Premier’s ABN AMRO Creative Arts Scholarship
Teaching and learning visual arts
effectively through cultural and social
partnerships
Fiona Steel
The Arts Unit, Specialist Programs
Sponsored by
Introduction
‘We are all born artists but the problem is how to remain an artist as we grow up’ — Pablo Picasso
Are we educating our children out of creativity? A creative person uses their mistakes as a
learning tool. So if, as some experts propose, we have stigmatised mistakes in our education
system and students are not prepared or allowed to be incorrect, then we must ask if they are
being offered the best opportunities to develop their full creative capacities and thereby to come
up with anything original. Students learn in a myriad of ways and all educational models strive to
develop the full potential of students but what value do these models place on creativity?
My study tour sought to investigate K-10 visual arts programs that offer stimulating and
responsive learning experiences (educational) through successful partnership programs with
galleries (cultural) and hospitals (social). These programs assist children to develop their creative
capacities and to learn through the arts. Through observation and assessment, I explored the
potential impact of innovative programs throughout Canada and the United States that offer
teachers opportunities to support students to develop their creative potential and to develop,
clarify and practice core values through visual arts.
These programs assist students to confidently develop knowledge and skills in appreciating their own artworks and those of others,
reaffirming the integral relationship between making and viewing and understanding the roles of artists, audiences and how the world can
be interpreted’
Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus
Background
I am the current coordinator of Operation Art, a unique Australian education program that
values creativity and recognises the teachers’ role in providing contemporary practice and
learning processes employed by visual artists as fundamental to enriching student creative
learning. It utilizes visual arts connections between educational, social and cultural institutions to
offer clarification and practice of the core values of excellence, respect, care, cooperation and
participation through visual arts skills development.
Visual Arts programs established between educational, social and cultural institutions
support students’ learning within the four dimensions of ‘Productive Pedagogy’:
Higher Order Thinking - Deep Knowledge - Deep Understanding - Substantive Conversation Knowledge as Problematic - Metalanguage
Intellectual Quality recognises that knowledge isn't a fixed body of information and encourages students in higherorder thinking skills. Students develop a problematic approach to knowledge and are engaged in complex
understandings and seeing the ‘bigger picture’.
Connectedness to the World - Problem-based Curriculum - Knowledge Integration - Background Knowledge
Relevance (Connectedness) helps students to make connections between different aspects of school learning as
well as connections to the world beyond the classroom. Students are encouraged to be creative, cooperative, work
academically and to become aware of community and life-long learning.
Student Control - Student Support - Engagement - Self-regulation - Explicit Criteria
Social Support is about creating an environment that has high expectations of students and which encourages them
to take risks in learning. Mistakes are a practical learning tool in creating visual arts and not an indignity.
Cultural Knowledges - Inclusivity - Narrative - Group Identity - Citizenship-
Recognition of Difference encompasses inclusivity and positively recognising differences and group identities.
Social integration is supported through celebrating cultural heritages and offering opportunities for the exploration
of identity.
‘…if learning outcomes are the goal, then teaching with a focus on context, relevance and connectedness is going to be your most effective
approach with Gen Y’— Michael McQueen
Focus of the Study
The focus of my study tour to Canada and the United States of America was to investigate the
efficacy of visual arts education connections between schools, hospitals and galleries. I observed
similar programs to Operation Art and was concerned to understand their origins and impact
upon participating students and communities. I also exchanged ideas with teachers and
coordinators on expected learning outcomes. All programs build on current teaching and
learning practices using techniques that best develop students’ skills, knowledge and
understanding. Exhibition opportunities which assist students to develop a critical perspective
about which is more effective and why, were available over a range of developmental stages with
some regional and funding variances impacting upon programs. Many of the programs studied
offer innovative and practical approaches to building community relationships with hospitals and
other health facilities while others offer diverse, culturally rich and imaginative learning
experiences that contribute to students’ understanding of the value of visual arts in a
contemporary society.
