Laying a Foundation for Artmaking in the 21st Century: A Description and Some Dilemmas

Abstract

This article describes a study of teaching and learning in the first—or foundation—year of art college. As a multiple embedded case study informed by systems theory, the following cases are described: art colleges, foundation programs, professors, and students. The data were collected through surveys, interviews, classroom observations, and stimulated-recall interviews. Findings include four categories of pedagogy (structuring the creative process, initiating dialogue, orchestrating the physical space, and modeling) and three kinds of learning (skills, concepts, and dispositions). Four dilemmas that emerge from the findings are discussed: student development as a primary goal of art school, professors’ perceived conflicts between curriculum and art practice, definitions and desires for skill, and how meaning is generated. The author concludes that a culture of research and a community of pedagogical practice would benefit college art students and studio professors.