Much has been written about what an education in art should be for. We might think more about what an education in art should be against. We live in a world where objects, environments, ideas, and feelings are manufactured for, and merchandized to, people defined as consumers rather than citizens, spectators rather than participants, and users rather than doers. Despite the proclaimed democratic ideals of education and the celebrated independence of the artist\u27s vision, art education has contributed little to the education of independent minded, informed, and empowered human beings

Sylva, Ron

VCU Scholars Compass

ISO Jagodz/n lH Press. "1be.re is nothing outside the lext" is found on p. 158 of this text while the second quole on pg. 139 can be found on p. 168. On pg. 142 the words Ande.nken. Verwindung, andAufhebung are left Standing alone. 1beiruse can be found in Gianni Vammo's, The End of Modernity, Polity Press, 1988. The term Virwindung indicateS .. _ a 'going beyond that is both an acceptance [or 'resignation'] and a 'deepening', while also suggest-ing both a convalescence,.' 'cure' or 'healing' and a distorting' or 'twisting.' (xxvi). Jim Collins, Un-common Culnues, RoutJedge, 1988. John Fiske, Under-standing Popular Culture.Boston : Unwin Hyman, 1989 and Reading the Popular.. Boston: Unwin Hyman, 1989. Michel de Ceneau Practice of Everyday Life . Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984 The notion of the Oikoumenica1 is something i develop in "The Poetics of Green Esthetics: Situating ' 'Green Q-iticism" in the Postmodern Condition (pp.32-44), in C. Congdon and D. Blandy's (Eds) Pluralistic Approaches 10 An Criticism. The Bowling Green State Universiry Popular Press, 1991. On ecological design i highly recommend Victor Papanek's (l978) Designfor A Real World_ London: Verso Press, 1974. Feldman's AIM statement can be found iRAn Education, 1982, Vol. 35, #2. Kobena Mercer's quote comes from his article, "Welcome to the Jungle: Identity and Diversiry in Postmodern Politics. In/dentiry Community, Culture, Difference, Edited by Jonathan Rutherford. Lawrence & Wishan, 1990, p. 57. The Nietzsche quote that opens the essay comes from TwiUghJ of!he Idols, in A Niemche Reader . Harmondswonh: Penguin . 19TI, p. 145. For the idea of eco-speak: i shouJd like to thank my unknown viewer for this brilliant insight. that's all folks! NewAgenda Commentary Media, Environment, and Art: A New Agenda for Art Education Ron Sylva lSI Much has been written about what an education in art should be for. We mightthink moreabout what an education in art should be against_ We live in a world whereobjects, environ-ments, ideas, and feelings are manufactured for, and men:handized to, people defined as consumers rather than citi2ens, spectators rather than participants, and users rather thandoers. Despite the proclaimed democratic ideals of educa-tion and the celebrated independence of the artist's vision, art education hascontributed littie to theeducationof independent minded, informed, and empowered human beings. Ore premise for this paper is that the mind is neither a passive material to be shaped. nor an empty vessel to be filled. Students begin with active minds, eager to engage and make meaning of the world around them. Thiscapadty isunderesti-mated by a greatdeal of what ispresented to themaseducation and as art education. They ClJ\ think in more abstract and romplex ways than most educationsystems make provision for. They are capable of comprehending more sophisticated issues, concepts and images than much CW'Tt'I\t practice now affords. But those capacities can atrophy. Students can become accus-tomed to pedestrian ideas, gimmicks, and deverly produced, butuninspin!d and oassIy motivated imagery. Theycanleam to require little from themselves, and tOexpedlittle from theworld except entertainment. JSTAE 12,1992 152 Sylva Another premise is that. in the latest rush to improve education, attention has been focused on important but inrom-pete elements of the total responsIbility of education. The arts, and the critical sort of literacy that they should pl"OlnOte in a world that is increasingly visual and mediated, continue to receive inadequate attention. lhe fault is Iargel.yours. To some degree it can be attributed to our obsession with "'fine'" art (.t1ttmugh we do not make this distinction in the art of other cultures). Tosomedegree:, itcan beoJttributed to the principia:l, but tragically mistaken position of "discipline based art educa-tion'" that art eduation need not (indeed, should not) extend beyond an eduation about the subject matter of art itself. A third premise is that too many of us remain naive and old-fashioned oJbout contemporary media. Our next-ol-ldn in the perf 01 U dng arts tend to think of media such as video as oJ means for recording and broadcasting li ve events. In education, generally, media still have the must connotations of "audo. visual'" - extension o:m1s and bumtout bulbs. In art eduation, the PJlential remains unrealized in the case of ne .... "('f art forms, 1'Iewe- technologies, and the mediated environment Powerful media for creating. manipulating. enhancing. and inventing imagery are there. The potential ol these techniques for expor-inS complexities, abstractions, and subjectivity is largely ig-nored, unexp&ored or urvealired. Part'IIthetiealIy, our