‘In general the arts are valued by society but this does not extend to arts education that takes place in the school system alone. This is
reflected by the fact that the arts are the first subjects to be neglected or dropped whenever there are cuts’ — UNESCO World
Summit on Culture/Art in Education
Methodology
This report was prepared by recording consultations on education and arts learning in
educational, social and cultural institutions following a broad agenda and involving wide-ranging
discussions. During my tour I visited an array of programs where creativity, accessibility and
quality in arts education strengthened the role of arts and learning. Comments may be abridged
and sometimes are grouped with similar comments.
Visit Synopsis
Partner Programs in Schools
ArtReach, Nova Scotia, Canada
ArtReach is a series of exhibitions and arts workshops that utilizes original artworks for
inspiration to educate students, teachers, and community members across the province. Through
practical artmaking sessions offered in gallery studios, participants identify devices used by artists
and are equipped with a range of ideas for the classroom. I was particularly interested in how this
program utilizes regional venues and the talents of local artists to develop lessons that link the
school curriculum to its touring exhibitions.
Partners: Nova Scotia Department of Education, Canada Council for the Arts and the Art Gallery
of Nova Scotia
ArtSmarts, Canada
This national program maintains that engaging young people in artistic activity is critical to their
evolution as creative thinkers. It aims to build long-term partnerships at the local level between
professional artists and schools, inviting the artists to collaborate with classroom teachers to
make art part of the learning environment by integrating it through core subjects. Students are
encouraged to think critically, analyse creatively, explore their talents, develop research skills,
work cooperatively and discover community. This program complements current teaching and
learning practices, building the confidence of disengaged young people and creating enthusiastic
and active learning by challenging students to learn in new ways.
Partners: The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, Provincial Ministries of Culture, Education
and Arts Councils
When they’re asked to create art, the almost universal first response of both students and teacher is “I can’t”. This response always
changes over the course of an ArtsSmarts project. Not only do students start to see their own and others’ strengths in making art, they
also become more fearless risk takers in other aspects of the work as well. — Engaged In Learning - The ArtSmarts Model
Arts Express, Halifax, Canada - Flight Dreams: The Feather Project
This collaborative project gave students their first opportunity to work with an artist, Halifaxbased sculptor, Miro Davis in the classroom. The objective was to integrate art into the Grade 11
Physics curriculum, so a 6 metre long clear acrylic feather became the basis for student-made
sculptural artworks that depicted the timeline of flight in an evolutionary sequence.
Partners: JL Ilsley High School, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
“… eventually we arrived at a point on the road where science meets art, where equations ran into imagination and theorems encountered
creativity. What an exciting place to be!” — Head Teacher, Science Department
Learning Through The Arts (LTTA), Canada
LTTA is a national program that claims to be the largest full-school intervention program in the
world and reaches over 100,000 children in schools each year. It encourages teachers to make
learning and teaching participatory, active, and connected to a student’s personal interests and
learning style. It sets up partnerships between teachers and trained artists and effectively assists
in achieving academic, social and personal development in students through direct, hands-on
experiences. LTTA promotes collaboration, risk-taking and continuous learning and appeared to
be extremely successful in participating schools. However, during the last focus shift to
numeracy and literacy, some regional coordinators held concerns for its growth while it remained
non-mandatory. During my observation of teams in the Greater Toronto Area and Nova Scotia,
these concerns appeared to be negated. With minor regional variances being noted, both teams
indicated strong growth in partnerships in schools.
Partners: Royal Conservatory of Music, Regional School Boards
Teaching Children’s Rights Through Art, Sydney, Canada
A curriculum resource written by Diane Lewis using the arts to teach children aged from 10
to18. I visited this dynamic teacher at Greenfield Elementary School and discussed her resource
and methods to engage students. The Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Arts Education
Curriculum learning outcomes assist students to explore the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child articles and to make their art making more meaningful.
Partners: Cape Breton University’s Children’s Rights Centre, Heritage Canada, UNESCO,
NSDEd
Creative Arts Learning Partnerships, Ontario, Canada
These partnerships provide opportunities for teachers to gain confidence in teaching the Arts.
