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(Download PDF) Delivering Authentic Arts Education 4Th Edition Judith Dinham Full Chapter PDF
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Fourth edition
Delivering
Authentic Arts
Education
Judith Dinham
Copyright 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-202
Delivering
Authentic Arts
Education
Copyright 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-202
Copyright 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-202
Fourth edition
Delivering
Authentic Arts
Education
Judith Dinham
Copyright 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-202
Delivering Authentic Arts Education © 2020 Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited
4th Edition
Judith Dinham Copyright Notice
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v
Brief contents
PART 1 THE ABC OF ARTS EDUCATION
Chapter 1 Putting you in the picture – the rationale and context
for arts education............................................................... 02
Chapter 2 The features of authentic arts education......................... 29
Chapter 3 Being an effective teacher in The Arts.............................. 62
Chapter 4 Children at the centre........................................................ 92
Chapter 5 Planning, pedagogy and assessment for authentic
arts learning.......................................................................126
Copyright 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-202
Contents
Guide to the text ..................................................xii A varied picture of classroom
Guide to the online resources............................xvii practices.............................................................19
Introduction...........................................................xix Your role in creating a meaningful
Is this book for you?.............................................. xx Arts program.................................................... 20
How this text is organised................................... xx Online resources: Arts in education
Pedagogical tools................................................ xxi research and advocacy.................................... 22
Terminology.......................................................... xxi Summary................................................................ 22
References........................................................... xxii Go further.............................................................. 24
About the author................................................xxiii Learning activities................................................. 24
Acknowledgements............................................xxiii Further reading..................................................... 25
References............................................................. 25
Copyright 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-202
Contents vii
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viii Contents
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Contents ix
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x Contents
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Contents xi
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xii
PUTTING YOU IN THE PICTURE – The first thing required is some lateral thinking. Consider the way the arts penetrate
everyday life: music, gigs, festivals, interesting murals and sculptures in the park, art exhibitions,
THE RATIONALE AND CONTEXT home decor, concerts, fashions, cinema, dance shows on TV, product packaging, musicals,
FOR ARTS EDUCATION photography, jewellery designs, computer games, street artists and buskers. The list goes on.
Now map the different ways you engage in the artistic and cultural dimensions of living. You may
FEATURES WITHIN CHAPTERS accompaniment to children’s singing. Mobile devices mean it has never been easier to bring
the arts world into the classroom. Children will appreciate the effort you make. Do not be overly
concerned if your singing is a little shaky. It may give children confidence to participate when they
see you taking creative risks in the way you are asking them to do.
real-life examples.
BK-CLA-DINHAM_4E-190029-Chp01.indd 2 09/07/19 3:43 PM
When the whole school was to learn a dance in for adapting to what I could do, as it showed the children
preparation for the school concert, I chose to sit at the that although something was hard for me (as an adult), I
back of the classroom and watch, knowing that my hands was willing to get up and give it a go.
and feet do not like to coordinate. In future sessions I got up as soon as everyone else
Authentic engagement with Aboriginal Mr A suggested to the children that I should get up
and join them. I felt really uncomfortable doing so, and
did and just did the feet actions. Most of the children
could do both, but there were some preps who positioned
artistic heritage Ch 2, p. 4 told him that I would only be doing either the hand or leg themselves behind me and copied my actions.
Suzanne Wright, 2013
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‘cognition’ about
Completing written reflections ‘cognition’.
Metacognition
Reflection can be integral to the work process or undertaken at the end of an activity. It can includes developing
involve children reviewing their own work, a display of everyone’s work or the performance of the capacityGuide
to to the text xiii
another group in the class. Verbal reflections promote a conversational approach but there are select workable
strategies for
several reasons why written reflections also should be completed: learning or problem
• All children participate rather than the more vocal ones. For young children, oral responses solving.
FEATURES WITHIN CHAPTERS
can be recorded by the teacher.
• It is another way of responding that allows for different expressive preferences.
STARTER IDEAS
• It encourages the use of arts vocabulary and the organisation of thoughts into complete
sentences and statements.
• Children can revisit their written responses at a later stage. For example, the next time they
Developwrite
youra own
scriptactivities to introduce
and perform it, they can children to thoughts
review their the relevant artsprevious
from the principles, elements
session and and skills with the
learn
activities from them.
suggested in the Starter ideas boxes.
• The teacher can review children’s responses and make assessments about children’s arts learning.
STARTER IDEAS
DIFFERENT WAYS OF ENCOURAGING REFLECTION
• Children pair up and share their thoughts with their the artworks produced; e.g. the main figure is
partner. prominently positioned; the colours are delicate
• Children complete worksheets, make journal entries in and subtle. Children stick the notes to the
their ideas journal or use a digital equivalent like a blog. artwork and no artwork can have more than three
• Hold a ‘spotlight on budding artist/s’ event where sticky notes on it.
each child (or group) answers questions from • When the class is presenting small group
other children about their artistic creation or performances, have each group also be ‘a panel of
performance, what they learned, what they would do judges’ that reviews one of the other performances.
differently and what they like about their creation. Constructive feedback is the aim.
• Display visual artworks from the whole class. • Have children take on the role of a newspaper
Children use sticky notes to write observations columnist and write a review of the class display
about two of these. Their comments could relate or a group performance with reference to the
to the objectives of the lesson and qualities in process and the outcomes.
Copyright 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-202
Encouraging children to participate in their community by taking more responsibility for their
own behaviour and learning can be facilitated very easily by involving children in decision making.
For example, class codes of behaviour can be established by involving all class members. Since
learning needs to be relevant to children, they can be involved in deciding the topics of their arts
projects. Engaging children in constructing the direction of their own learning can be done at all
xiv Guide to the text levels of the primary school to good effect.