unfortu-natetendency ineducation to "'field strip'" experience intoing-mentsforJearningemphasizesknow1edge,comprehension,and apptication of predigested information, but does little to chal-lenge the levels of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation that need to be de\"eloped for an independent explontion and grasp of nevo,' experience.. Consider:theinfJuenceandthepotencyofmass-produced and pervasivecultural imagery and forms and theexponenti.l1 gnr. ... th of the technologies aS50Ciated with them. An education inartmustincludeleamingtowrestthasetoolsforindependent purposes, asa means fcx-creating art.even asa subject matter for art; leaming to manipulate, oombine, and tn.nsJonn those tools to (re)create images, forms, and events that can ,eptcsolt indi-vidual (or ethnic. or cultural) ~ and that can enable active participation in a oommon society and environment NewAgenda 153 Consider: the ease with which contemporary media can provide readily available and easily manipulated images. An educationinartmustmovebeyondacromplishingandappreci-aling the traditional hand hewn image, leuning louse contem-ponry- media 10 present (or re-presenU penona1 <."OnCE'ptSof the "rear contemponry world. Coruider: how the indi vidu.t1 has been overwhelmed by the potent sophistication.Jnd the sheer plausibility of the medi-ated visual experience and the purpose to which it has been put. Aneducation inart must those learning to bet1'lClre than a passive romponentinthepnxes.s;leamingtostepoutsideofamediated expeience, appn'Ciating its potency, but attaining a psychic distance from it and a reduoed vulnerability 10 it Coruider: the disaJrd betwftn the mediated environment .Jnd the biological spaoe/ timeenvironment thai weeo.1lI\-ecJ in. An education in art must indude learning to distinguish be-tween the two, identifying consonances, dissonances and res0-nances between the two environments and the ways that they mingletoinfiuence, enl\ance,andconfoundpen:eplkm..concept development.and the way wegnsp the world. Consider: People adrift in sea-<hanges of pace in events,. comP'exityofissues, and magnitudec:J consequences. Anedu-ation inart should contribute to a capability for understanding the workI as multi-dimensional situations and multi-dimen-sional events within (and among) different perspectived slX:iet-""-This banage c:J roncm\S can be organized around two Jarger and complementary issues for.JJ1 education: I .Contributing toa ~oitical and objective literacy in contemporary media and their uses, and therefore a reduced vulnerability to their potemy. 2- Contributing to oJ multi-dimensional / meta-perspec-tival grasp of the workl, and to the ad\'ancement of individual 1S4 Sylva initiativesandpwposesbasedinthatgraspthatcanbeenhanced throu.ghthethinkingassociatedwiththedynmUcsofcontem~ rarymedia. Sight with greater insight. layered richness, and coherent diversity arecherished characteristicsof a capability in art. That capability is possible in all human beings. but it can be sup-pressed by cultural influences. by the means used for rep~t­ing and communicating ideas. and (too often) by edw:ational methods.. That capability is valued in people who have rNin-taintd and devekJped the ability to perceive the mwti-dimen--siona1 n.ture of the wodd. Effective strategists,. sculptors. decisim makers, pilots. proNem solvers, architects, sdentists. artists, comedians, de-signen and milthematidansoften posses an · outsight"',an abil-ity to gnsp an apparently insoluble difficulty. a dilemma. a contradiction,. an opp:>t lunity, or a conflict. by stepping out 01, and movingaround. the structure of thesituation; turning it end-for~ and inside out,. notrestricted by narrow pel spE<ti ves,or by the way that they ·ought'" to see it . linear thought may be largely it fuoction of speech and wriling. Problemdenli.fication,. in\"esti~tion,. solving.and deci-sion making are approached asa chain 0{ -d/t:hens'" . Typically. thinking is based on a two-dimensional appreciation 01 a situa-tion. developing patterns from fEi spe.. .. tives that mily be limited and thai may create unneces.sa.ry paradoxes and illusions. In flat plane thinking. appearance can vary dramatically with penpective. Since pelspe<:tive plays an important ~ in determining pe:treption. concepts may be formed from inad-equate. orinappropriatepacepts..1n turn. inadequate, or inap-propriate concepts may be employed for comprehension. lnad-eqU3te~ usually results in inappropriate action. We cherish individual perspecti\-e5 in many aspects of life (this is ceWnly a tradition in art), but the selection. acceptance, advocacy, forcing.. or instrumentation of a n.rrow paspecti\"'Ii!' can.. and usually does. inevitably aeate conflict with other, similarly Jimjted, paspE<ti ves. NewAguuJa 155 Multi~ mm,-petspatival thinking can grasp the integrity, or reality of a form or situation,; appreciating. but independent of. mutually exdusive points of view. Perceptions and resulting roncepts an be more independent and objecti Ye. tleefote less easily distorted, or unduly shaped. Comprehen-sion can be, in fact.oomprehensiveand action can havea tuUer, more intelligent base. The condition,. which might be termed a capability for meta-fEispecti\-es,transcendsthe~notionol"both sides"' of aquestion. The rangeof applicationscan be manifest in such ro .. oete and