The coordinator explained that through first-hand experiences, teachers build on their repertoire
of strategies for the classroom and are assisted to understand the importance of the Arts in
improving student successes. Teachers explore the curriculum through hands-on opportunities
under the direction of art experts or attendance at public arts events and build on their
knowledge and expertise. Each session with participating arts organizations covers the Ontario
Arts Curriculum expectations and teachers acquire practical tips on how to apply what is learned.
Partners: Regional School Boards, Participating Arts Organisations eg: Art Gallery of Ontario
Partner Programs in Hospitals
Art For Healing Foundation (AFHF), Montreal, Canada
An inspirational program that began in 2002 when two compassionate art buffs didn’t just
discuss a problem but found a solution and acted. Now Earl Pinchuk and Gary Blair are
managing to positively affect the lives of patients, staff and visitors in hospitals by placing
artworks on the walls of these facilities through their foundation. I toured several health facilities
and observed artworks of sights, sounds and tastes familiar to the patients, along with abstract
images open to interpretation. At the Maimonides Geriatric Centre, a state-of the-art teaching
hospital where the AFHF had installed artworks after recent renovations, I discussed with staff
and families what they believed to be the effects of these artworks on the patients.
‘Viewers react positively when they connect a personal memory to an artwork’ — Recurring Reply
Research shows that art improves the healing process and most people understand that art
creates a reaction within us. When a picture is first viewed, the action is to say whether you like it
or not. A life devoid of action isn’t a life at all. Children need opportunities to make art for other
children in hospital. It is in the action of connecting memories for their peers as patients that
each student learns the core values of excellence, respect, care, cooperation and participation.
While visiting the Montreal Children’s Hospital I handed over several Operation Artworks,
created by young people, to become part of the permanent collection which included artists of
renown.
Partners: AFHF, Artists, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Royal Victoria Hospital, Maimonides
Geriatric Centre
Living Through The Arts, Toronto, Canada
This outreach program brings artists into different Toronto social service agencies to deliver
workshops on different art forms. It aims to reach communities and clients in need, nurturing
creativity, building self-knowledge and self-esteem, fostering mutual respect, and encouraging the
expression and celebration of creativity and identity. As a teacher, it was a pleasure to watch the
wonderfully motivating artist educator Jennifer Polo work with a few students from the New
Mentality Group, a group of youth raising awareness about the stigma and discrimination faced
by those with mental illness. The students worked together in a group characterised by respect
for each other and enjoyment for the visual arts experience but maintained idiosyncrasies that are
not always respected in mainstream educational institutions yet are authentic to these individuals.
When asked about their reason for doing art, many responded with ‘because I like it’. It validated
them and encouraged them to accept themselves.
Partners: Central Toronto Youth Services, Royal Conservatory of Music
‘We’re here to help our clients make choices for themselves; they’re so used to being told what to do’
City of Toronto Youth Services — Outreach
Partner Programs in Art Galleries
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) Education Programs, Halifax, Canada
Throughout the duration of the inspirational Flight Dreams exhibition, writers, artists, dancers,
scientists, and musicians were invited to bring it to life with performances, written resources, and
workshops. Lessons were made available to educators on the AGNS website in physics, math,
language arts, art, music, dance and the science of flight and young people were encouraged to
sing, dance, write and create art.
Partners: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, various artists
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) Art and Wellness Programs, Halifax, Canada
The AGNS initiated and established partnership projects with IWK Children’s Hospital in
Halifax with an aim to raising the profile of the Arts in the healing process. The hospital is
currently undergoing a capital works program and I visited a new wing with some recently
painted murals, but their most exciting acquisition is a gallery space within the hospital. This
space currently displays artworks by young patients but also artworks from another partnership
program AGNS has developed with Provincial Autism Arts. It was my pleasure to contribute
several Operation Artworks to their gallery space. These works had been created especially by
Australian children for young patients in hospital.
