Art education is critical in today's schools. It has been since the times of the ancient Greeks, and only lost its luster during the Industrial Revolution when products became more important and as people became more consumer-driven, turning many schools into education, for profit, "factories."

We however know that art education is not hand turkeys, and frill. When we grid, measure, and draw—we use geometry. When we make sculptures—we use engineering. When we mix colors—we reveal information about physics. When we create illustrations for stories—we learn about literature. When we review the styles of art from da Vinci to Bansky—we teach history. When we write about art—we strengthen these skills. When we create works of art, we solve complex visual problems in creative ways.

This info-graphic attempts to dissect why and what it is we do, and maybe where your own class is.

Red is "Media and Technique." Alone this category would represent house paint and a good brush stroke, rope and trying up items on a boat properly, utilitarian ceramic works, or a well made wood stool.

Blue is about math, science, history, literature, writing, cultures, etc., which every art project generally has some connection to. (Color mixing = physics, story illustrations = literature, tessellations = geometry)

Yellow is the individual being considered in the process, the potential for personal connection, internalization of the information, media, and technique.

Purple are formula projects, "make and take," with little, if any personal expression. Hallways are lined with the work, one looking essentially like the next. It is also the realm of craft that helps to define/express a culture, or decorative items for holidays and special occasions.

Orange is the artful program with lots of expression but fewer connections to core content. It's "art for art's sake," like an open studio, like an island in the school with little connection to anything else. It is also how most professional artists work, so many teachers see this as a model to follow to create little Rembrandts. Both orange and purple have their advantages, and many art classes operate out of these realms.

Green is where a good core content class helps students understand content by personalizing it. This might be with questions like, "What percentage of your body is made up of water, and what weight would that represent?" Or "If you were Bilbo Baggins, in The Hobbit, when would you choose to reveal you had found a magic ring, and why?" Or "Compose a poem to take the place of The Jabberwocky in Through the Looking Glass." It's internalization of class content for deeper understanding.

The middle section is what I strive for, and when I do, I see some amazing things happen. Students make connections between content areas, explore them with more depth and understanding, and create more meaningful, insightful works of art. This is the Heart of a great art program, but certainly a difficult balancing act. One needs to take the time to plan both the personal connection and the relevant core content information.

Three examples through a pinch pot.

Purple Mode: Teacher shows students an inverted pinch pot turtle, glazed green, with little appendages coming out from the bottom. The example is what they will create step by step, pinch a bowl, add the bits, color it green. All students know, "the good ones" look most like the teacher's sample. Parent's love them, so cute!

Orange Mode: Students are given clay and taught how to pinch a pot, then asked to "turn it into something creative" that speaks to their personality. Books or images of other pinch creations may be available to flood students with ideas. Some are stumped with too much choice, but most do well and have fun creating their personal expressive artworks.

Central Mode: Students do a bit of writing about who they are, maybe a list of 10 words to describe themselves. (WRITING) Then they connect each word to a possible animal they think best represents that word. (INTERPRETATION) They create a sketch of that animal to scale. (PLANNING) They learn about Oaxacan carved animals, Haniwa animals, or some other culturally or historically connected touchstone as a reference. (HISTORY) Sketches are redrawn before learning how to properly pinch their sculpture. They cut and weight lumps of clay to get 1/4 pound (MATH) and create their work. The project concludes with a critique, and a few written lines about what they did best, worst, and what they could improve if they did it again. (More Writing)

Time may be your enemy if classes are short, but one core skill can be added to a project to get it into that central mode, be that a little writing, measuring, or historic content.

Studies show that students who take for years of art in high school score 100 points higher on their SATs than their peers. That's awesome, but in 2013 my own students scored 155 points higher on average. I credit that to my integrated approach. Those kinds of numbers, if shared with your administration, can save your program, save your budget, and get you the respect you deserve.

One can and many do have their students create cookie-cutter, candy factory projects (and exercises) like those arty party workshops where they serve wine. Most are happy with the results. The teacher, and students have something to "show" for their work. It's comfortable, there is a feeling of closure and completeness, and most parents, students, colleagues, and administers feel "You're doing an awesome job."

It's like going to a lavish buffet and eating pizza, chicken nuggets, with a cookie to top is off. You'll be full, you'll be happy, and you'll have never challenged yourself to go beyond your comfort zone, which is... comforting.

You'll never know what chicken tikka masala is like, or souvlaki, sushi, vichyssoise, shawarma, or the melt in the mouth joy of fresh crème brûlée. You'll never need to use a fork, knife, spoon, or set of chopsticks. You won't care either because you have let yourself stay inside that comfortable ticky tacky little box.

