Abstract
Picasso said he
spent a few years learning to draw like Raphael and a lifetime trying to draw
like children. As childhood art educators, it is our job to inform and
enlighten their minds and show them the limitlessness of their abilities. The
core of art education should be centered on creativity and storytelling.
It is crucial
for children between the ages of seven and nine to recognize how their ideas
develop into drawings. These are the most prolific years in a child’s life to
spark and deepen their ability to adapt and come up with ideas. Unfortunately
the current state of art curriculum in public schools does not allow for this
kind of growth and knowledge. The designated art curriculum of today centers on
replicating and mimicking existing artwork as opposed to creating an outlet for
individual style.
The current
content standards set forth by the State of California in the subject of Visual
Arts greatly lack any substantial effort in developing creativity. In the
Creative Expression category, the target learning objectives are vague at best
with little to no indication of teaching students how to have their own ideas.
Instead, the focus seems to be on concepts of mixing colors and drawing from
observational sources such as art history and objects in daily life.
To
teach children that realism is the only qualifying attribute of good art is to
take away all their creativity and put a cap on their artistic potential. The
only way to become creators is by surpassing reality, not imitating it. Realism
is little more than a tool to advance our own ideas, not as a crutch for not
having any. Realism is a skill, not a talent.
-Today
|
332 |
 -Yesterday |
865 |
 -This Month |
39906 |
 -Last Month |
39225 |
 -All Days |
397363 |
IJAHSS by IPRPD is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.