Putting Theory to Work:Putting Theory to Work:    Building a Foundations Program for the Building a Foundations Program for the

21st Century21st Century

Dan Collins, Core Coordinator

School of Art Core Program, Arizona State University

Sept. 28, 2012

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Is it time to re-think the Foundation curriculum? (let’s take a poll…)

It’s ALWAYS time to re-think the Foundation curriculum.

What are the CONCEPTUAL DRIVERS for this change at the current moment?

• the need for more sustainable processes and materials in all disciplines• the opportunities afforded by new technologies and digital media• the need to meet the challenges of an uncertain economic future.• the crucial importance of empathy and understanding of diverse cultures• the lack of critical thinking skills (in our students AND our leaders)• the need to foster cooperation and cross-disciplinary connection• the reality of a changing student body (e.g., millenials, digital natives)• the need for the artist to take responsibility for their role in society

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What OUTCOMES should be included in a close review of Foundations?

Students should be able to demonstrate:

• the understanding and use of sustainable processes and materials• competencies with new technologies and digital media• strategies for meeting the challenges of an uncertain economic future.• an appreciation of diverse cultures• critical thinking skills• an ability to work as part of a cooperative team• the ability to engage non-artists in an interdisciplinary dialogue • why their status as “social networkers”, gamers, and bloggers matters• a deepening sense of the responsibility and role of the artist in society

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Why bother?

Because we no longer have the luxury of NOT connecting our discipline to the larger culture. Foundations suffers from “island” mentality…it perceives itself as somehow autonomous and self-sufficient. We need to connect to not only the sub-disciplines of our respective departments, but the larger aims of our institutions and communities.

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…but I digress.

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ThinkTank3, held at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from June 6 – 11, 2008, brought together art and design master teachers, administrators, and emerging educators. Facilitated by Mary Stewart and Jim Elniski, and involving representatives from 25 major universities, the 5-day symposium was a high-energy opportunity to link educational theory to studio practice and to develop ideas, concepts and frameworks addressing 21st Century Art Foundations Programs.

Themes for 21Themes for 21stst Century Foundations Century Foundations

Four ThinkTank3 teams came up with a variety of themes and constructs to re-think Foundations teaching. A “post-mortem” by myself and Mary Stewart teased out the following themes from the excellent but unwieldy presentations made by the teams.

1. Combining Studio Practice and Theory

2. Consciousness of Action

3. The Multiplicity of Meaning

4. The Role of Critique

5. Participatory Frameworks

6. Technology – from Digital Media to Social networking

7. The Millennial Student and 21st Century Culture

8. Diversity and Inclusively

9. Revisiting the Elements and Principles

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…there was at least one item of consensus.

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…we can’t go on teaching ONLY the “elements and principles” and truly serve the profession and the culture.

2121stst Century Foundations: Century Foundations: Elements and PrinciplesElements and Principles

The original elements and principles as formulated by Arthur Wesley Dow in the early 20th century were developed in a cultural moment that was essentially pre-electronic--pre-radio, pre-television, pre-computer, pre-Internet.

 

Despite the presumably important status of these art concepts in current art education practices, there has not been much theoretical debate.  Are they really so fundamental as to not raise questions?  Are they universal?  Who decided which fundamentals are more fundamental than others?  ...  Are we following the teaching strategies of college foundation design courses in a more or less diluted version?

(Nanyoung Kim, A History of Design Theory in Art Education, 2006)

It’s widely held that the “elements and principles” are not adequate to describe the range of design options, organizational strategies, and inquiry methods available to our students. What elements and principles have been left out of the equation?

no.

Theory sampler from Theory sampler from ThinkTank3ThinkTank3

…educators need to facilitate an environment where students take ownership and experiment with integration of studio practice and theory. Such an environment engages students and allows them to see the larger role of art making in our culture. Foundations teachers are then encouraged to revel in their role as generalists – to introduce and blend ideas with passion, knowledge and their own professional experience.

John Baldacchino, Columbia University, Teachers College

“Contextual & Critical Connections”

ThinkTank3

Theory sampler from Theory sampler from ThinkTank3ThinkTank3

…among the primary learning priorities in 21st century foundation education is to teach agility in thinking and making, and an ability to deal with complexity.

Helen Maria Nugent, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

“Finding Common Ground Between Art & Design Education”

Think Tank 3

Theory sampler from Theory sampler from ThinkTank3ThinkTank3

…foundation instructors need to cultivate and recognize opportunities to explore contextual associations that connect students’ work to their personal history, cultural experience, and contemporary practice.

Peter Winant, George Mason University

Constructing Meaning

ThinkTank3

20th Century Foundations

1. Top down teaching model (“sage on the stage”)

2. Design solutions free of context

3. Passive acceptance of ideas

4. Static elements and principles

5. Drive towards simplicity, clarity of design

6. Western focus exclusively

7. Discipline centric

8. Subjective response sufficient

9. Unexamined “universal” meanings accepted without careful weighing of evidence

10. Single discipline

11. Skill based

12. One size fits all

13. Resolved, independent, fixed “codes”

14. One schedule fits all

15. Personal expression (only)

16. Individual intelligence

17. Uni-modal with single pathway for navigation

18. Emphasis on “singular point of view”

19. Single “right” answer

20. Analog. Continuous. Unique.

21. Broadcast. Professionally produced. TV.

21st Century Foundations

1. Bottom up “participatory” ( “guide on the side”).

2. Context driven

3. Active questioning

4. Dynamic elements and principles

5. Formal and conceptual complexity.

6. Range of historical and cultural sources

7. Student and/or community centric

8. Subjective response + objective analysis

9. Scrutinized “local” meanings and judgments from weighing multiple pieces of evidence

10. Interdisciplinary in scope

11. Idea based

12. Custom tailored

13. Open-ended, dependent, open-source

14. Thin slicing of schedule for best fit (Kallish)

15. Empathy with other points of view

16. Collective intelligence

17. Multi-modal with the ability to follow the flow

18. Emphasis on “negotiation” and “relationships”

19. Multiple contingent possibilities

20. Digital. Discrete. Commensurable.

21. Broadband. Co-created content. Wikis.

21 Characteristics of 2121 Characteristics of 21stst Century Foundations Century Foundations

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But how (you may ask) can we put this into practice? How can we “put theory to work?”

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At Arizona State University we make the TAs do it!

Putting Theory to Work:Putting Theory to Work:    Building a Foundations Program for the Building a Foundations Program for the

21st Century21st Century

Contact Info:Contact Info:

Dan Collins, Professor and Core CoordinatorDan Collins, Professor and Core CoordinatorSchool of Art, Arizona State UniversitySchool of Art, Arizona State University

Tempe, AZ 85287-1505Tempe, AZ 85287-1505

dan.collins@asu.edu

artCORE website:artCORE website:http://www.asu.edu/cfa/wwwcourses/art/SOACore