Art education for Liberation

Introduction

In the contemporary world, people believe that the purpose of schools is to assist students to thrive in their lives. However, the study indicates that currently, art education students face various challenges in schools such as oppression and limitations of freedom of expression and creativity (Eisner, 2017). Eisner (2017) claims that most schools are struggling so that they can implement the measures that can ensure that the students have creative freedom and expression (Freire, 2007). According to the study, there is a connection between critical pedagogy and art education (Freire, 2007). Critical pedagogy does not support oppression and criticism of the students work in art education since such incidences have adverse effects on the learners. 

Critical Pedagogy and Art Education

According to Eisner (2017), there is a relationship between some complicated aspects of art education with critical pedagogy. The study shows that separating the two would cause the theory to have no basis. Additionally, Eisner (2017) suggests that art is a compulsory subject since art education primarily a connection of theory and practice. Given that the theory needs to inform individuals who tend to change oppression condition within the society, art occupies the center stage (Swift & Steers, 2006).

However, there is a need to learn the proper perspective of art education or picture making, to enable an art student to see through the transformation surface (Swift & Steers, 2006). Also, Art education is a thought realm within which the activities that exist affects how, why and what people need to understand the visual culture (Eisner, 2017). The connection of education and art helps in shaping how one would think about art. Thus, the combination of critical pedagogy and art develops a space where the teacher engages learners in art activities and as a result, discard the ideas they had learned previously. The study adds that taking care of numerous pedagogical ideas encourages understanding and development of new thought among the art students. As a result, the students will get a favorable environment where they will engage artwork (Eisner, 2017). This aspect has a whole relationship with the views of critical pedagogy. Critical pedagogy suggests that art education must broaden the experience of the learners and engage them. It also claims that the students need to have favorable environments where they can freely interact when practicing practical skills. 

However, the Eisner (2017) adds that it is essential for someone to know the time a child should be able to make art, the importance of teaching art, the role of critical pedagogy in art education. Understanding these aspects would enable an individual to understand the connection between art education and critical pedagogy. The study suggests that art starts when a child begins to skim stones on water bodies (Swift & Steers, 2006). It indicates during this stage of art skills’ development, the anxiety of a child increases when he or she advances in throwing the stones, by engaging friends in skimming competition. Thus, it is valid to connote that art is an inborn knowledge that develops during early age. Art education allows students to be able to understand various cultures, people and places within the society since it offers learners the ability to think so that they can come with the own art ideas. 

Swift and Steers (2006) argue that critical pedagogy does not support expression limitations and oppression in schools. Eisner (2017) claims that there are various instances in classrooms where art teachers discourage expression and critical thinking among learners. For example, an art teacher would ask the students to draw an object. As a result one of the students may draw something of different shape, maybe because he or she has a different view of the object, this can make it hard for the teacher to comprehend. As a result, the teacher is likely to judge the work and criticize it as devoid of artistic merit. However, critical pedagogy suggests that such incidents are not appropriate since they can suppress the creativity of the student and damage his or her morale. Thus, it is advisable for teachers to acknowledge the culture in which a specific leaner comes from before criticizing or passing remarks on the artwork. 

Moreover, critical pedagogical classroom welcomes all ideas and attempts to refine them so that they can bring a meaningful solution. The study indicates that some students will have a view that the object is not apparent while others would perceive it as strange since every learner attempts to view the specific picture in his or her perspective (Eisner, 2017). Thus, the art teacher would need to accept these drawings regardless of the outcomes. According to critical pedagogy, the school should not force the will of the children to develop awareness and intelligence. For instance, Eisner (2017) suggest that an art teacher should not force the students to draw an object they do not like or what they do not understand. The study indicates that providing the students with space for creative expression and freedom, they would be able to develop skills that are parallel to the presented idea, but they will develop a new area of consciousness (Eisner, 2017). The keen learners would be able to come up with new ideas. 

