Responding to the Demise of Adolescent Artmaking: Charting the Course of Adolescent Development in an Exceptional Art Classroom

During adolescence there is the potential to frame large thoughts and deep feelings in a visual language, to recast experience in a new form, and to construct meaning. But, sadly, most adolescents are not expected to be involved in the visual arts in any significant way (Larson, 1997; Persky, Sandene, & Askew, 1998). Could the neglect of artistry among adolescents reflect an ideological bias among educators who see artistic ability as an inflexible trait and who ignore the cognitive dimensions of artmaking by putting a premium on emotion? Perhaps the artistic interests of older children hold important clues to constructing curriculum and instruction that support artistic growth. The Problem The precipitous decline in artistic activity among older children is one of the most challenging problems of artistic development (Gardner, 1982). Ask a group of kindergarten students, "Can you draw?" and many will raise their hands. But, very few 12th graders would dare say, "Yes, I can draw." Adolescence is a time of deep and conflicting feelings about identity, when it is possible to contemplate many abstract notions and when there is an increasing ability to discern aesthetic qualities in imagery (Davis & Gardner, 2000). It seems like a perfect time for artistic expression. Yet the sad fact about artistic development among older children is that there is so little of it. As Pariser (1997) notes, "early adolescence is the graveyard of artistic activity" (p. 124.). Most secondary art programs are designed for students who will choose to become art majors or go on to art schools (Wilson, 1997a). The visual arts are usually seen as the exclusive domain of the artistically gifted. The abandonment of artmaking is not a problem if graphic representation is viewed as an idiosyncratic aspect of development reserved for the gifted child. But what if artmaking and artistic understanding hold more developmental possibilities? What if graphic expression is a unique way of thinking, understanding, and knowing the world and ourselves (Davis & Gardner, 1992, 2000)? Much of our understanding of who we are comes to us through the visual artifacts of culture (Greene, 1978). The need to shape meaning and construct knowledge is central to development, and visual artistry is a unique way to represent understanding. The mind is a cultural achievement and art education is ultimately about the development of the mind (Eisner, 1997). Furthermore, learning in the arts cultivates habits of thinking that have profound implications for learning in other disciplines and the entire educational experience is impoverished without the contribution of the artistic dimension (Burton, Horowitz, & Abeles, 2000). An interest in representing three-dimensional reality is paramount among older children and adolescents (Burton, 2001). Cultural influence is a potent ingredient of artistic growth and traditions of realistic representation have particular relevance to adolescents. This study entertained the possibility that deliberately building on existing interests in representation might encourage artistic expression and be a catalyst for artistic growth. This is not a new idea-observational drawing and realistic representation are part of most secondary school art programs. Historically, representation of the three-dimensional world often appears as a goal of art education. Yet this essential aspect of the secondary art curriculum and its connection to adolescent artistic development warrants a closer examination. Background A decline in artistic activity among older children has been consistently described, but is variously interpreted (Davis, 1997; Duncum, 1986; Pariser, 1997). There is some agreement that declining artistic activity and confidence is linked to an interest in realism (Burton, 1984, 1994; Winner, 1982). During middle childhood and adolescence there is a growing interest with literalism and acquiring popular artistic conventions (Gardner, 1980; Winner, 1982, 1989; Wilson, 19976). …