Partners: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, IWK Health Centre, Provincial Autism Arts
Alexander Graham Bell Museum, Baddeck, Canada
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and? a dehusking machine, a manual finger
language, voice simulators, a talking dog, a piano that transmitted music at a distance, an
harmonic telegraph, a photophone, a phonograph, airplanes, hydrofoils, a metal jacket to assist
breathing, an iceberg locater, an audiometer, a salt and water separator and air conditioning. He
also translated the Mohawk language into visible speech, anticipated concerns for fuel shortages
and industrial pollution, found uses for methane gas, suggested solar panels and invented a metal
detector and composting toilets.
‘Leave the beaten track occasionally and dive into the woods. Every time you do so you will be certain to find something that you have
never seen before. Follow it up, explore all around it, and before you know it, you will have something worth thinking about to occupy
your mind. All really big discoveries are the results of thought’ — Alexander Graham Bell
Bell believed that how he learned was important and he was one of the world’s most prolific
inventors. He valued the arts and believed that children should be taught to think creatively. His
museum carries on his legacy and encourages students to think laterally. I met Linda Watson, the
Education and Public Programs Officer of this exciting hands-on educational space. Bell thought
children should learn by doing and every child is offered that opportunity when they visit.
Partners: Parks Canada -Alexander Graham Bell Museum, Provincial and Territorial Curricula
Cape Breton Centre for Arts & Craft, Sydney, Canada
Creativity, craftsmanship, beauty, and function find expression in the work of Cape Breton
artisans where their work is displayed in the Cape Breton Centre for Arts & Craft. The centre
houses a pottery studio, glass and jewellery studio, weaving studio, an art studio and a
multipurpose room which is used daily and nightly for workshops. The second floor gallery
shows artworks for sale created by local artisans and the third floor will open soon as a travelling
exhibition gallery space with their first exhibition from The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. I was
given a tour of this fascinating centre by its Director, Carol Beaton, and it was explained how it
is filling a vital gap between the ‘real world’ and artists. Often we encourage our children into the
‘art world’ but do not give them the means or knowledge on how to market themselves. Often
these people are lost as they follow other careers from which they can make a living rather than a
career in which they truly belong and may achieve more satisfaction. How many visual art
teachers do you know who have their own art-making practice, but only as a hobby?
Partners: Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, Canada Council for the
Arts, Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Regional Schools
Museum of Fine Arts - Musée des Beaux-Arts, Montreal, Canada
I met with the Education and Community Programs Department and observed the Sharing The
Museum program which is a collaborative educational programme for non-profit
community organizations that work with senior citizens, youth at risk,
disadvantaged families, cultural communities or people with physical or intellectual
disabilities. It links the gallery to a variety of communities and schools with after-hours free
programs for teachers regularly fully booked. The value placed on arts education is heartening,
with most funding generated from the private sector.
Partners: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Regional Schools
Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), Toronto, Canada
‘A man paints with his brains and not with his hands’ — Michelangelo
What an amazing experience! I met Colin Wigginton and discussed education programs in which
teachers learn skills that can be integrated into the classroom and students are encouraged to
connect personally with art and explore issues that are relevant to them. Practical sessions
interpret artworks and other media with students in order to build visual literacy. The AGO
celebrates creativity and has a diverse range of partnerships with artists, educators, instructors,
specialised exhibitors and foundations.
Partners: Art Gallery of Ontario, Regional School Boards, Participating Arts Organisations
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA
A Year with Children 2009 was in the final stages of preparation during my visit and scheduled for
exhibition after I left. It provides a platform from which to demonstrate learning outcomes from
the Learning Through Art program. Similar to its Canadian namesake, this program places
professional teaching artists in New York elementary schools to collaborate with classroom
teachers and develop art projects that relate to the school curriculum. Learning Through Art
seeks to encourage curiosity and critical thinking by actively immersing students in artistic
processes. This involves transforming classrooms into studios and the students into artists.
Students explored a variety of materials in response to topics and created works through a
variety of forms including drawings, prints, photographs, found object sculptures, acrylic and
watercolour paintings, assemblage and collages.
