DESIGN THINKING
Transforming Art Education
Through Design
Marty Rayala
Transformation design is the application of design to big, complex issues to create changes we would like to see
in our surroundings, in ourselves, and
in the way we live and work. Transformation is more than change because
it implies the creation of a whole new
state of being. Transformation is on
the scale of a caterpillar turning into a
butterfly, discovering that the Earth is
not the center of the solar system, or
the impact of the printing press on the
development of human culture.
Transformation is more
than change because it
implies the creation of a
whole new state of being.
Discipline Based Art Education
In the early 1980s, the field of art
education was transformed by the
introduction of discipline-based art
education (DBAE) to include art history, art criticism, and aesthetics, as
well as the production of art. Within
twenty years, national and state
standards, assessments, curriculum,
teacher preparation, research agendas,
resources, and many other aspects
of art education were transformed to
align with the DBAE model.
Visual Literacy
A quarter of a century later, art education is being transformed once again.
Traditional art education is becoming
something closer to visual literacy
and includes the application of visual
thinking in everyday communication, design of everyday objects, global
visual cultures,
and the myriad
ways in which we
learn, think, and
communicate visually.
The transformation from art education to visual literacy requires systematic inclusion of
four major domains:
Visual Communication. The everyday
use of visual images, objects, places,
and experiences. Visual communication is the counterpart to reading,
writing, and mathematics and is
basic to every student’s education.
Design. The application of visual
thinking to solve problems and
enhance the quality of life for oth-
ers. This includes two-dimensional
graphic design, three-dimensional
product design, four-dimensional
environment design, and five-
dimensional experience design.
Design is the visual counterpart to
applied science.
14
April 2011 SchoolArts
