I love art.
I enjoy the world of making, creating, and producing artifacts, even I am not very good at it. But I do like the feeling when I immerse myself into the process of creating. I feel happy and satisfied.
I had art classes in elementary, junior high, and senior high schools. Art in Taiwan is a required subject which every student has to take for aesthetic development. In art classes, students learn how to draw, scratch, paint, carve, and etc. Teachers give guidelines and topics for students to create. Actually, I do not quite aware what I learned in art classes, but I think I learned how to mix colors, functions of different tools, and space arrangement. I just enjoyed the experience of expressing myself into the creation. However, for many parents or teachers, this kind of experience does not count as learning and does not bring benefits on academic performance. Learning art is seen as having fun, not learning. Many private schools sacrifice art classes for course subjects which will be tested. Art wastes time. In addition, what kinds of benefits will art bring for students’ career? Art in Taiwan is seen as a luxury activity with high but also low values. Within big Culture, art such as paintings in museums, dancing and performance in theaters are valued as higher culture. But on the contrary, art students in vocational schools sometimes are labeled with low academic performance. What art education can bring to students?
Regarding the content of art classes, art usually is taught separately and independently. What I learned from art classes sometimes might not relate to my life, just an assignment I had to submit. Could art be integrated into content of other courses? Especially within the age of Web 2.0, how can students learn art though computer games, media art, and interactive media? How can teachers create a space for students to use creativity to brainstorm new forms of art and to learn from the process? What art education actually is? And for what purpose? What do educators expect students to learn from the process? I am not quite familiar with art education, but I think educators and researchers should pay attention on learning and curriculum design in art classes.
I'm really interested in what appears to be a significant difference between Taiwanese and American attitudes toward art. In my school, art class was what you took if you couldn't sing or play an instrument; it was part of a rotation that included shop and home economics. I think I took one year of art class in middle school, during which time I made a color wheel and probably, I don't know, scratched a horse in a piece of foil or something. I also took a class in aesthetics in college, but it was basically a "read a book, listen to a lecture" type of class--not at all worth my time. I wonder how things would be different if a culture valued art and aesthetics.
回覆刪除I also, by the way, really enjoy the fact that I know how to post a comment even though the buttons below are in a language I cannot even attempt to parse.
回覆刪除Ying-Sin- we are opposites! You love art (even if you think you are not always good at it). Are you just being modest? Or do you really not feel like you are good at it?
回覆刪除I, on the other hand, hated art class BECAUSE I KNEW I wasn't ANY good at it. This is interesting, because I love running,even though I know I would suck in any race, because I feel "happy and satisfied" after doing it (much like you mentioned with art.)
Hi Jenna,
回覆刪除Thanks for your comment. and wow~ I never realize that you guys also read my blog in a Chinese version! I thought only me read it within Chinese settings since my system is in Chinese! That’s interesting! Even with different languages, your experience and literacy practices online can help you figure it out.
Art education is important in Taiwan, but it is also in a dilemma. Even it is valued and required in school settings, people still hold some lower social value to artists, unless those artists become famous. Many parents do not see the value of art learning, but for me, it is a good opportunity for taking a break from school stuff. Like what you did in your art class, the content of art class is not quite personally meaningful. I never thought about the meaningfulness about the content, because I just want to have fun. But after reading our class readings, I start to think what I did learn in art class. And I think since art is valued in school settings, why not make it a real learning?
Haha Julie! You are so cute! Next time I can draw you running! We will both be happy and satisfied together!! Haha~
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