SCHOOL ART: WHAT’S IN IT?

1. SCHOOL ART: WHAT’S IN IT? EXPLORING VISUAL ARTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

2. OBJECTIVES • To portray the salient contents and foci of ‘school art’ at key stage 3 and 4, including a depiction of any programmes involving contemporary art practice • To identify factors and strategies that inhibit and facilitate the inclusion of contemporary art practice in the school curriculum • To explore the potential of contemporary art practice to make a distinctive contribution to the art curriculum and pupils’ learning

3. METHODOLOGY • Literature review of research since 1989 • Interviews in 18 secondary schools • 10 randomly selected • 8 identified as known to incorporate contemporary art practice • Heads of art department • Up to four art teachers per department • Total of 54 teachers interviewed • Small sample of pupils in three schools only

4. SCOPE OF INTERVIEWS • Professional background of teachers • Overall curriculum approach • Detailed descriptions of 62 specific modules • Perceptions of factors affecting curriculum choice • Perceptions of outcomes of art curriculum • Responses to a set of art images

5. CONTENT OF THE CURRICULUM FROM DESCRIPTIONS OF MODULES • The use of media or materials • The artistic and cultural references used to support teaching and learning • The skills taught, including the formal elements of art addressed • The thinking processes developed through, or used to support, the study of art

6. FINDINGS RE CONTENT • The prevalent use of painting and drawing as the medium in which pupils work • The prevalent use of artistic references from the early 20th century • Limited use of artistic references from pre 1800 and from the latter 20th and early 21st century • The prevalent use of male, European artists, predominantly painters

7. ARTISTS USED AS REFERENCES TO SUPPORT THE CURRICULUM, IDENTIFIED BY PERIOD

8. FINDINGS RE CONTENT (cont) • The importance placed on development of art form skills, including the use of art materials, the development of specific techniques and observational drawing skills • The creation of opportunities for pupils to think in an analytical and evaluative way, whilst employing thinking processes associated with creating and making art

9. CHARACTERISTICS MORE LIKELY IN MODULES IN CAP IDENTIFIED SCHOOLS • Teachers used artistic reference from the latter 20th and early 21st century to support the curriculum • International art/culture and the work of women artists were included in the artistic references used to support the curriculum • Teachers included a wide range of art forms in the references used to support the curriculum

10. CHARACTERISTICS MORE LIKELY IN MODULES IN CAP IDENTIFIED SCHOOLS (cont) • Pupils were encouraged to make art to explore issues or express meaning • Teachers encouraged pupils to use and develop creative thinking processes • The curriculum included visits to galleries and museums and included the use of external artists

11. TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TO ART IMAGES • Personal preference the main determining factor • Capacity of image to support skills learning • Images raising embarrassing or challenging issues rejected • Fame of an image affects choice (Hirst v Shrigley) • Evidence of slow-changing orthodoxy

12. REASONS FOR INCLUDING CONTEMPORARY ART PRACTICE • To provide a curriculum which is more interesting, relevant and accessible to the pupils • To increase pupils’ understanding of the wider art world and challenge the notion, ‘what is art?’ • To allow individual teacher preference for contemporary genres to be reflected in the curriculum they taught