Curriculum Organizers

The visual arts learning outcomes are grouped under four content-based curriculum organizers:

Image-Development and Design Strategies
Contexts (Personal, Social, Cultural, and Historical)
Visual Elements and Principles of Art and Design
Materials, Technologies, and Processes

Each of these content-based curriculum organizers has two sets of outcomes, which are grouped under the following process-based curriculum organizers:

Perceiving/Responding
Creating/Communicating

These groupings are represented in the following diagram.

CONTENT ORGANIZERS	PROCESS ORGANIZERS
	Perceiving/Responding	Creating/Communicating
Image-Development and Design Strategies	Students use their senses to perceive the world and respond to images with an awareness of the sources, techniques, and strategies of image development and design.	Students create 2-D and 3-D images that demonstrate an understanding of a wide variety of sources, techniques, and strategies of image development and design.
Context	Students use their senses to perceive the world and respond to images and the ways in which the images reflect the personal, social, cultural, and historical contexts in which they were created.	Students create personally meaningful 2-D and 3-D images, communicating an understanding and appreciation of a number of personal, social, cultural, and historical contexts.
Visual Elements and Principles of Art and Design	Students use their senses to perceive the world and respond to images, demonstrating an understanding of the visual elements and principles of art and design.	Students create 2-D and 3-D images that demonstrate an understanding of the visual elements and principles of art and design and use that understanding as a means of communication.
Materials, Technologies, and Processes	Students use their senses to perceive the world and respond to images in a variety of media, with an understanding of how the materials and processes used contribute to the effect of the image.

Perceiving/Responding

The visual arts involve perceiving and responding to images. Perceiving means exploring the world through the senses. Responding includes observing, reflecting on, describing, analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art through discussion, writing, research, and studio activities.

Perceiving and responding to images are personal and social activities. They develop sensory awareness and aesthetic appreciation of our environment. An informed and sensitive response takes into account the contexts of the maker and the viewer and may involve the maker in self-evaluation.

Creating/Communicating

The visual arts also involve creating and communicating through images. Creating is a personally or culturally meaningful act dealing with the making of unique images. Communicating through images is a powerful means of expressing ideas and emotions to satisfy a range of personal and social needs. Displaying images is an important part of communication. Images are powerful learning tools to help students connect to language.

Perceiving/responding and creating/communicating are interrelated processes for experiencing the visual arts and involve activities using all the senses at all levels. The processes of perceiving/responding and creating/communicating are applied in this curriculum to all four content-based curriculum organizers.

Image-Development and Design Strategies

The visual arts involve image-development and design processes that transform ideas and experiences into visual images. Images come from a variety of sources, and their further development requires the use of a variety of strategies. Sources of imagery may include:

emotions and feelings
ideas and concepts
imagination
memories
observation
other sensory experiences

Image-development strategies may include:

distortion
elaboration
exaggeration
fragmentation
juxtaposition
magnification
metamorphosis
minification
multiplication (serialization)
point of view
reproduction
reversal
rotation
simplification

Design strategies use problem-solving skills for developing and organizing one or more images for a specific purpose. The problem may be initiated by oneself, others, or the environment. Evolving technologies require learners to develop attitudes, skills, and knowledge in response to innovation. It is essential that students at all levels have opportunities for image development using these evolving technologies, including computer technologies. (See Appendix F for definitions of these strategies.)

Context

Images are created, communicated, responded to, and perceived within personal, social, cultural, and historical contexts. The visual arts are dynamic individual and social activities that have been integral to cultures throughout time. The are expressed in and influenced by:

personal contexts such as gender, age, life experience, beliefs and values, and aesthetics
social and cultural contexts such as personal, religious, socio-economic, equity issues, beliefs and values, aesthetics, ethnicity, gender, and age
historical contexts such as time, place, point of view, beliefs and values, and aesthetics
evolving technologies in all contexts

All of these contexts are interconnected and not only influence but are influenced by developments in the visual arts. The visual arts are subject to ethical, economic, and legal considerations which vary according to context.

Visual Elements and Principles of Art and Design The use and understanding of visual elements and their organization according to principles of art and design may be considered one of the basic components of image making. These visual elements include:

colour
form
line and shape
space
texture
value and tone

The principles of art and design include:

pattern/repetition/rhythm
balance
contrast
emphasis
movement
unity/harmony

(See Appendix F for definitions of these principles.)

Materials, Technologies, and Processes

The visual arts require the use and understanding of the materials, technologies (tools and equipment), and processes of making art. These processes may be grouped in expression areas:

drawing and painting
graphics, including computer graphics, film and video, photography, printmaking
sculpture
textiles

Materials may include:

clay, fibre, and fabric
computer software
film and videotape
found materials
inks
paint
papers
recycled materials
wax
wire
wood

Technologies (tools and equipment) may include:

brayers
cameras and peripherals
ceramic tools
communications technologies
computers and peripherals
kilns
looms
paint brushes
pencils
sewing machines
tjanting tools

(See Appendix G for a detailed list of materials and processes.)

Students should be exposed to a variety of materials and processes. However, changes from one material or process to another should be balanced with the students' needs to achieve competency and a feeling of accomplishment.

Table of Contents

Maintained by: Fine Arts Coordinator - Visual Arts

Revised: January 26, 1999

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