Children not only need to feel part of the classroom community to learn, they also learn
through their relationships. Cooperation and collaboration is promoted by arts learning and this,
more than competition, facilitates children’s learning, as well as the development of their self-
esteem and identity (Devaney et al., 2006). Sharing materials, working in pairs and performing
in groups are all ways in which children learn through their relationships with each other. They
FEATURES WITHIN CHAPTERS learn to take turns, listen to other points of view, build consensus and negotiate the contributions
each can make to the betterment of the group. For children to successfully develop productive
classroom relationships, as well as participate in creative activities that involve the exploration of
relationships, they need to feel emotionally secure.
AT A GLANCE AT A GLANCE
CREATING A CLIMATE THAT FOSTERS RICH ARTS LEARNING
To foster rich arts engagement, the emotional and physical • facilities or systems are in place for children to keep
climate should be considered in conjunction with open-ended working on projects in their own time
For more effective learning, the At a glance boxes educational activities that exercise children’s imagination,
interpretation and invention. In such an environment:
• materials and resources conducive to artistic
explorations, such as dress-up clothing and visual
provide quick overviews of key concepts, practical • children feel encouraged to take intellectual risks,
explore, experiment and trial things as part of
stimulation displays (collections of shells, seedpods,
mechanical pieces), are on hand
tips and useful resources. learning – their efforts in this regard are praised,
even if the end result is not particularly successful
• materials and resources for independent explorations –
such as a music centre that has CDs, headphones,
• children feel valued for who they are: their thoughts, music challenges and instruments – are provided
ideas and needs are considered and treated seriously, • stimulating examples of art, a music library or books
and differences of opinion are negotiated respectfully with stories of inventors, explorers, architecture and
• opportunities for children to work independently, such as artists are part of the learning environment.
a regular one hour of ‘project time’, are provided so that
children can work on their personal project interests
Ch –9, p. 310
With increasingly more opportunities for teachers to engage artists-in-residence to lead group
performance
projects, there is the temptation to assume that arranging such an activity wonderful though it
Encouraging children’s artistic is – represents your commitment to arts education. It would be the same as thinking a visit to a
engagement – dos and don’ts Ch 4, p. 121 Warm and cool paint colour system
museum represents your science program for the year.
Ch 10, p. 343
The other factor to consider is that performance-based activities such as a music concert,
drama production or dance performance tend towards:
Themes for units of inquiry Ch 5, p. 130 Subjects for• observational activities
being strongly teacher directed Ch 10, p. 349
• being an exercise in convergent thinking: lots of rehearsing to meet the performance
requirements – to get it right
• often being focused on a few talented children with others being given fill-in roles
• becoming more about the performance and entertainment than about the value of the
experience for the students themselves
• creating a situation where the quality of the performance and of individual children’s efforts
are judged more by their appeal to the audience than by any educational criteria.
Once again, there are benefits in engaging in such activities. The important thing is to be clear
ONLINE RESOURCES: LEARNING MORE about their weaknesses from an educational perspective and to remember that such activities
alone do not constitute an Arts program. Instead, they should be integrated into a sound and
Copyright 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-202
Guide to the text xv
Copyright 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-202
xvi Guide to the text
12
are made about how sustainability dispositions.
PART 1 The ABC of arts education
feeling of rapt absorption or captivation typical of working in the arts. This generates a sense
of wellbeing and equilibrium (McCarthy et al., 2004). The grace and rhythm of music and dance
to move forward
The significance of mindfulness – paying close sensory attention to the world around us –
ICONS
towards the goal.
can be transporting and calming. ATSIHC
CROSS
The physicality of dance provides a good workout that relieves
CURRICULUM reflexive
is a feature of artistic practice. To draw an insect, children must closely observe every detail.
stress and also creates a feeling of wellbeing – a natural high – as endorphins are released. One study showed that young children who drew, as well as observed, an animal recalled
AAEA
PRIORITIES
Studies in the USA and Australia show that the ‘making’ aspect of collaborative arts projects
The reflexive nature
of arts practice is more factual details than the children in the control group who only observed (Fox, 2010). This
provides opportunities for children to negotiate with people from diverse backgrounds. This the intuitive and requirement to see and relate to the subject at a deep and focused level draws children into
experience, which develops children’s ability to manage relationships, is core to developing social reactionary response. richer understandings.
and community wellbeing (McDonald, Aprill & Mills, 2017).
CROSS
AAEA
Identify important educationalists, influential theorists and selected well-known artists
It is an ongoing
dialogue with the From the earliest times, the natural world has been a source of inspiration for artists.
Identity formation
PRIORITIES
CURRICULUM
SUST The the
using theory Key peopleof aesthetic education
icons. Explore theseproposed
key peopleby
evolving artwork –
the artist’s action is
in more philosopher detail in your Bennett Go FurtherReimer in the
Consequently, a wealth of artistic creations provide study resources for developing children’s
aesthetic appreciation of the natural world (Carr, 2004). The traditions of cultural festivals
a reaction.
1960s,
formation andfor
For children, the journey to adulthood involves separation from parents and a gradual
development of a sense of self. This is the basis for identity example, aimed to unite
online resource, available through your instructor.
is the process by the arts around their common
mindfulness and connection. engagement with the affective
celebrating the natural world and its rhythms are also entry points to a heightened sense of
arts as forms of cognition. Other works, including Project Zero’s identification of ‘studio habits
Elliot Eisner
The Australian Curriculum documents
Identify quotes from the curriculum material with the Australian Curriculum
remind us that ‘All students are entitled to rigorous,
ofacknowledges
mind’that ‘students (Hetland
(AC)in icon.et al., 2007) and the New Zealand work Like Writing Off the Paper (Holland &
relevant and engaging learning programs drawn from a challenging curriculum that addresses
(1933–2014)
their individual learning needs’ (ACARA, 2015a). This
Australian classrooms have multiple, diverse and changing needs that are shaped by individual
O’Connor,
learning histories and abilities, as well as cultural and language backgrounds and socioeconomic
factors’ (© Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) licensed under a
2004), have addressed the particular nature of learning in the arts. In Chapter 2 we
cultural pluralism explore the nature of arts learning in more depth.