Finding

The study shows that when students feel oppressed when they do not have the freedom to develop their ideas (Eisner, 2017). As a result, they get exposed to adverse effects such as loss of morale and the suppression of creativity. Eisner (2017) connotes that teachers often kill creativity among students teaching them on how to rent ideas rather than encouraging them to own them. Art teachers force students to borrow artwork from other artists or students. However, real artwork depends on own experience, imagination, observation, and memory of the child, not borrowings from others (Wink, 2005). Therefore borrowing of artwork can frustrate the skills of the art students. As a result, they will not be willing to attempt to come up with their ideas. 

Possible Solutions

The issue of oppression and lack of freedom of expression affects art education students in schools. According to critical pedagogy, such incidents are not appropriate since they are likely to suppress the creativity of the student and damage his or her morale (Freire, 2007). Therefore, Freire (2007) proposes the need to come up with strategies that would help in reforming the art education curriculum to address this concern. One of the methods the teachers should use is applying the critical pedagogy views. According to critical pedagogy, teachers should welcome various opinions in a classroom to come up with a meaningful decision. This strategy is appropriate since students have different perceptions. Some students will have a belief that the object is not apparent while others would perceive it as. This approach requires the art instructor to accept the drawings from every student regardless of their outcomes. This strategy helps in motivating the learners since they will feel that the art teacher believes in them. Hence they will be able to continue developing more ideas. 

Additionally, the teacher should not force the students to draw what they do not like or borrow objects from other artists. In many cases, teachers kill creativity by forcing students to draw what they are not aware of or does not like (Wink, 2005). Compelling students to draw a specific object is like forcing them to borrow ideas, which would make them depend on other people’s thoughts. As a result, they will not be willing to develop their ideas, which will kill their creativity. Therefore, teachers should encourage students to create new ideas, by allowing them to draw objects based on their skills, imagination, memory, and observation. The strategy will help in enhancing art creativity among the students. 

Impact of Oppression in Art Education

Based on the above premises, it is evident that oppression in schools has adverse effects on Art Education. It would discourage the morale of the students in art education. The study shows that students will not feel motivated to develop new ideas in incidences when teachers force them to borrow ideas from other artists (Wink, 2005). When students get exposed to borrowing ideas from other artists, they will not be able to improve their thoughts, since their skills are likely to get frustrated. Hence they will not have the ability to try coming up with new ideas. 

Additionally, the study shows that oppression in schools undermines creativity in art education (Wink, 2005).  It suppresses the creativity of the students given that the students will not have the morale to create new ideas. The students will depend on the views of other artists, which will deny them the freedom to develop their thoughts. Therefore, it is valid to suggest that oppression undermines creativity in art education since the learners will have no ability to build their ideas. 

Conclusion

The purpose of this paper was to address oppression in art education. The above arguments show that teachers always deny the children the creative freedom and expression which adversely affects the art students. The text starts by giving the connection between critical pedagogy and art education. The above premises indicate that separating the two would create the theory that has no basis. The association of education and art helps in shaping how one would think about art. 

Additionally, the paper shows that it is essential for someone to the time the child should be able to make art, the importance of teaching art, the role of critical pedagogy in art education. Understanding these aspects would enable an individual to understand the connection between art education and critical pedagogy. Also, critical pedagogy discourages oppression in schools. Instead, it advises art teachers should accept all the artworks from all the students since the learners have different perceptions on an object. The text proposes that art teachers should reform the curriculum so that to eliminate oppression in the classroom since it undermines the creativity and morale of the students. It indicates that art teachers should encourage students to develop their ideas. 

References

Eisner, C. (2017). Collagegrids: Thinking it through, a practice-led investigation into artistic cognition (Doctoral dissertation, University of Lincoln).

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed (MB Ramos, Trans.). New York: Continuum, 2007.

Swift, J., & Steers, J. (2006). A manifesto for art in schools. Art Education in a Postmodern World: Collected Essays, 17.

Wink, J. (2005). Critical Pedagogy: Notes from the real world. New York, NY: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.