When reading chapter 2, I immediately made connections with the art education portfolio class (ARTRE 200) I took the semester before ARTE 342. When I was creating work to put in my portfolio, I would constantly be reflecting about my pieces. I would be reworking the art technically and conceptually to reach my next highest potential. I was constantly viewing my own artwork and producing new elements to add to my artwork. During that process I was able to create new meanings of my work. Although the cycle of viewing and producing with the constant evolution was only carried out within my own work in this instance, this happens on a grander scale.
Children view the world around them every day and when they are able to produce art they can reflect on, their meaning of the world around them becomes stronger and more clearly defined. During reflection it is essential for children to interpret their surroundings to create meaning of the world around them. They consider the intentions of the art, attached meanings, cues presented to them, and the context of the art to arrive to conclusions of what the artwork means to them by the feelings that arise. An interesting concept with visual culture when interpreting art is that when the context of art changes, it can provide a new meaning. That is a key reason it is important for children to understand their environment and other environments as mentioned in my previous blog post, "Introduction to Art Education".
An additional key component to teaching children about art is understanding the feelings they receive when interpreting art. This helps them make meaning of what visual elements they view and associate with those feelings in order to understand how to produce art that may mimic or not mimic those feelings depending on the intentions of the child and their new art piece. Understanding feelings and meaning in art help children discover their own interests in creating art. Once I am a future art educator, it is my role to make sure these interests are nourished with the intention that my students intrinsic motivation will flourish. The goal is to help students make their choices based on their interests to increase their natural tendency to want to learn without any exterior motives.
Art creates the best platform for self-expression and self-discovery through the process of viewing and producing art. It lets children interpret the world around them to make meaning of that world for themselves. It is full of people, places, and things that constantly shape their ideas of what the world is through art. They can then share these complex meanings back with the world around them. Even if their technical abilities are not flawless, they are still able to have a platform of expression to any audience they desire. Once I am an art educator, I will encourage students to transfer these complex ideas to paper to know that in the process of viewing and producing, their work will be viewed and valued for someone else to make meaning and produce from.