prejudice, dis-crimination, and racism.

The literaturetells us that al I groupsneed and use the arts for identity,to perpetuate, change, and to en-hance their cultural values(Gerbrands, 1957) and that thearts exist for gnoseological(functioning to give a knowledgeof the .spiritual), hedonistic, andrecreational purposes(Karbusicky,1968). Such concepts have notbeen sufficiently translated intocurriculum and instruction in thearts.

Gaining knowledge about vari-ety, place, and role of the arts insocial life is important if we wishto increase intercultural under-standing, because in its diversitywe can see the common func-tions belonging to the arts whatwe might call the why aspects.We tend to pay too much atten-tion to the what, and our owncultural preferences restrict theuniversality of our approach. Ifwe are truly interested inmulticultural education and un-derstanding then we must studythe arts as social institutions influ-encing and being influenced by

the many worlds of which theyare a part.

In terms of social change, amulticultural approach to the artsin education is certainly compat-ible with many of the goals of theschool reform movement. Forexample, problems like aliena-tion, boredom, violence, racism,drugs, and apathy can be, andhave been, addressed through artseducation. I think particularly oftheater education programs,mural making, video, the studyand writing of lyrics, etc.

How can questions about the artsbe raised, and framed, in waysthat will promote the discussionof diverse examples? Should weuse cross-cultural and thematicapproaches in the teaching of thearts?

Let's look at three summaries, eachhaving implications for the waysin which the arts could be taughtin a multicultural society; eachproviding an opportunityfordeal-ing with both unity and diversity.Each views art as a powerful per-vasive force helping to shape ourattitudes, beliefs, values and be-haviours, and for implications forschool reform.

Ellen Dissanayake (1984) exam-ined a variety of literature andidentified eight general functionsthat art is said to serve or manifest.She says art reflects or echoes, insome way, the natural world ofwhich it is a part. Art is therapeu-tic, she writes, because "itintegrates...powerful contradic-tory and disturbing

42

"I found thatI could say things

with color andshapes that

I hadno words for "

Georgia O'Keefe, artist

fee lings,...allows for escape fromtedium or permits temporary par-ticipation in a more desirable al-ternative world,...(art) providesconsoling illusions; promotes ca-tharsis of disturbing emotions."(p. 37) Art can allow direct un-selfconscious experience.Dissanayake writes that it " cantemporarily restore the signifi-cance, value and integrity of sen-suality and the emotional powerof things, in contrast to the usualindifference of our habitual andobstructed routine of practical liv-ing." (p.37) Art has been called"essential" because it exercisesand trains our perception of real-ity. Art, in many cultures, mayhelp prepare us for what we haveto face in life by turning our atten-tion to things that should concernus, as members of that culture, byrecommending particular subjectmatter to our attention. Art assistsin giving order to the world.Although it contributes to order,Dissanayake also draws attentionto the "dishabituation" functionof artie. the fact that we can

40

respond to art in unusual, non-habitual ways. Art provides asense of meaning or significanceor intensity to human life thatcannot be gained in any otherway. Dissanayake also sees art asa means of reaching out to othersfor mutuality; a means of com-munion as well as communica-tion.

E. Louis Lankford (1992) positsthat art is valued for a number ofdifferent reasons which includethe pleasurable experience it pro-vides; its economic worth; itsemotional impact; the aspect ofsocial criticism and political clout.It is valued for its sometimes sen-timental associations; its abilitiesto beautify, surprise, inspire,stimulate the imagination, inform,tell stories and record history; theinsight it provides into the humancondition; its technical accom-plishments; its characterization ofa particular cultural spirit; and forthe status it might afford itsowners.

June King Mc Fee (1986) proposesthe following six functions of art:She suggests that art objectifiesand that it is used to make subjec-tive values, emotions, ideas, be-liefs, superstitions more sensu-ously tangible, so that they can beseen and felt. Art enhances and isused to enrich celebration andritual in human events. Art differ-entiates and organizes. As com-munication art is used to record,transmit and generate meanings,qualities and ideas. Art has a rolein cultural continuity. It is used tostabilize culture by perpetuatingthe convictions of reality and theidentity and accomplishments ofindividuals and groups. McFeestates that these functions operatein varying degrees, both individu-ally and in combination, subjec-tively and objectively, affectingthe experience of people in allcultures.