(CC BY) licence). An authentic arts program thrives on diversity. It encourages children to develop BK-CLA-DINHAM_4E-190029-Chp01.indd 16 09/07/19 3:44 PM
as individuals, within a community. This means that each child’s sense of individuality necessarily
frameworks
At theforend of eachdifferent
chaptercultures stemmed
you will find severalfrom
toolsalternative
to GO
helpFURTHER you traditions
to review, practise and thatand arts wereyour
extend embedded in people’s
valuing their cultural
knowledge
products.
of the area.
everyday lives, the concept of cultural pluralism,
Go Further resource or relativity,
and deepen your understanding filtered
Go Further with extra resources and study tools for this chapter. Ask your instructor for the
of the chapter content. into contemporary
Chapter 4 Children at the centre 123
arts
Go Further containsthinking.
extra The work and
resources of scholars
study such as the influential ethnomusicologist David P McAllester
supported the adoption of a social GO FURTHER
anthropological
LEARNING ACTIVITIES approach to understanding and describing
tools for each chapter. Ask your instructor for the Go Further with extra resources and study tools for this chapter. Ask your instructor for the
INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES GROUP ACTIVITIES
Go Further
David
the arts in education.
McAllesterresource and deepen your
Go Further resource and deepen your understanding of the chapter content.
1 Create an information pamphlet for parents 1 View Austin’s Butterfly: Building excellence
describing the nature of arts learning and in student work (https://vimeo.com/38247060).
understanding
(1913–2006) of the topic.Alperson coined the term praxial
Philip philosophy
explaining the value
this style of learning.
of children participating as in a way
Organiseof positioning
yourselves into groups of three or
four and, using this model, take turns to set a
the arts within a
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
range of different social, psychological and cultural
2 Investigate how arts and disability are being
addressed in
INDIVIDUAL
frameworks.
Australia through major projects,
ACTIVITIES completed
GROUP
This
their first drawing, re-enact the type is articulated
ACTIVITIES
philosophy
drawing task for your peers. After they have
Test
praxial your knowledge and consolidate your
by David Elliott in his book Music Matters:
1
policy and strategies. Identify five key ‘take-
Create
home’ an A new
information
messages for youpamphlet
as a philosophy
for
teacher.parents 1
of discussion seen in the video. Provide three
of Thismusic
View Austin’s
opportunities Butterfly:
for your peerseducation
Building
to draw the chosen (1995). Social
excellence
describing the natureinof arts learning and in student work (https://vimeo.com/38247060).
the Learninglike
activities.
object. activity could run over several weeks.
learning throughmovements
3 Using the information Figure 4.5 and the
philosophy feminism also strengthenedexplainingsnapshot:
Classroom
this style
general
the social framingmembers
the valueTalking
of learning.
guide,
of children
aboutparticipating
a painting as a
prepare a guided viewing experience
in
fourof
Organise
2 In
the
John Marsden’s
and, using thisarts,
yourselves picture
of a typical model, takewith
into groups of three
book, Home
Australian turns leading
or Away,
and
familytobecome
set a scholars
A term coined by 2 Investigate
for an artwork how arts and disability
in PowerPoint. This shouldare being
highlight drawing
refugees.task for your
In small peers.
groups, After they
develop and have
act out
like Griselda Pollock (1999) developing visualtheoretical
addressed in Australia
features through
and incorporate innovations
major
information projects,
that’s one and
completed
of the key new
their
scenes intellectual
first drawing,
in the re-enact
book. Basedtheontype frameworks
Professor Philip policy to
linked and strategies. for
opportunities Identify
childrenfivetokey ‘take-
arrive at their of discussion
your experience,seenplanin the video.
a unit Providefor
of inquiry three
Year
Alperson. It refers to for thinking about the arts in the context home’
theof
own conclusions.
3 list
Using feminism,
messagesFigure
for you10.22
information
of artists
as a inteacher.
gender,opportunities
Chapter 10 has a
Figure 4.5 and the
to get youinstarted.
ethnicity
object.
with theThis
for yourthe
6 students to explore
activity
intention ofcouldand
peers
run over
developing culture.
to draw
refugee the chosen
experience
several weeks.
children’s
Classroom snapshot: Talking about a painting as a 2 understanding
In John Marsden’s
andpicture book, Home and Away,
empathy.
the positioning of the Similarly, the scholarship of Kerrygeneral Freedman
guide, prepare a guidedhas contributed
viewing experience significantly to the field of
members of a typical Australian family become
for an artwork in PowerPoint. This should highlight refugees. In small groups, develop and act out
arts within a range
visual culture, which positions the visual artsforin ato arrive
social context and embraces any medium
visual features and incorporate information that’s one of the key scenes in the book. Based on
linked to opportunities children at their your experience, plan a unit of inquiry for Year
of different social, FURTHER READING
own conclusions. Figure 10.22 in Chapter 10 has a 6 students to explore the refugee experience
Extend your
psychological and understanding
that has a through
key the
visual component. This envisioning
list of artists to get you started.
of visual arts opened the
with the intention of developing children’s
understanding and empathy.
door for media arts
Copple, C (Ed.) (2003). A World of Difference: Readings on teaching Golomb, C. (2011). The Creation of Imaginary Worlds: The role of art,
cultural frameworksFurther
suggested readingsuch
as products, relevant to each
as comics and advertising, to be of Youngviewed
young children in a diverse society. Michigan: National
Association for Education Children. and critiqued as art forms (Freedman &
magic and dreams in child development. London: Jessica Kingsley
Publishers.
chapter.
