Matisse Cut Outs

"The Bricolage Concept" by Olivia Gude brings up the point that there is not one single foundational path to understanding art or even making art, and art educators should teach that there are many different methods within the complexities of the art world. Art lessons should be planned with the two questions in mind:

1. Does this curriculum adequately represent a range of the aesthetic practices and artistic ideas in society at this time?

2. Does this curriculum give students a wide range of methods for making that are faithful to the needs of the students?

I agree with Gude that the art world in itself is a very complex thing, and so teaching it should not be a rote boring path, but rather we should let our students engage in this amazing diverse world of creating. While this may not be the historical way to teach an art class (like some of the parents will be expecting), we are living in the modern world and engaging in modern art practices makes as much sense as learning the latest scientific methods and reading modern literature in english class. Above all, exploration and discovery should lead the art class in a wide range of art making. Gude says it perfectly when she says, "Good art projects are invitations for students to enter into other ways of seeing, making, and thinking".