Art is THE most important class a child can have. Even if they want to be a lawyer, accountant, senator, custodian, chef, etc... The most successful people in every field are the ones who can solve problems in creative ways, finding new and innovative answers. The ones who can integrate math, science, history, language, and the other disciplines into their thought process succeed. ART has done this since the times of Ancient Greek schools. It is only since the industrial revolution that the focus on product, as opposed to process, became a goal, dumbing down art to what happens in so many rooms.

Students will learn linear thinking in other classrooms.
2+2=4
H+2O=Water 
In 1492 Columbus discovered something important
"Casa" means house in Spanish, and Umbrella in Japanese

There is a right and a wrong answer.

But no formula, no class, no guru can show you the right way to paint YOUR dreams, express your soul, your pain, your point of view... but we CAN do it EVERY day in art... if we would just let go of the Ticky Tacky mindset.

I disagree strongly to the idea that art is not a "core subject." It is that perception in education that relegates us to peripheral status, filler, and an easily cut program when budgets get tight.

I also disagree that we should not "test" students in the traditional sense. To no do so separates us from the rest of the school, gives the impression our subject is not worth testing, and that we are somehow less important. We can have a separate discussion about testing and how valuable it is or is not--I'd prefer NEVER to have to test my students, BUT it is the reality within we live and work. (That may change but let's stick with reality)

...and what is wrong with testing vocabulary terms like in an English class? Shouldn't we test the historical knowledge we have passed on to our students like they do in history classes? If we use rulers, would it be unusual to do an assessment on measuring? What we do in art can and does support all other curriculum... if you allow it to.

I'd argue that art is THE most important core subject, helping all other subjects make more sense at a deeper experiential level. It's why art students score 100 points higher on things like the SAT. 

I believe we should not test for "creativity" or "prettiness," but we should grade and assess vocabulary, elements, principles, and where appropriate, the core concepts we incorporate into our lessons.

When we grid, measure, and draw—we use geometry. When we make sculptures—we use engineering. When we mix colors—we reveal information about physics. When we create illustrations for stories—we learn about literature. When we review the styles of art from da Vinci to Bansky—we teach history. When we write about art—we strengthen these skills. When we create works of art, we solve complex visual problems in creative ways. Art is the meeting place of all subjects. 

I won't bore anyone with more, but you can read a bit more HERE.

Looking for assessments? Free ones HERE, others are HERE.

For all of my 25 years of teaching art I have introduced my students to the great movements of art. Though vast and dizzying in it's array, I have chosen to start with the Renaissance, and end with Pop Art. So my full list would include the previously mentioned two plus Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, Romantic, Realism, Impressionism, Cubism, Expressionism, Abstract Expressionism, Dada, and Surrealism.
 
Arguments can be made to add earlier art movements, and we do touch upon the ancient and modern styles, but these are the 13 movements I require my students to know. There is some "fudging" so for example, we consider "The Scream" an expressionistic work because of it's heightened emotional value, so too is Fauvism put under the same umbrella, and we lump Post-impressionism into Impressionism because it helps kids recognize the key features of bold brushwork, working from observation, and a hidden "Z" pattern within the paintings. My feeling is that after an introduction, later classes, like Art 2, 3, 4, or AP can partition movements a bit more precisely. I lose no sleep if a first year art student calls van Gogh an Impressionist; actually I rejoice!
 
My final exam is one where students see 60 works of art, some they have seen before, some that are new, and they must use the visual clues to surmise the correct school of art. We play games, groups battle groups in a game-show-style contest to guess the art movement. They begin with a one page outline, and gradually move to no resource at all. Most do very well, but it has always been a challenge.
 
I had an epiphany one day and made this flow chart. It's hardly complete, and only gives a bit of direction, but students found it very helpful. It won't work for pre-renaissance movements, and some off shoots like Northern-Renaissance, or Grant Wood's Regionalism, Grandma Moses folk works, or Whistler's Aesthetic Movement, but it does do an awful lot that is helpful. Kids spot how American Gothic is connected to the Neoclassical Movement with it's rigid composition, and morality message though with a more modern twist. How Whistler is connected to the Realist movement in his approach, and Moses too though in a "Country Craft" sort of way.
 
I like how they argue within their groups citing visual evidence for their choices, pointing to brush work, the absence or presence of roman togas, the hues of the background. They are making astute visual observations, sharing them, and learning. It's the STEAM approach in full gear, a marriage of art and history.
 
They love the little stories I tell about the work bringing it into context; how the Rococo artists were hated by the Neoclassical artists and it paralleled both the American and French Revolutions. How Cubism and Expressionism included shattered and distorted images, while European society and bodies of it's soldiers were shattered and distorted through World War One. How World War two saw the emergence of the atomic bomb that did not shatter bodies, but vaporized them--while the Abstract Expressionists, at the same time, like Pollock and Rothko, vaporized all subject matter!  That the Baby Boom led to massive consumerism, so no wonder Pop Art blossomed.
 
Though my list is incomplete, it becomes a good jumping off point. 

CLICK HERE for a printable version of the flowchart.