Partners: Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, Learning Through Art, Regional School Boards
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA
Carrie McGee is the Assistant Educator, Community and Access Programs from the
Department of Education at MoMA in New York and she very generously gave me her time to
discuss the diverse range of education programs run in partnership with community
organisations. These programs serve children, adults, families and seniors, non-profit community
groups, schools, continuing education, facilitators and camps while the professional development
days for teachers off- and on-site link the exploration of the arts to key learning areas. All
education programs are based on ‘an experiential, participant-centred model that emphasizes active, handson learning and the nurturing of skills based on the individual’s learning style and abilities’.
Partners: MoMA, Participating Community Groups, Regional Schools
Conclusion
All the programs studied on my tour throughout Canada and the United States of America are
models of excellence that value education through the arts and strive to develop the full potential
of a student’s creativity. These programs have impacted positively on students and teachers and
continue to show growth, with some in their second decade. Research has shown that students
learn in a variety of ways and I propose that disengaged students have missed being taught an
appropriate thinking skill for their learning style. Students require opportunities to express
themselves about issues that affect them directly and through methods that explore their innate
creative energy. Teachers need encouragement to promote and nurture this creativity. Artists
bring knowledge and prior learning skills using a range of tools and resources to engage students.
Those teachers who work closely with artists can increase their repertoire of teaching strategies
through varied approaches to effectively identify, monitor, evaluate and plan student learning.
I am committed to enhancing the quality of teaching and learning and for this to be achieved, I
believe, we need to raise the profile of education through the arts and rethink the methods used
to educate our children. The opportunity to think creatively is central to some individual’s ability
to learn and from an early age, children draw, paint and build as they interact with their
environment and understand their world. Active participation in the arts can improve student
learning bringing them together to teach them cooperation, communication and tolerance while
developing abilities to critically examine, explore the world through their senses and respond
through reflection, description, analysis, interpretation and evaluation. Education through the
arts provides opportunities for children to perceive, respond and to communicate and is essential
to learning. If it is to be valued highly, I suggest that visual arts must be taught continuously and
sequentially alongside learning in other areas of the curriculum. Every grade should have art
classes that build on knowledge, skills and experiences and we need to research and pool
collective resources in arts education to use specialised and passionate people, including artists,
to create change.
This study will have significant outcomes through its ongoing impact upon Operation Art’s
future planning and development. Perceived limitations of regional and metropolitan touring
programs will be discussed and assessed, and practical links to galleries will be expanded and
fostered. Based on effective modelling, professional learning materials and practical workshops
will be written and developed by teachers and artists working together to provide enrichment
and extension that challenges teachers with practical opportunity and original resources.
Education through the arts can be sustainable by developing partnerships through structured
collaboration. It is possible to offer every student the opportunity to develop creatively. Visual
arts programs, like Operation Art, offer stimulating and responsive learning experiences through
successful partnership programs with galleries and hospitals and assist children to develop their
creative capacities and to begin a lifelong learning through the arts. This is essential if we are to
produce a new generation of original and creative thinkers.
‘…a project begins with an idea. The seed can be planted by an artist who wants to share his or her knowledge with young people, or an
educator looking to explore new ways of expanding students’ horizons; or a community member who is enthusiastic about what art can do
for the youth in his or her neighbourhood. The idea is to grasp the notion, then run with it’ — ArtSmarts Handbook
References
McQueen, M New Rules of Engagement: A Handbook for Teachers and Parents of Generation Y [Sydney]:
Nexgen Impact, c2007
Final Report: Consultation on Arts and Learning for the UNESCO World Conference on Culture/Art in
Education, Canadian Commission for UNESCO 2005
Scott, M (Editor) ArtSmarts: A Handbook for Artists and Educators published by the Canadian
Conference of the Arts, 804 - 130 Albert Street Ottawa, ON K1P 5G4, Canada ©2003
Lewis, D Teaching Children’s Rights Through Art Children’s Rights Centre, Cape Breton University
http://discovery.cbu.ca/psych/index.php?/children/resources_item/teaching_childrens_rights_
through_art/
https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/inform/yr2002/mar/pedagogy.htm
http://www.ted.com/index.php/speakers/sir_ken_robinson.html
http://www.artforhealingfoundation.org/about.html
Endnote
To view a blog of this study tour go to: http://fionasteel.edublogs.org