My K-12 Art Experience

     I thought I'd use this post to reflect a little on my art classes growing up, and what maybe I would change if I had been my own art teacher. My K-12 Art Education experience begins in grade four, as I cannot remember anything prior to that.  In fourth grade I made a handcrafted wooden shelf.  Throughout the rest of grade school I remember a few projects including collages, a landscape painting, Christmas ornaments, and drawing/shading chrome objects.  In ninth grade I made a self-portrait, and in grades ten and eleven I was not able to take an art class. My twelfth grade art class focused on 2D work – drawings, paintings, etc.
     Looking back at my art experience, I think most of it was focused on being "good" at art.  Many projects were drawings or paintings, and much emphasis was placed on the final product looking good.  I remember fellow students dreading art class because they thought they were not good at it, and now I think the fact that they were dreading it probably also hindered their creativity from fully working.  My fourth grade shelf was probably my most influential piece, because we were building something with our own hands, and it could become something creative or pretty, or something straightforward. It was no longer a work of art based on your artistic talents, but rather your own handiwork, so I think all of the students participated much better.  My senior year was influential in learning about mediums, but not so much about technique. A majority of our projects were traced and colored in, which left little flexibility for creative control.
     In retrospect, I think for a majority of my art education experience, a different mindset should have been established where it was not important how talented you were, but rather that you were learning something with each project, and that your creativity and imagination were constantly being encouraged no matter your skill level.