Deasy, RJ (Ed.) (2002). Critical Links: Learning in the arts and Meager, N (2006). Creativity and Culture: Art projects for primary
a basis for determining Hernández, 1998; Freedman, 2003). student From Partnership. an arts criticism perspective, Edmund Feldman
academic and social development. Washington, DC: Arts schools. UK: NSEAD.
intrinsic value. (1994) highlighted the arts as forms of social practice and developed models (procedures) for being and becoming through the arts. South Melbourne: Oxford
University
Copple, C (Ed.) Press.
(2003). A World of Difference: Readings on teaching
Wright, S (Ed.) (2012). Children, Meaning-making and the Arts
(2ndC.edn).
Golomb, Sydney:
(2011). Pearson.of Imaginary Worlds: The role of art,
The Creation
young children in a diverse society. Michigan: National magic and dreams in child development. London: Jessica Kingsley
systematically
09/08/19 12:40 PM appraising artworks. Association for Education of Young Children.
Deasy, RJ (Ed.) (2002). Critical Links: Learning in the arts and
Publishers.
Meager, N (2006). Creativity and Culture: Art projects for primary
visual culture student academic and social development. Washington, DC: Arts schools. UK: NSEAD.
Embraces any Creativity is a cornerstone feature of arts practice, yet what this means and how it can be Education Partnership.
Dinham, J & Chalk, B (2018). It’s Arts Play: Young children belonging,
Walker, SR (2001). Teaching Meaning in Artmaking. Worcester, MA:
Davis Publications.
being and becoming through the arts. South Melbourne: Oxford Wright, S (Ed.) (2012). Children, Meaning-making and the Arts
medium that developed has challenged scholars for years. Profitable approaches have been to use indicative University Press. (2nd edn). Sydney: Pearson.
has a key visual descriptions of the profiles of people considered to be creative, the ‘habits of mind’ or dispositions
component. This
includes products
associated with creative activity and the nature of creative processes. Researchers including
such as comics and Lowenfeld and Brittain (1975), Sternberg (1988), Abbs (1989), Csikszentmihalyi (1990), Gardner
advertising.Copyright
The 2020 (1993), and Winner
Cengage Learning. All Rightsand Hetland
Reserved. (2001)
May not be copied,are among
scanned, thosein whole
or duplicated, who orhave
in part.contributed
WCN 02-200-202 significantly to
articulation of visual BK-CLA-DINHAM_4E-190029-Chp04.indd 123 28/06/19 7:56 PM
this work.
culture opened the
Guide to the online resources xvii
MINDTAP
Premium online teaching and learning tools are available on the MindTap platform - the personalised
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MindTap for Dinham’s Delivering Authentic Arts Education 4th edition is full of innovative resources to
support critical thinking, and help your students move from memorisation to mastery! Includes:
• Dinham’s Delivering Authentic Arts Education 4th edition eBook
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• Video Activities and more!
MindTap is a premium purchasable eLearning tool. Contact your
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INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE
The Instructor’s guide includes: • Instructor notes on using the Units of Inquiry
• Chapter objectives • Tutorial activities.
• Key terms
POWERPOINT™ PRESENTATIONS
Use the chapter-by-chapter PowerPoint slides to enhance your lecture presentations and handouts by
reinforcing the key principles of your subject.
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xviii Guide to the online resources
GO FURTHER RESOURCE
Deepen your understanding of the chapter content by asking your instructor for your Go Further resource,
which includes:
• Lesson plan templates
• Worksheets
• Additional Units of Inquiry
• Key people glossary.
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Introduction xix
Introduction
A world without the arts would be a grey of negotiating the world of knowledge in the
and tuneless place. The arts are so seamlessly digital world parallel the way artists work and
woven into the fabric of our everyday lives that so researchers are increasingly interested in the
it is easy to overlook the extent to which they arts as a way of gaining insight into these types
contribute to the quality of our lives. Music of cognition (Bourriaud, 2002).
accompanies our everyday activities as we plug Similarly, the unprecedented growth of forms
into our mobile devices while taking an early of communication that rely on visual formats –
morning run or working out in the gym, or such as websites, videos, PowerPoint ®, digital
listen on the radio while driving. A night out to images and Skype™ – mean that visual literacy
a dance club, concert hall, cinema or theatre, is becoming a critical functioning skill. This is so
immerses us in the worlds of dance, music, much so that an Australian Government agency
media arts and drama. We watch TV shows observed that ‘artistic and visual literacy are
where interior stylists decorate homes with increasingly as important to success in work and
neutral shades of wall paint offset by ‘pops of life as numeracy and language skills’ (Ozco &
colour’, and we employ the same visual arts skills DEST, 2004, p. 4).
to choose the colours and textures in our own Across the world, the growth of the
homes. The retail world of fashion, jewellery, knowledge society has commentators
magazines, furniture and advertising engages remarking that success in this economy requires
our senses through the quality of visual design. creative and innovative thinkers more than the
Our urban environment is enlivened by music, workers we needed for the industrial world.
public artworks such as murals and sculptures, In the USA, research shows that 97 per cent
and interesting architecture. Our digital world of of employers surveyed believe that creativity
YouTube videos and computer games depends is increasingly important in the workplace –
on media arts skills. though 85 per cent seeking employees with such
The arts are not only part of what we see skills reported having difficulty finding them.