Poster Version HERE. (13 Major Movements of art)

Advanced flowchart poster HERE. Byzantine through Op Art, and many more. Better for advanced classes and college. (24 major movements)

Like this lesson idea? Generate your own complete, standards-aligned lesson plan in minutes with the ArtEdGuru Lesson Generator — built on 40 years of real classroom experience. Free to try.

​Try the ArtEdGuru Lesson Generator ​app.artedguru.com ​

Art in our public schools must do two important things.

1. The art project must connect to the child's life experience or point of view.

2. It should be connected to core content to reinforce learning and understanding.

When projects do this, students succeed.

Art teachers know, when we grid, measure, and draw—we use geometry. When we make sculptures—we use engineering. When we mix colors—we reveal information about physics. When we create illustrations for stories—we learn about literature. When we review the styles of art from da Vinci to Bansky—we teach history. When we write about art—we strengthen these skills. When we create works of art, we solve complex visual problems in creative ways. Art is the meeting place of all subjects.

Art can be a great means for students to get a deeper grasp on their subjects and the connections between courses. Research shows that students who take art succeed at higher rates than those who do not. In the U.S., art students score, on average, 100 points higher on their SATs. In my own district, using our methods, our students scored 155 points higher on average than students who did not take art in 2013. 

Does this "connected-ness" makes the projects any less "artful" or less expressive? 

No. It means there will be a level of depth built upon the work of your colleagues and reinforced by the art teacher. More knowledge is always better.  We already do this, it's a matter of making these connections more overt, for the sake of our children, ourselves, our department, and our schools. 

Does this mean crafts are not of value?

No. Crafts have connections to cultures, social studies, and history. They can be a rich source of learning IF we make these connections in a meaningful way by incorporating reading and writing skills, and teaching about the cultures and history of the crafts we expose our students to.

So everything is okay in the art room?

No. There are still thousands of classrooms across the country doing "art" that minimizes our profession, reinforce the idea that art is frivolous, expendable, filler. These programs waste opportunities for learning and problem solving. The hallmark to poor programs are large amounts of "cookie-cutter projects."

When projects line a hallway that look like little reproductions of a teaching sample I cringe at the lost opportunity. No matter how cute, how appreciated, how loved they may be, they come at the expense of our profession. Leave these for classroom teachers looking for filler. Help them if you like, but such projects have no place in a valid art program. I don't care if the child is two or twenty, art must be personal, expressive, and connected.

To those who say these cookie-cutter projects build the skills to be used later, my reply is do it NOW, while they are under your professional direction. It need not be dramatic, or profound, but the element of student choice, and connections to core content must be present in all projects to be valid art experiences.

Sure but how about an example?

Paper Plate Fish: Cut a pie slice from a paper plate, re-attach it to the opposite side of the plate, and you have a fish. Paint, decorate, etc. If you limit paint to a few choices, which you should anyway for the very young, you end up with a hallway full of delightful, but vapid fish. Each like the other, little distinction or expression.

Solution: Have students reflect on their personality. Are they loud or quiet? Are they active, still, or lazy? Cut the mouth of your fish to show what a big mouth you have. Make a tail to show how active you are. This tiny alteration has changed the cookie-cutter fish into an expressive, albeit simple, work of art.

How about those Core Connections?

A: Before making fish, show different kids of fish and organize them by type, air breathing, and water filtering perhaps. 

B: They can write about being loud or quiet, fast or slow, energetic or lazy.

C: They can make a list of all the water animals they know for a few minutes, organize them by order. 

D: Vocabulary: vertebrates and invertebrates

Speak with your colleagues and coordinate a little. They will respect you more, students will learn more deeply, and succeed at higher rates.

...And how about the Common Core?!?

I feel "Common Core" has become a buzz word that incites a lot of division. I am not a fan of tons of testing that takes up so much time that we, as teachers, are less able to get to as much material or cover it as deeply as we once had. BUT I do believe we do need some national standards so an "A" in New Jersey, is also an "A" in Mississippi or Washington State... 

My approach is to create more overt connections to core content with vocab, writing, reading, interpreting, observation, recording, etc. When I do a unit on gridded portraits, we discuss scale. Before we make art, we write about our ideas, creating lists, assimilating information, and include some expository writing. When we talk about da Vinci, we cover the Renaissance, the 1400s, and the history of that time. When we illustrate stories, we talk about the work, the author, and the literature. My "approach" does all the things common core is meant to do, but goes beyond, and is more successful. So though I am required as a New Jersey teacher to follow Common Core, and I do, evidence shows my department exceeds expectations because of our "STEAM-like" approach. 

As I said before, in 2013 our students did 155 points HIGHER on average on their SATs... and we don't get a lot of "AP" kids that might artificially skew our numbers.  It's a proof of concept that's hard to argue with.

LINK HERE for STEAM Approach Studies