Visual Arts Culture Education

In the article, “Problems Confronting Visual Culture” by Arthur D. Efland, he points out the fine art versus visual arts culture argument. The great advantage of teaching visual culture is its ability to broaden the study of human sensory experience. Many (if not most) of the art we experience occurs throughout our daily lives and not in a critical environment. The author points out that one of the problems with fine art is its association with high class modernism. Throughout the history of art, most of it was meant for wealthy and powerful patrons, often as a way to separate themselves from the common people. However, while it was that way at one point doesn’t mean that it can’t change. This article makes a distinction between “high” or “serious” art and “common” or “everyday” art. The benefits of having students study fine art, according to Efland, is that students get a chance to look at art beyond the everyday. This isn’t to say that commercial or popular art is bad. Rather, there is a higher level of aesthetic quality of an artwork that has been meticulously made. Another advantage is that it is easier to talk about broader concepts than in visual arts culture. The author brings up the problem with visual culture studies is that it is so enormous because of the sheer amount that exists in the world. In my opinion, bringing together both fine art and popular visual arts culture allows students see a bigger picture of the world. 

In the article, “The Disconnect Between Theory and Practice” by Rebekka Herrmann, she describes what visual arts culture education should be like. The author places emphasis on students making their own inferences and discoveries rather than being parroted answers by the teacher. This is really important for any art classroom to be successful, with or without a visual cultural emphasis. Often, we are accustomed for a classroom to have a specific set of instructions for student success rather than multiple avenues. The goal of art shouldn’t be to reach a finite answer, but to ask questions. Also, I think it’s possible that visual arts culture is meant to fill a gap for art teachers who either aren’t interested or not very good at art making. It takes many hours of daily practice to be able to even reach close to understanding the fundamentals of art. However the way that the education system is set up in the united states, the over emphasis on accountability takes more time away from actually being artists themselves. Why spend time on art when it doesn’t matter to the other faculty or students? In the author’s defence, Herrmann states that art making and visual arts culture aren’t separate. However, she doesn’t provide a good example of what it would look like; most of the examples involve discussion of pre-existing artwork rather than students making artwork of their own. The main problem I have with this article is that it uses language to make visual arts culture education sound enticing, but it doesn’t ground them in evidence. 
In the article, “Art Education for New Times” by Paul Duncum, he lays out the foundation for how the “new times” affects the world and what it means for art education as a whole. The new times refers to the 21st century era we’re living in. While almost every aspect of our culture has changed from the last hundred years, education has not always caught up. One big advancement is the internet and its proliferation of images. Memes for example have a powerful effect on how we talk about certain ideas. By analyzing these in an art classroom we can understand what about them works so well, and critique some of its messages. Duncum also describes the ordinary images we encounter in everyday life. From posters to commercial products, there are aspects that are influenced by politics and the economy. The problem with fine arts education, is that it can often view art as existing in a vacuum in the past. However to this day, art has a profound impact on society and vise-versa. Lastly, the author implicates how images in media have made for more complex individuality. By being exposed to an increasingly globalized world, cultures are rapidly changing and expanding. I agree that it is important for art to relate itself to what is relevant in the here and now. Learning about the history of art can help to be able to see the bigger picture.