Name: Emmanuel Hernandez

ARTE 344/544
FACILITATION SHEET (1-2 pages single spaced)

Full APA Citation for Author(s), Title, Date, Source, Publication Company:

Walker, Sydney R. (2001). Teaching Meaning in Artmaking. Art Education in Practice. Big Ideas
and Artmaking (p. 1-17). Davis Publications, Inc.

Main Idea/Purpose (2-3 Sentences):

Walker (2001) describes the importance of a Big Idea and how it aids artists in creating
meaningful works rather than typical produced work. Big ideas are broad and can carry more
than one meaning as stated by the example “…the term conflict may represent a number of
concepts, such as power, personal social values, justice and injustice, and winners and
losers”(Walker, 2001, p.1). Walker further explains that this can be a very effective method for
students to utilize and improve the value of their work to increase a more meaningful art
output, rather than student work lacks in meaningful concept.

Short Overview (Including at least 2-3 important quotes from the reading):
The first chapter in the book (Big Ideas and Artmaking) covers how the importance of a
big idea is just as important to a student as it is to a professional, an artist will typically explore
several themes before settling for a concept that strikes them with satisfaction, the same can
be said for students. When personal interests are incorporated in the work, a student will
develop a more meaningful and in-depth piece that explores the inner connections between
interest and heightens the quality of the piece.

Sometimes Themes, big ideas, and subject matter can blend and become confusing to
differentiate “Distinguishing between an artist subject matter and big idea is often difficult, but
the designer of classroom artmaking needs to clearly understand the distinction between them.
By answering “what is the artists work about?” we can say, for instance, that Van Gogh’s
paintings are about landscapes, portraits, and sunflowers; but they also are about human
emotion.” (Walker, 2001, p. 3). Students like professionals need to distinguish and place
importance on the big idea as it demands context for the subject matter to be expressed.

Planning for a big Idea can enter the work process at any time, in some cases the art
work branches off the big idea and continues through out development, but other times a big
idea may not be fully fleshed out or thought of until half way through the art making process.
“Designing art instruction around big ideas can occur at several different starting points. One
might begin either with a big idea, an artwork, a specific curriculum concern, an existing
project, or a special learning opportunity.” (walker, 2001, p. 7). This isn’t a deal breaker in the
eyes of an artist, so long as the big idea becomes the focus of instruction, when it’s planned is
unimportant, if anything the process often provides students the ability to drift into thought,
discover the big idea, and then execute it as visualized.
 Name: Emmanuel Hernandez
ARTE 344/544

Critical Response: Reflections and/or relevance to personal art educational experiences/or

teaching experience (Do you agree/disagree with the reading? Why? How does it relate to
your own experiences in the classroom as a student/teacher?)

In conclusion, I feel the Walker (2001) reading was very informal and valuable to me as a future
art educator. The concept of a “big Idea” is a helpful tool for both professionals and students
alike to keep in mind during the art making process. I know personally, I always find myself in
situations where my art is “good” but I need that big idea in order to make it great, sometimes
I’ll be experimenting with a new media or basic concepts and run into a wall where the big idea
acts as my metaphorical ladder. I know that in art class, some students feel that the technical
aspect is so important, speaking from experience, beginners will often neglect the thought of a
theme when left uninstructed as also covered by the reading. Therefore, it is of great benefit to
the student that an instructor may lay out and explain the differences between themes,
concepts, and big ideas. By doing so I believe that students will gain an advantage over their
own art production and increase the quality over their body of work.