SchoolArts - April 2011

DESIGN THINKING Transforming Art Education Through Design

Marty Rayala

Transformationdesignisthe applicationofdesigntobig, complexissuestocreate changeswewouldliketosee 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. 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.

Visual Culture. The everyday visual world of folk art, crafts, popular culture, vernacular architecture, mass media, and all the other images, objects, places, and experiences we maintain as part of our cultural identity. Visual culture study is the counterpart to social studies.

Art. Deep exploration of oneself through visual means with no particular function or preconceived expectations. Artists explore visual media and what it means to be human the way scientists explore life and the universe whether or not a practical application is expected at the time.

Transformation is more than change because it implies the creation of a whole new state of being.

Continued on page 70.

14 April 2011 SchoolArts Continued from page 14.

Circle No. 177 on Reader’s Service Card

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Teaching Visual Literacy

Just like the DBAE transformation in the 1980s, the visual literacy transformation in the twenty-first century is opening up widespread changes in art education as a whole. Where will we find those who can teach product design, architecture, urban planning, game design, Web design, and fashion or auto design in art education programs? While art education has traditionally identified itself primarily with university art departments in the past, this transformation requires drawing from interdisciplinary departments at universities often not previously associated with art education.

A growing number of art teachers have already begun making this transformation and have renamed their programs “Art and Design.” Many have already developed courses in graphic design, product design, spatial design, and interactive design. There are many resources already available for those who are willing to adapt to today’s learning environments. It will be exciting and challenging to live through another major transformation in art education that will not only change the field of art education, but will transform education as a whole in the twenty-first century.