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Art teachers play a vital role in fostering visual literacy in all citizens--from cradle-to-grave. Today’s learners require 21st century skills that enable them to encode visual concepts through the transformative process of creative expression as well as decode meaning through the informative process of critical response of society’s images, ideas, and media of the past as well as that which permeates our increasingly complex visual world.
A balanced approach to exploring the form + theme + context of an artwork helps individuals create as well as discern complex layers of meaning in visual language while developing higher-order thinking skills. As we explore form, or how the work “is,” we discern the artist’s many structural decisions embedded in the creative process that leads to a final product. As we examine theme, or what the work is about, we examine what the artist expresses through a selected overarching concept or “Big Idea” that reveals the artist’s expressive viewpoint connecting art to life. As we investigate context(s), or when, where, by/for whom and why the art was created (and valued), we comprehend the authentic nature of the artwork by probing the conditions for and under which the art was created and valued, considering the work under present conditions from our perspective in contemporary, as well as those of foreign and older cultures.
Sandell R., Form+Theme+Context: Balancing Considerations for Meaningful Art Learning Art Education, January 2006
Sandell, R., FTC Palette for Decoding and Encoding Art (pdf)
Sandell, R., FTC Palette for Decoding and Encoding Art (writable pdf)
Sandell, R., Inspiring Pedagogy: The Art of Teaching Art, CAA News, September 2005
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