imInediate situations as a chikI learning to create clay sculpture that is truly -m the round". or in the comprehension and resolution 01 rompiex soda1 situations and political issues. The ability to percei\"e the three dimensionality of a form. or a situation is poorly addressed in education (whether it is sa:alpture in art, or an issue in social studies). That ability represents a challenge to contemporary education as prepara-tion for oontemporary experience. And that ability can be tran-scended by the ability torecognizethatasituat:ion,.or a form (any "'oo;ecr, in fact) is a I'ouMiimensiona event; a now of form.. Ploces5,.and meaning. What we think of asa situation., or object.. isonly a .. still· in that Row. Recognizingmanydimensions isnot a new idea. Encouraging the ability 10 devdop mwti-dimen-sional models for thought and action may be. Developing that abilityshouJd bea n.tura1 outromeof anadequatecontepl: 01 an education inart. But,. what weconslder to be our basic grammar, the prin-d plesandelementsofromposition.doesnotadequatelyadd ress elements and principles that are peculiar to, or most significant to, mwti-dimensional art (and mu1ti-dimensional experience). For example, a four dimensional artform like video creates visual events, emphasi2ing time. change, and motion for cre-ative translormation as principal elements of organization. The familiareiementsmdprinciplesofoompositionareexperienced rather diff ...... ,tIy in two, three, and four dimensional art. for example. we achieve some success in encouraging a grasp of the mutual influences of colour in simultaneous company on a two 156 Sylva dimensional pIane_ But their dynamics and significance when theyoccuronadjacen!"oroppositeplanesol.athreedimensional form... and their c:onstant nux in four dimensional art, have recei\'ed noequivalent attention. TIme, motion.and change, prirdpal ~tsol our expe-rience of life, also romprise the mediated !Wity that is repre-sented and manipulated by our eIectronk environment. This is understood, at varying levels, by those who shape that environ-ment as art, or shape that environment fa other purposes.. In multi~1XIaI.. meta·perspectiVM thinking, time is plastic. It can be forwarded or reversed, linear or cycled, ex-tended or coI.lapsed, and presented in a "1ogical or illogical'" CI'der. In multi-dimensional. meta-paspatival thinIting. ~ don may be experienced on a two dimensional plane, Of" in a three dimensional space, at varying paces and rhythms, and from changing perspectives and degrees of proximity. Change may be uniform or relative, abrupt or gradual, occasional or continuous,and with transitions that areobjectively '"logical or --. A gBSp of multi-dimensional art requires an ability to discem and analyze: and interpret a Row 01 imagery and a continuity of form. To develop that grasp, it must be retrievable to the intellect by using facilities for actually ~viewing it, or by enhancingfaculties forrecollectingit. To anaJyze a visual situa-tion.. it must be pCISSl"Ne to manipulate it by retarding it. extend· ingit.or reconfigwing it. Tointerpret a Row ofmeaning it must be pen:eivedasan even!" howeverrompJex. that can be reflected onand_ Cmtemporary media can stimulate diverse ways 01 per-ceiving the same phenomenon.. They can present several ver· sions for comparison. amtrast and comprehension. they can develop rich and complex imagery and ideas ina relatively brief time. Theycanenhance nonnal visual experienc:e{and t1e.efoIe paception.andconcephWizationlbythemagnificationofscale, by the anniltilation of space, and by the transformation of time. NewAg~nda 157 . . Contempor.uy media can present our SUrroundings, not JUSt 11\ the way that the physial body can move around in it, but as the eye and mind can experience it. Cmtemporary media can manipulate, enhance, and invent imagery to ~ abstrac-tions and subjecti.veaspectsol~. Of course, this is (or should be) true of all art.fonns. But, contempor.uy media pr0-vide the ability to captul1! or construct sophisticated imagery. allowing us to devote precious time to their dynamics and significance. Weassert the fundamental nature and pervasi\"e influence of art. We agree on the inlJlOttlna! r:J teaching rulhlraJ contexts for art and for the role that art can,and should, play. But that is usualIydirected toward theart of othercu.ltures. Weteacha \YrY rwTOW band of the spectrum of the art 01 our own society of ~1tun5. We can agree that art writ La.rge is the ooUective vision of a sodety and the means developed for creating that vision. One 01 the dimensions of an edua.tion in art is learning about that visiorI; another dimension is learning touse the means by which tNt vision is fashioned. Just asart is impel1ed to move beyond celebrating the past, toinfonningthepresent,andtoshapingthefu~,arteducation is both a heritage and a legacy. It passes on our collective experience of the world; it can present us with ways to think about our individual experience 01 the world; and most impor-tant, it can provide us with the means for significant participa-tion in shaping the future of the wortd. 

Commentary: Media, Environment, and Art: A New Agenda for Art Education

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Commentary: Media, Environment, and Art: A New Agenda for Art Education

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