and hear around us, but also influence the The report concludes that ‘it is clear that the
way we think and the way we see ourselves. arts … provide skills sought by employers of the
Participating in the arts is an important third millennium’ (Lichtenberg, Woock & Wright,
dimension of children’s development because 2008, p. 17).
artmaking activates complex thinking processes Globalisation of economies and global
through the abstract nature of music, the issues like migration and climate change have
embodied materialisation of thought through blurred the boundaries of societies. Fostering
dance and drama, the externalisation and connections and relationships across and within
abstract representation of ideas by drawing, cultures has placed greater emphasis on cultural
and the multidimensional weaving of sensory understanding and building people’s sense of
experience in media arts creation. The arts identity and connection. Once again, the arts
are also integral to the way we build our personal attract attention because of their capacity to
and cultural identities through traditional meet these needs.
songs and national anthems; dance, paintings, The arts bring pleasure, joy, comfort and
drama and movies that tell our stories; and understanding into people’s lives. They allow
iconic architecture that presents us to the world. people to express who they are and to find
The arts have always been part of human meaning in their world. In the same way that
life, but in our contemporary world their role prehistoric people drew on cave walls and
is changing as the digital revolution transforms toddlers draw on bedroom walls, we know that
the way we think of and structure information, expressing ourselves artistically through dance,
knowledge, experiences and understandings. drama, media, music and visual art is a primary
The interactive, relative and navigational ways and deeply human need.
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xx Introduction
1 providing you with enough background information to appreciate the true nature of arts
education and its importance in the curriculum
2 encouraging you to recognise, celebrate and use your own creative and artistic capacities
(which may be dormant, but do exist) – and your pedagogical skills – to bring arts education
alive in your classroom, and for you to be the best teacher you can be
3 directing you to the range of options and support available to you through partnerships,
professional networks and online resources
4 reviewing the features of an authentic arts program and building the links between theory and
practice with sample lessons, supporting information pages, ideas for programs, suggestions
and guidelines – so that you can initiate an authentic arts education program, function
effectively in the classroom, and be confident that you will succeed.
Both the title of this book and the content refer to authentic arts education. What this means
is arts education that is genuine education – where children actually develop more sophisticated
understandings, skills and capabilities in the arts, which support satisfying self-expression and
appreciation. To be blunt, far too much of what passes for arts education is not much more than
busy work or a fun-time interlude in the ‘real’ work of education. Not that there is anything wrong
with having fun – but arts education also needs to be purposeful, stimulating and challenging
learning – and all education should be fun!
provides an overview of the contemporary context for arts education and then examines the
PART three interconnected elements of arts education in the primary school – the student, the
1 teacher and the curriculum.
is a set of learning experiences on the theme of Patterns around us that can be implemented in
PART the primary school classroom. Additional themes, learning experiences and resources are located
3 on the book’s website, which you can access via http://login.cengage.com.
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Introduction xxi
Pedagogical tools
As part of being a reliable resource for learning about and teaching in the arts, a number of
pedagogical features have been provided to assist your studies. The text makes regular references
to the Australian Curriculum. Even if the state where you live has developed its own curriculum, this
text is still relevant because the state-based curricula are derived from the Australian Curriculum
and the underpinning concepts and expectations are consistent. Icons in the text draw attention
to references made to the Australian Curriculum. Icons in the margin as well as the text highlight
references to the cross-curriculum priorities.
Each chapter begins with a set of bullet points outlining the key ideas in the chapter and has a
summary of the main points at the end. Subheadings are used throughout and you will be able to go
directly to the section you need at any time. At the end of each chapter are suggested activities for
you to consolidate and check your learning.
Throughout the book are At a glance boxes that can be quickly located as ready references for
key information – or photocopied and pinned up at your workstation.
The Classroom snapshots are boxed sections that offer examples of arts education in action in
the classroom and other learning contexts. You will see how the ideas discussed in the book are
enacted and translated into real-life classroom situations.
Online resources are provided in every chapter so you have reliable resources readily at hand
for teaching and your own self-education. These annotated lists of websites extend the value of the
book because you can continue to access up-to-date information.
Starter ideas throughout the text provide lists of ideas for practical implementation that illuminate
the concepts being discussed.
Icons for significant educators are in the margins as well as explanations for terminology highlighted
in the text in bold font. A glossary at the end of the book lists all these terms alphabetically.
The book has its own website where additional learning activities and resources expand the
material provided in the text. Templates such as those for unit planning or developing visual narratives,
which are in the book for reference, are also on the website so they can be downloaded for use.
All these features are intended to support your ongoing professional development as an educator
in the arts beyond the pre-service units you complete in your degree.
Terminology
While a glossary of terminology is included in this book, several terms used throughout the text
should be clarified here. ‘The arts’ is a collective term referring to dance, drama, music, visual and
media arts and other forms of artistic expression. When capitalised, The Arts is generally referring
to The Arts learning area in the Australian Curriculum. ‘Artworks’ and ‘artists’ are usually used in this
text as collective nouns to mean all products of the different arts areas and all creators. This is in
order to avoid cumbersome specification when meaning any and all art forms or creators. Therefore,
a musical performance is an artwork and a composer is also an artist.
The term ‘pre-service teachers’ refers to those who are studying to gain a teaching qualification.
Novice teachers are qualified teachers in the first years of their teaching careers. Throughout the
text, children and students are terms used interchangeably to refer to the young people you will be
teaching.
