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First Law for Art Education
Industrialization in the United States was prominent. The desire for goods to be more aesthetically pleasing was on the rise, as to make more of a competition and profit. As a result, a push for art education in schools started in Massachusetts. Stankiewicz (2001) notes that this included handwriting, plein air drawing, imitation drawing, and blackboard drawing (p. 9). -
World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago)
At the first fair in Chicago, individuals were exposed to a great display of art and were intrigued. Whitford (1923) notes that this resulted in an increased interest in art education and an improvement in art supplies (p. 111). This also led into the "art for art's sake" movement, which was a push away from the industrialization of art education. Reference:
Whitford, W. G. (1923). Brief history of art education in the United States. The Elementary School Journal, 24(2), 109–115. -
James Hall's "With Brush and Pen"
Going against the industrial art ideals of Walter Smith from before, James Hall writes "With Brush and Pen", where he emphasizes self-expression and "artistic instinct" (Stankiewicz, 2001). This was a step towards the Progressive Art Education movement. Reference:
Stankiewicz, M. A. (2001). "Freeing the Child through Art". In M. A. Stankiewicz, Roots of art education practice (pp. 25-42). Davis Publications. -
Massachusetts 11th State Drawing Exhibition
After thousands of drawings were displayed from several Massachusetts schools in Boston, a meeting was held including teachers and art supervisors to discuss. They were overwhelmingly disappointed in the art. As a result, a push for hiring teachers trained in art was started, as well as more state support for art education (Stankiewicz, 2001). Reference:
Stankiewicz, M. A. (2001). Anyone can learn to draw. In M. A. Stankiewicz, Roots of art education practice (pp. 1-20). Davis Publications. -
Progressive Education Association Founded
The Progressive Education Association was created by individuals from both private and public schools, including John Dewey. Their focus was to encourage schools to lean more towards creative self-expression and the emotional and individualism aspects of children in mind. While the focus more or less stayed the same for individuals supportive of this movement, the integration of the ideas within schools varied (Stankiewicz, 2001). The PEA lasted from 1919 to 1955. -
Finger Painting and Self-Expression
Ruth Faison Shaw invented finger painting, which was launched in the United States in 1936. Shaw was adamant on encouraging creative-expression that did not have any influences from teachers, other adults, or professional artists. Self-expression within art education became widely discussed in United States culture (Stankiewicz, 2001). Reference:
Stankiewicz, M. A. (2001). "Freeing the Child through Art". In M. A. Stankiewicz, Roots of art education practice (pp. 25-42). Davis Publications. -
The National Art Education Association
Efforts to include voices from educators were becoming common. In 1947, the NAEA was founded as a community for its members. NAEA today offers benefits, grants, support, insurance, and conferences for the arts to members. Reference:
NAEA. (n.d.). About Us. National Art Education Association. Retrieved from https://www.arteducators.org/ -
Multiculturalism in Art Education
A push for multiculturalism to be included in art education came after the Brown v. Board of Education case (1952-1954). Haynes (1993) writes, "Art became the vehicle for the improvement of human relations, nationally and globally, and it became an educational theme throughout this period." (p. 26). Reference:
Haynes, J. S. (1993). "Historical perspectives and antecedent theory of multicultural art education: 1954-1980. Studies in Art Education 19(2), pp. 24-34 -
Sputnik
After the launching of Sputnik by the Soviet Union, the United States had a major shift in focuses within schools. An intense pressure for science and mathematics was added to both students and teachers. A mindset was fueled of stepping away from education reforms that were considered "anti-intellectual" (Haynes, 1993). Reference:
Haynes, J. S. (1993). "Historical perspectives and antecedent theory of multicultural art education: 1954-1980. Studies in Art Education 19(2), pp. 24-34 -
The National Defense Education Act (NDEA)
Congress passes The National Defense Education Act. A heavy concentration and pressure is placed on science and math, resulting in art education becoming a shadow behind these subjects. -
"Back to Basics"
The "back to basics" mindset had an emphasis on the "three Rs of education": reading, writing, and arithmetic. This idea, especially after Sputnik and the NDEA, became prevalent. References:
Morgan, M. T., & Robinson, N. (1976). The “Back to the Basics” Movement in Education. Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne de l’éducation, 1(2), 1–11. -
National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act
Lyndon B. Johnson signed the NFAHA in 1965, which would include the National Endowment for the Arts. The arts were financially and verbally supported by the government. This included visual arts, theater, dance, and music. Reference:
NEA. (n.d.). 1965. National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved from https://www.arts.gov/timeline/1960s/1965 -
DBAE
Discipline-Based Art Education begins in the 1980s. DBAE has four main focuses: art criticism, art history, creation, and aesthetics. Multicultural philosophies were included later to balance the student and society connections in the classroom. Reference:
Delacruz, E. M., & Dunn, P. C. (1996). The Evolution of Discipline-Based Art Education. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 30(3), 67–82. -
Laura Chapman
The Discover Art textbooks, written by Laura Chapman, are written for art educators. The textbooks were one of the first written specifically for art education to be used in classrooms. -
The Getty Center for Education in the Arts
The GCEA, created in 1982, was meant to "improve the quality and status of arts education in America's Schools" (Delacruz et al., 1996). DBAE was a major focus for the Getty Trust. While GCEA brought attention to the needs of art education and educators, they were a private organization with many limits. References:
Delacruz, E. M., & Dunn, P. C. (1996). The Evolution of Discipline-Based Art Education. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 30(3), 67–82. -
National Visual Art Education Standards
NAEA publishes the first National Visual Art Education Standards to be used by art educators. This was a step in making art education similar to other subjects that also required standards to be met. -
Educate America Act
Bill Clinton signed the Goals 2000: Educate America Act into law in 1994. The National Visual Art Standards followed, as arts were now considered "core subjects" in K-12 schools. -
STEM to STEAM
Art is added to the STEM acronym (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). This educational approach and movement includes the arts in STEM programs at schools. Reference:
The Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM. (2022, December 1). What is steam education? Arts Integration. Retrieved from https://artsintegration.com/what-is-steam-education-in-k-12-schools/ -
New National Standards for Visual Arts
The National Core Arts Standards are published for five different art disciplines. This includes Dance, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, and Media Arts.