Principles of Possiblity: Considerations for a 21st Century Art & Culture Curriculum

I have always enjoyed articles by Olivia Gude, and tend to agree with many of her ideas and opinions.  I tend to find her articles a good read and so I enjoyed this one.  She couldn't have put it any better than she had in the very beginning by stating "Has any art teacher ever reviewed the national or state standards for art education or the prevailing list of elements and principles of design and then declared, "I feel so motivated to make some art!""  The author then goes on to state that she doesn't feel so and I agree with her.  Gude puts emphasis on the need for big ideas being investigated in art and not just aesthetics.  Postmodern principles cannot stand as the primary aspect of an art curriculum.  In the article creative play is viewed as important but it is noted that experimentation with media on it's own is not enough to create valuable learning experiences.  More investigative content is needed in the curriculum to further engage students.  Projects need to open up a variety of opportunities for students to grow conceptually, and approaches towards projects that narrow exploration and growth need to be avoided.  I absolutely love Gude's example of the teacher who gives an assignment and restricts students to a warm color palette.  In reality this hinders students possibilities for creative learning experiences.  Gude's article puts emphasis on creating projects stemming from asking questions that are important to students.  Upon reflecting on these things students can gain insight into the self.  This is very important to adolescents who are facing a great deal of change in their life.  Projects stemming from issues important to students keeps them more engaged in what they are doing.  Other types of projects Gude finds valuable are those that focus on themes important to the community, as well as multicultural curriculum.  What the author refers to as "attentive learning" or art made through observation and experience of different environments is another approach that can bring up more complex questions for students to ask.  There needs to be a push for investigative learning, not just specific end results if we want to offer students valuable opportunities for diversity.  Gude states in her article that she has created this outline as a guide to aid teachers in creating meaningful curriculum that has the ability to "engage and empower."  I would agree that the issues she has stated are all real and that a different way of art education, like the one proposed here can offer students much more valuable learning experiences than many former generations have had.