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xxii Introduction
References
Australia Council for the Arts (Ozco) & Bourriaud, N (2002). Relational Aesthetics (rev. educators and executives aligned on the
DEST (2004). Request for tender for edn). Translated S Pleasance & F Woods. creative readiness of the US workforce?
the provision of national review of Buenos Aires: Adriana Hidalgo Editoria. New York: The Conference Board.
education in Visual Arts, Craft, Design Lichtenberg, J, Woock, C & Wright, M Retrieved from http://www.artsusa.org
and Visual Communications. FA/6416. (2008). Ready to innovate: Are
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About the author xxiii
Acknowledgements
The production of this fourth edition reflects an ongoing interest in Delivering authentic arts
education and the publisher’s commitment to keeping the text up to date and relevant for
each intake of pre-service teachers. I am indebted to Cengage and, most importantly, the
university lecturers around the country who make Delivering authentic arts education the
required text for the arts units. In relation to the preparation of this new manuscript, I would
like to acknowledge and sincerely thank colleagues, teachers, students, friends and family
who offered advice and assistance and, importantly, the reviewers listed below who provided
critical review of the content.
I would also like to thank those who made generous contributions of artwork, images and
ideas for inclusion in the book including Gill Treichel, Christine Latham, Sylvia Le Min Maslin
and Elizabeth Ford, as well as Stella Attwater, Isaac Beckmann, Noah Beckmann, Theda
Morrissey and Quentin Morrissey; and also Bayswater Primary School, Hale School, Edith
Cowan University and Curtin University for inclusion of certain photographs.
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xxiv About the author
This book is intended for pre-service primary school teachers and as such I have especially
valued the contribution of past and present pre-service students. The stories of several
teaching experiences recounted by my students on their Blackboard Discussion Board bring
an immediacy to the matters being discussed and provide valuable insights.
A special thanks goes to my development editor, Jessica Brennan, who has guided me
through several editions of the book, and the whole wonderful team at Cengage who have
masterfully brought this book into being. It is always a pleasure working with such committed
and capable individuals.
Ideas float in a ferment and any number of fragments can take hold and grow into
arts creations and lessons. These in turn may suggest possibilities for interpretation by
someone else. I have willingly shared ideas with my students and colleagues and, while I have
acknowledged known sources in this text, I also want to thank all those who, with a teacher’s
instinct and collegial spirit, have generously contributed to the ferment that feeds us all.
Judith Dinham
2018
The author and publisher would like to thank the following reviewers, whose feedback shaped
this fourth edition:
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1
PART
ONE
THE ABC OF ARTS
EDUCATION The Arts is one of the mandated learning areas in the
Australian Curriculum and includes the subjects of Dance,
Drama, Media arts, Music and Visual arts. All students
from Foundation through the primary school years are
expected to have an education in The Arts subjects.
How this is achieved will vary across state and territory
jurisdictions and from school to school. Nevertheless, all
teachers have a role to play in delivering arts education
in a contemporary curriculum – even if the school has
specialist teachers. If you are preparing to be a generalist
teacher, it is possible that you may have a modest
background in the arts, lack confidence in your ability or
feel intimidated by the challenge. However, you will find
that you can deliver a worthwhile Arts program if you are
willing to try.
Part 1 of this book is an examination of the principles
of delivering good-quality arts education. It begins
with an exploration of the context and rationale for
arts education because you need some understanding
about why arts education is in the curriculum in order to
engage with arts learning intelligently. The rest of this
section is devoted to addressing the three key players in
education: the learner, the teacher and the learning area.
Understanding essential concepts in relation to each of
these three factors represents the ABC of arts education:
A Authentic arts
education.
B Being the
best teacher
C Children at
the centre.
you can be.
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2
Chapter one
PUTTING YOU IN THE PICTURE –
THE RATIONALE AND CONTEXT
FOR ARTS EDUCATION
In this chapter you will discover that:
1.1 the arts are part of what it means to be human
1.2 the nature of arts education changes as society’s needs and values change – so arts
education today is different from arts education in the past
1.3 contemporary arts education research, policy and scholarship illuminate the nature
of arts education for the new era
1.4 arts education is in the curriculum to seriously contribute to developing children’s
capabilities to meet the challenges of the new era
1.5 implementing new educational practices and a meaningful program requires
dedication and forward-thinking approaches.
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Chapter 1 Putting you in the picture – the rationale and context for arts education 3
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4 PART 1 The ABC of arts education
You may have thought that subjects like music or drama are included in the curriculum to
make learning in other subjects more interesting or to provide some relief from more ‘serious’
subjects, but this isn’t the case. When you consider the level of investment in arts education
through teacher education, curriculum and teaching resources, infrastructure such as performing
arts auditoriums, or art equipment and musical instruments, you can deduce that an educational
return for this investment will be expected. What we discover is that a contemporary education
in the arts is expected to return those dividends in terms of the development of children’s
capacity to live successful and fulfilled lives in the 21st century. In this text, we learn what that
means.
Since education in the arts is evolving to meet contemporary needs, we can expect that the
way we were educated in the arts is not necessarily the model for teaching in today’s classroom.
To understand the evolution of contemporary arts education imperatives and practices, we begin
by reviewing the changing rationale for arts education over past decades.
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Chapter 1 Putting you in the picture – the rationale and context for arts education 5
the establishment of learning areas (Efland, 2002) and the existing arts subjects were brought
together with the newly introduced Media arts under the umbrella of The Arts.
In the Australian Government’s 1994 cultural policy, Creative Nation, ‘The Arts’ were also seen
as an identifiable market commodity. Here the ‘creative industries’ were viewed as a broad division
of the economy where jobs could be found for some and others could participate as consumers.