If we accept these summaries thenwe can list possible themes to beconsidered when developing cur-ricula for meaningful arts educa-

43

tion in a multicultural society. Forexample, students can study andmake art/music /dance /theater toobjectify and perpetuate culturalvalues, for continuity and stabil-ity. They can be involved in thearts to urge change and improve-ment, and actually use the arts forsocial reconstruction. They canuse the arts to enhance and enrichthe environment, to celebrate, torecord, to tell stories. The arts canprovide therapy and provide av-enues for the expression of emo-tion. The arts can give specialmeaning to events in students'lives, give identity and confer sta-tus. Good programs will givestudents the opportunity to de-velop and delight in technical ac-complishments; to make art thatlooks, feels, and sounds good. Incontrast to some themes com-monly used in education thesethemes are far from trite. Theyfocus on the arts, and they allhave both universal and particu-lar dimensions. They all suggestand require cross-cultural study,with learning involving severalarts disciplines (production andperformance, aesthetics, arts criti-cism and history).

If we focus on the why of the arts,a teacher in a pluralistic societyneedn't worry that they need toknow all about the various artforms in a plethora of cultures.Garcia (1982) suggests that toadmit ignorance "is the first steptoward understanding, and will-ingness to make such an admis-sion is assurance that you caneventually understand ethnicityand pluralism." (p. 15) Garciasuggests that rather than see

41

teachers as transmitters of knowl-edge we should see them as lead-ers and facilitators who are able toassist students in their pursuit ofunderstanding pluralism and di-versity. He sees a teacher-leaderinitiating action, maintaining theteaching learning process by set-ting individual and group guide-lines, and evaluating the students'experiences and products.

To approach arts education asmulticultural education what willwe have to give up? Doesmulticultural mean giving up theWestern canon?

I am certainly not suggesting thatarts education throw out the West-ern canon. Along with Banks(1992) and others, rather thanexclude Western civilization fromthe curriculum, I want a moretruthful, complex, and diverseversion of culture taught inschools. I want students to realizethat the arts, like knowledge, aresocially constructed and that theyreflect the perspectives, experi-ences and values of the peopleand cultures that construct them(Banks, 1 9 9 1 ).So,multiculturalizing arts educationdoes not mean throwing out theWest. Rather, in Rabinow's (1986)words it means that "We need toanthropologize the west; showhow exotic its constitution of real-ity has been; emphasize thosedomains most taken for grantedas universal...show how theirclaims to truth are linked to socialpractices" (p. 241, quoted inFreedman, Stuhr & Weinberg,1989, p. 41)

What sorts of partnerships are re-quired with other disciplines?

To teach the arts in this way re-quires partnership with each other,(that is: visual arts, music, theater,dance) and, I think, more atten-tion to what is being said aboutthe arts in the social sciences,particularly by sociologists andanthropologists.

Adrian Gerbrands (1957), a Dutchanthropologist who has workedextensively in Africa, states thatthe arts are essential for three rea-sons: to perpetuate, change, andenhance culture. He has shownthat the arts have functions trans-mitting, sustaining, and changingculture as well as in decoratingand enhancing the environment.Gerbrands has shown that the arts,directly and indirectly, may bol-ster the morale of groups to createunity and social solidarity andalso may create awareness of so-cial issues and lead to socialchange, The arts, he found, mayserve as an aide in identifyingsocial position and can be con-sidered as commodities that mayincrease the power and prestigeof the participant and owner. Thearts may express and reflect reli-

gious, political, economic, andother aspects of culture. At timesthe artist was found to be a magi-cian, teacher, mythmaker,sociotherapist, interpreter, en-hancer and decorator, ascriber ofstatus, propagandist, and catalystof social change. As we seek toreform education and to developmeaningful multicultural arts edu-cation curricula we need to showthese aspects of the arts to stu-dents. Rather than just learn abouttechniques and materials by sim-ply copying the art forms andtechniques of other cultures, orengage in context-less aestheticdiscussion, it is important for stu-dents to know that there is noculture without some form of ar-tistic expression.

A pluralist, multicultural, disci-pline-based. perspective and ap-proach should help arts educa-tors realize that there are manydifferent types of art and no suchthing as "art in itself." Toni FloresFratto (1978), a social scientistwho has written extensively onthe arts, states bluntly:

The fact is, there is no such thingas art. That is, there is no such

4 4

42

thing as art in itself. Art in itself isnot a universal human phenom-enon, but a synthetic Westerncategory, and a relatively recentone at that. The concept hasgenerated endlessly misleadingethnography, art history and[a] esthetic theory, and has actedmainly to mystify the social con-ditions which keep acts of crea-tion and sensual pleasure out ofexperience of the socially ex-ploited majority. (pp. 135-136)

Students need to understand thevalues that lead different individu-als and groups of people in di-verse societies to create, perform,acquire, protect, commission, dis-play, admire, steal, destroy, be-come an advocate for, or ignore"art."

