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The Adult Learner: Comments on the Book Artforms
- Leonardo
- The MIT Press
- Volume 13, Number 2, Spring 1980
- pp. 135-136
- Article
- Additional Information
Leonardo, Vol. 13, pp. 135-136. Pergamon Press 1980. Printedin Great Britain THE ADULT LEARNER: COMMENTS ON THE BOOK ARTFORMS Jean c. Rush* One of the most overlooked areas in USAmerican art education is the desire of many adults to be introduced to the visual arts. A Louis Harris survey published in 1975as Americans and the Arts [1]revealed that a large number of people in the U.S.A. want to participate in visual arts processesbut have not previously done so. Two out offive (approximately 26.2 million) would like the opportunity to practice woodworking, weaving, pottery, ceramics or some other craft. An additional one in six (approximately 21.8 million) would like either to paint, draw or sculpt. Respondants gave lack of training and/or of talent as important deterrents to engaging in these activities. This wide interest in the arts now has resulted partly from establishment of the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities in 1965. The-Endowment, with its matching grants, has stimulated public interest in and funding for the arts among state and local governments, cities, corporations and individuals. Money is available especially for groups in the performing arts and the Artists-In-Schools project, which recruits professional artists, including visual artists, to perform in elementary and secondary schools. Inflation and tax changes, however , have recently in some parts of the country led to a decreasein the number of regular teaching positions in art education programs. The survey data reflect the meager exposure most adults have received in the visual arts, not only in skills but in what is often called 'art appreciation'. Today approximately HO% of the students in tax-supported schools in the U.S.A. will spend their first 12 years without once studying with a trained art teacher. The percentage ofadults who have completed their education without contact with an art teacher is even higher. Most adults had their last art class in the 7th or the 8th grade (at 12 or at 13 years of age). Thus, the ability to appreciate visual art is very low in the adult population. Adults who are uncomfortable with their inability to expressthemselvesby means ofa visual art often believeit is due to their lack of talent. Talent is undoubtedly necessaryfor those desiring to be professional artists. But I find that the adults I have taught lacked elementary training involvingwhat one can seein visual artworks and how they are executed. Some determined adults can learn these skills to the point of obtaining personal satisfaction from making artworks, and I strongly support programs that give them the opportunity to learn. An introduction to the complexities of the visual arts can be exciting for both teachers and novice adults. In Artforms [2] Duane and Sarah Preble are enthusiastic about their role as teachers and the material they present, *Artteacher, Dept.ofArt,University ofArizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, U.S.A. (Received 13 Jan, 1979) 135 and they remind their readers that learning at any age can be enjoyable and meaningful. The study outlined in Artforms is often called 'art appreciation'. The term refers to learning about the visual arts by the guided viewing of art objects, by obtaining information on how they were made and by practice in making them. Throughout-the book one is taught how to observe product and process. Its strength is that the authors use their verbalizations to serve the particular art objects presented in photographic reproductions. Artforms provides a rich visual experience by including pictures of a wide variety of art objects that illustrate the astonishing breadth of artistic expression achieved by individuals in different cultures. Characteristic examples were chosen to provide novices with a good basic vocabulary used in descriptions of content, style, design elements and technique. The number of examples allows one to obtain an introduction to concepts of visual art independently ofspecificart objects. I find this approach a good one, since novices do not easily perceive information available in artworks. Although the approach in Artforms isconservative, it is effective.The authors know the needs of novices welland are careful to include often overlooked but vital details. Terms new to readers are italicized in the text and defined in a...