The National Curriculum Framework had a mixed reception. While many claimed that grouping
the separate arts subjects together into The Arts learning area diminished them individually, it
also meant that, for the first time in the primary school, developing children’s capabilities and
understandings in The Arts was seen to be as relevant as developing their capabilities and
understandings in the other nominated learning areas. This represented a significantly different
conceptualisation of subjects like music, visual arts and drama, which had often been treated as
optional extras – a Friday afternoon class if children had been good.
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6 PART 1 The ABC of arts education
Figure 1.1 The Australian Curriculum has three dimensions: learning areas, general capabilities and cross-curriculum
priorities
Australian Curriculum mandates that all children should be educated in all five arts areas every
year from Foundation through the primary years of schooling.
Besides nominating learning areas, the Australian Curriculum identifies ‘general capabilities’,
which are the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions regarded as essential for the
21st century, along with three cross-curriculum priorities that are to be addressed in each learning
area. This three-dimensional model (as shown in Figure 1.1), comprising learning areas, general
capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities, aims to address the changing nature of our world and
to frame a coherent approach to education that will prepare children for their future.
The development of the Australian Curriculum has been a phased process, including a rewrite
after the Donnelly and Wiltshire review in 2014 (Donnelly & Wiltshire, 2014). The Curriculum was
fully implemented in 2016 and since then ACARA has turned its attention to ongoing refinements.
Responsibility for its implementation rests with states and territories, and despite the goal of a
national curriculum, local variations and hybrid models have emerged. For example, in Victoria,
Visual Communication Design is an additional Arts subject; and in Western Australia an ‘adopt
and adapt’ approach has resulted in the nomination of ‘core’ and ‘additional’ content for each Arts
subject and a reduction in the number of Arts subjects each school must offer (Chapman, Wright
& Pascoe, 2016). Nonetheless, the Australian Curriculum provides the overarching framework.
The overall structure, content, purpose and expectations about arts education remain consistent.
The ‘learning area’ curriculum model is also used in New Zealand, but there The Arts learning
area embraces dance, drama, music-sound arts and visual arts. The International Baccalaureate
is an alternative curriculum available in both Australia and New Zealand. It too has a strong arts
education component and is often adopted by international, alternative and private schools. In
all of these models, the curriculum is designed to meet current and emerging needs as they are
perceived in the different jurisdictions.
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Chapter 1 Putting you in the picture – the rationale and context for arts education 7
Figure 1.2 The policy and curriculum framework that sits around teaching
VectorStock/bspsupanut
Australian Institute of Teaching
AITSL and School Leadership
Australian professional
standards for teachers
Care (http://acecqa.gov.au), outlines the principles, practices and learning outcomes for
education in the early childhood sector.
The curriculum developments have been complemented by the creation of the Australian
Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) and its introduction of the Australian
Professional Standards for Teachers (2012), which outlines the knowledge and skills teachers are
expected to demonstrate.
This triumvirate, as shown in Figure 1.2, represents major educational reforms undertaken
to meet the future needs of contemporary Australian society, as described in the Melbourne
Declaration. The Arts are part of this future.
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8 PART 1 The ABC of arts education
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Chapter 1 Putting you in the picture – the rationale and context for arts education 9
of American society (Fiske, 1999, p. iv). The subsequent publications Critical Links (Deasy,
2002), a compendium of 62 arts education research studies, and Critical Evidence: How the
arts benefit student achievement (Ruppert, 2006), a synthesis of 10 years of research, and
other follow-up research (Catterall, 2009; Catterall, Dumais & Hampden-Thompson, 2012)
continued the survey of the benefits of the arts in education. A growing field of neuroscientific
research is producing evidence that frames the significance of arts education in physiological
terms (Zeki, 1999; Heath, 2000; Ione, 2012; Ehrlich, 2015; National Endowment for the Arts, 2015),
as well as showing the neural underpinnings of affective responses and their relationship to
learning (Immordino-Yang, 2011).
In the UK, the National Advisory Committee on Creativity and Cultural Education reported in
All Our Futures: Creative cultural education (National Advisory Committee, 1999) that a national
strategy for creative and cultural education was essential for Britain’s economic prosperity and
social cohesion. The report led to the creation of Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE) to carry
forward the recommendations of the report. The positive difference the CCE projects made to
children’s lives and achievements was evidenced in Creative Partnerships: Changing young lives
(CCE, 2009) and a subsequent critical review of how cultural value was understood, researched
and evidenced in the CCE archive (Thomson et al., 2015).
In the USA, the National Center on Education and the Economy released Tough choices
or tough times: The report of the New Commission on the Skills of the American workforce
in 2007 and a revised version in 2008, claiming that the standard testing strategy adopted to
improve schooling outcomes was misguided because it did not promote the type of teaching
that developed the creative and critical thinking skills needed for success in the emerging
economy.
This range of research has had wide exposure and general acceptance across the Western
world. While there are differences of opinion about details, the consensus is that creative, flexible
thinkers are required for the new era. The development of creativity is consistently identified as
a cornerstone function of arts education (UNESCO, 1996; National Advisory Committee, 1999;
Robinson, 2001; National Review of Visual Education, 2006) and so learning in the arts has drawn
attention.
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10 PART 1 The ABC of arts education
To promote and celebrate the arts’ unique role in progressing cultural diversity, social
cohesion and dialogue, UNESCO, at its 2011 General Conference, proclaimed the fourth week in
May as International Arts Education Week.