SociologistJudith Blau (1988) sug-gests that sociologists of art nowtend to focus their attention onthe material and social conditionsof the arts, which "has resulted ina considerable advance in ourunderstanding of the "peopled"arrangements that help to definethe matrix of art production andconsumption. (p. 269) For artseducation such work is useful andimportant because it challenges"the traditional and tenacious

Kantian assumption that ideas andaestheltic values are pure and rec-ondite" (Blau, 1988, p. 270).

In her important book The SocialProduction of Art, Janet Wolff(1981) argues that "film, litera-ture, painting and rock music canall, in some sense, be seen asrepositories of cultural meaning,or, as it is sometimes put, systemsof signification." (p. 4) Artistic crea-tivity, she states, is not different inany relevant way from other formsof creative action. Wolff positsthat an individual artist "playsmuch less of a part in the produc-tion of the work than our ... viewof the artist as a genius, workingwith divine inspiration, leads usto believe." (p. 25) Like thepostmodern ists who have fol-lowed, she argues that many peo-ple are involved in producing thework; that sociological and ideo-logical factors determine or affectthe artist's work; and that audi-ences and "readers" are all activeparticipants in creating the fin-ished product. We have to helpstudents see that art encodes val-ues and ideologies. As Wolff(1981) says, arts criticism "is neverinnocent of the political and ideo-logical processes in which thediscourse has been constituted."

45

(p. 143) But this does not meanthat aesthetic enjoyment and aes-thetic experience do not exist, orthat al I cultural products areequalized.

The view that "Most artists pro-duce their works within a matrixof shared understandings andunderstood purposes" (Dubin,1986, p. 668) has considerablesociological support (e.g. Becker,(1974, 1982); Fine, (1977);Dadushin, (1976)). The attentionthat is paid in sociology .to thesocialization of the artist, how anartist acquires an artistic identityin diverse societies, and the rela-tion of the artist to many differenttypes of publics and patrons, mustalso be reflected in arts educa-tion.

How do we include the learningstyles of diverse populations andunique individuals?

I have chosen to focus this pres-entation more on content, thanmethod; more on curriculum, thaninstruction. In dismissing thisquestion fairly quickly, in the in-terests of time; I don't want tosuggest that it is not very impor-tant. We are fortunate in artseducation because we already usea variety of instructional methodsthat are not always used by teach-ers in other curriculum areas. Stu-dents need to make and perform,and learn about the arts, in waysthat reflect and respond to varia-tions in learning styles. The rela-tionship between learning and cul-ture is a complex one, but it mustnot be overlooked.

43

How do we implement change?

In a culturally relative approachto teaching the arts the "content"area that must be considered byteacher-facilitators has more todo with Why is art? or What arethe arts for? than anything else.With some knowledge of the func-tions and roles of arts in society,and a willingness to explore to-gether with students, teaching the"why" of arts is not as daunting asit may have first appeared. It is notunreasonable to expect artsteacher to deal with he arts andcultural diversity. We can em-brace and implement pluralism inthe service of education reform.

I believe that the chief aim of artseducation in a multicultural soci-ety should be knowledge andunderstanding of the arts as im-portant parts of all human activityand cultural life. In education,participation in the arts needs tobe far less trivial. It needs to beseen as giving purpose to life.

F. Graeme ChalmersThe University of British

Columbia

Editors' note: This article was presented at theGetty Center for Education in the Arts' recentconference on Education Reform. AlthoughGraeme prepared it for a U.S. audience, there ismuch relevance for us in British Columbia.

Reprinted with permission.

ReferencesAssociation for Supervision & Curricu-lum Development. (1992). Resolutions1992 Alexandria, VA: Association forSupervision & Curriculum Development.

Baker, G.C. (1977). Multicultural im-peratives for curriculum development inteacher education. Journal of Researchand Development in Education,11(1),70-83.

Banks, J.A. (1991). Teaching strategiesfor ethnic studies. Boston: Allyn &Bacon.

Banks, J.A. (1992). Multicultural educa-tion: For freedom's sake. EducationalLeadership, 49(4), 32-36.

Barkan, M. (1953). Art and humanvalues. Art Education, 6(3), 1-2.

Becker, H. (1974). Art as collectiveaction. Sociological Review, 39(6), 767-776.

Becker, H. (1982). Art worlds. Berkeley& Los Angeles: University of CaliforniaPress.

Blau, J.R. (1988). Study of the arts: Areappraisal. Annual Review of Sociol-ogy, 14, 269-292.

Daniel, V. (1990). Introduction. InYoung, B. (ed.), (1990). Art, culture, andethnicity. Reston, VA: National ArtEducation Association, ix-xiii.

Dissanayake, E. (1984). Does art haveselective value? Empirical Studies of theArts, 2(1), 35-49.

Dissanayake, E. (1988). What is art for?Seattle: University of Washington Press.

