Curriculum Change for the 21st Century: Visual Culture in Art Education

Abstract

National and international art educators have begun to move away from the emphasis on traditional fine arts disciplines toward a broader range of visual arts and cultural issues (BallengeeMorris & Stuhr, 2001; Barbosa, 1991; Blandy, 1994; Congdon, 1991; Duncum, 1990; Freedman, 1994, 2000; Garber, 1995; Garoian, 1999; Herna´ndez, 2000; Hicks, 1990; Jagodzinski, 1997; Neperud, 1995; Smith-Shank, 1996; Tavin, 2000). These contributors to the field have argued for a transformation of art education in response to changing conditions in the contemporary world where the visual arts, including popular arts and contemporary fine art, are an increasingly important part of the larger visual culture that surrounds and shapes our daily lives. In the process of this transformation, art educators are replacing older views of curriculum and instruction with an expanded vision of the place of visual arts in human experience.