Dubin, S.C. (1986). Aesthetic produc-tion and social control. Social Forces,64 (3), 667-88.

Fine, G. (1977). Popular culture andsocial interaction: Production, consump-tion and usage. Journal of Popular Cul-ture 11(3), 453-466.

Flores Fratto, T. (1978). Undefining art:Irrelevant categorization in the anthro-pology of aesthetics. Dialectical An-thropology, 3(2), 129-138.

46

Garcia, R.L. (1982). Teaching in apluralistic society: Concepts, models,strategies. New York: Harper & Row.

Gerbrands, A. (1957). Art as an elementof culture, especially in Negro Africa.Leiden: E.J. Brill.

Goodman, N. (1968). Languages of art.Indianapolis: Hacket.

Grant, C.A. & Sleeter, C.E. (1986). Edu-cational equity: Education that ismulticultural andsocial reconstructionist.Journal of Educational Equity and Lead-ership, 6 (2), 105-118

Kadushin, C. (1976). Networks andcircles in the production of culture.American Behavioural Scientist, 19(6),769-784.

Karbusicky, V. (1968). The interactionbetween reality-work of art-society.International Social Science Journal,20(4), 644-655.

Lankford, E.L. (1992). Aesthetics: Is-sues and inquiry. Reston, VA: NationalArt Education Association.

McFee, J.K. (1986). Cross-cultural in-quiry into the social meaning of art:Implications for art education. Journalof Multicultural and Cross-cultural Re-search in Art EdOcation,4(1), 6-16.

Rabinow, P. (1985). Representationsare social facts: Modernity and- post-modernity in anthropology. In Clifford,J. & Marcus, G. E. (eds.), Writing culture:The poetics and politics of ethnography.Berkeley: University of California Press.234-261.

Temelini, W. (1987). The humanitiesand multicultural education. In McLeod,K.A. (ed.) Multicultural education: Apartnership. Toronto: Canadian Coun-cil for Multicultural and InterculturalEducation. 53-64.

Wolff, J. (1981). The social productionof art. London: Macmillan, 1981.

44

recycEle

47

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement (0ERI)

Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)

REPRODUCTION RELEASE(Blanket)

DOCUMENT IDENTIFICATION (Class of Documents):

ERIC

All Publications:11c_ (AI R : S ouc (Nu\ rcor cAr "Te_ci c_\tf ass

Br i c.\ Culumoce k Ark I tr a t i r s er.s A 5 5 Oc_i cot ionSeries (Identify Series): sAttIt Vo\unne. . t \\ rNk.treNsz ersDivision/Department Publications (Specify)

rk is. C.0V.rmb; (\cic (2kc\ers ASS Leo" cs.a.

II. REPRODUCTION RELEASE:

In order to disseminate as widely as possible timely and significant materials of interest to the educational community, documentsannounced in the monthly abstract journal of the ERIC system, Resources in Education (RIE), are usually made available to usersin microfiche, reproduced paper copy, and electronic/optical media, and sold through the ERIC Document Reproduction Service(EDRS) or other ERIC vendors. Credit is given to the source of each document, and, if reproduction release is granted, one ofthe following notices is affixed to the document.

If permission is granted to reproduce the identified document, please CHECK ONE of the following options and sign the releasebelow.

01 Sample sticker to be affixed to document Sample sticker to be affixed to document

Check herePermittingmicrofiche(4"x 6" film),paper copy,electronic,and optical mediareproduction

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

Scl"VkeTO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."

Level 1

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL IN OTHER THAN PAPER

COPY HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."

Level 2

or here

Permittingreproductionin other thanpaper copy.

Sign Here, PleaseDocuments will be processed as indicated provided reproduction quality permits. If permission to reproduce is granted, but

neither box is checked, documents will be processed at Level 1.

"I hereby grant to the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) nonexclusive permission to reproduce these documentsasindicated above. Reproduction from the ERIC microfiche or electronic/optical media by persons other than ERIC employees and itssystem contractors requires permission from the copyright holder. Exception is made for non-profit reproduction by libraries and otherservice agencies to satisfy information needs of educators in response to discrete inquiries.'

Signature:

alf..0-71 1 7)1 e-ezuPosition:

s 0 lo c INCA Ed i1--orPrinted Name:

S11CICOVN MC C_C:ILIACI t eyOrganization:

sciAisiN CeNurAzica art Te_ac_, e.r_c RS5 oc_ I a }ColnAddress: ,-.8010 4 icahw al q "1

V\Ii(\kie_lci 2). C. ClantIcha\1 I-1V \P9

Telephone Number:

(1011) 7Loto 41/101Date:

-.XLme_ \Si lqq5

OVER