In recent years, ‘wellbeing’ has increasingly been regarded as a factor to be measured when
evaluating a society’s progress – and to be considered as a factor that informs public policy
decisions (Smithies & Fujiwara, 2015). In accordance with this thinking, The Cultural Value Project
(2013–15), launched in the UK by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, set out to explore
the value of arts and culture to individuals and society with the aim of establishing an effective
framework for valuing and evaluating cultural engagement, beyond economic value. The Warwick
Commission’s report Enriching Britain: Culture, creativity and growth (2015) characterises the
UK’s vibrant cultural and creative industries as an ecosystem that plays a major role in societal
wellbeing, economic success, national identity and general influence. It also notes that, as
budgets tighten, there is a declining engagement in arts education in schools and asserts that
this is misguided in economic terms and in terms of societal wellbeing.
Research points to strong evidence that arts education plays a crucial role in children’s
sense of wellbeing (Winner, Goldstein & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013; Clift & Camic, 2015; Thomson
et al., 2015), and that the arts achieve positive outcomes, in particular, for marginalised
groups: disadvantaged students, students at risk, students from refugee backgrounds and
Indigenous students (Fiske, 1999; Bamford, 2006; CCE, 2009; Catterall, Dumais & Hampden-
Thompson, 2012).
The growing field of brain research has provided physiological explanations for many of the
reported values of the arts. For example, researchers have been able to show that the arts have
‘cognitive and emotional effects which are closely related to human psychobiological health
and wellbeing’ to the extent they are now proposing a ‘biopsychological science of the arts’
(Christensen & Gomila, 2018, p. xxvii).
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Chapter 1 Putting you in the picture – the rationale and context for arts education 11
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12 PART 1 The ABC of arts education
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Chapter 1 Putting you in the picture – the rationale and context for arts education 13
Complementing this range of scholarship and research are the contributions of educationalists
like Dorothy Heathcote (Heathcote & Bolton, 1995), who brought new understandings about
pedagogy to drama education through practice-led research. Similarly, Rudolf Laban transformed
dance education and scholarship while Carl Orff, Kodály Zoltán, Shinichi Suzuki and Émile Jaques-
Dalcroze have been highly influential figures in the development of music education for children.
Other luminaries include Allen P Britton, Jane Bonbright, Elliot Eisner and Al Hurwitz, who have
contributed much to the international advancement of arts education through their publications
for teachers, along with their research, advocacy and professional leadership. Institutes such as
the Getty Center, Ford Foundation, Hewlett Foundation and Project Zero also play a significant
role internationally through their funding and promotion of the arts.
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14 PART 1 The ABC of arts education
environment, we are more inclined to adopt a navigational way of relating to knowledge. This
involves seeking out and assembling information around particular purposes – and is seen as
akin to the way artists work (Bourriaud, 2006). In The Arts, the curriculum is not characterised
as a series of topics to be learned but as a ‘web of activities’ (Orr & Shreeve, 2018) through
which children forge a way to explore the world and convey their ideas. David Perkins from
Project Zero explains artistic (or studio) learning as an ‘import’ paradigm where knowledge
is used ‘right now in a serious way for a complex and significant endeavour’ (Hetland et al.,
2007, p. v). This he distinguishes from an ‘export’ paradigm traditionally associated with other
subjects, whereby information is learned so it can be applied at some later stage. Since the
navigational or ‘import’ feature of arts learning is aligned to the cognitive processes of the
digital world, arts education is regarded as offering a way of understanding and developing
such capabilities.
Similarly, the way artworks merge with, or counterpoint, the environment and contribute to the
experience of places is well aligned to the fluid nature of network contexts. Musical jam sessions
and other context-driven behaviours exemplify navigational engagement with knowledge and
experience.
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Chapter 1 Putting you in the picture – the rationale and context for arts education 15
Cultural competency
In a globalised world, establishing respectful and reciprocal relationships with people from
different cultural backgrounds is an important competency. Respect for diversity underpins
interacting, communicating, empathising and working with people whose worldviews and
cultural practices are different from our own.
In The Arts curriculum, children are exposed to the complexity, diversity and motivations
of people from different times and places when learning about the artists, cultural artefacts
and artistic traditions of different societies. Through their studies of arts practices, children
gain insights into the values, beliefs and customs of different cultures. When these studies are
pursued around themes such as ceremonies or domestic life, children have the opportunity to
compare and contrast different cultural contexts in concrete ways. When children’s own artistic
explorations in mosaics, for example, are prefaced by learning about Antoni Gaudí’s mosaics
in Parc Güell, Barcelona, Spain, or the Jãmeh Mosque of Yazd in Iran, or the Great Pavement of
Westminster Abbey in London, their endeavours are connected to the wider world of artistic
expression. In these experiences, children see how they belong, how others belong, what
unites us, what distinguishes us and what is possible when people passionately strive to create
something that speaks to our humanity.
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16 PART 1 The ABC of arts education
reflective Arts practice is reflective and reflexive, whereby the artist contemplates, acts and reviews
The reflective nature in a natural spiralling work cycle. From a sustainability perspective, this way of working allows for
of arts practice
means that the
new formations of self and other and the relationship to the natural world (Blewitt & Cullingford,
artist’s critical 2004).
contemplation of The arts engagement with the affective domain – the domain of feelings – means that
the artwork is a
significant part of
connections with the world, and the development of an attitude of caring and empathy, deemed
the work process. It necessary for a sustainable disposition, can be cultivated (Everett et al., 2015).
is an interrogation The active engagement and personal commitment (learning by ‘doing’ or ‘making’) that are
where judgements
are made about how
hallmarks of arts learning are also required for building sustainability dispositions because it is
well the artwork is recognised that action, as well as awareness, is important.
progressing towards Wonderment and curiosity about the perceived world and the world of ideas underpins
communicating the
artistic endeavours, to the extent that artists often describe their creative work as journeys
artist’s intention
and then decisions into understanding. This characteristic is well aligned with the aims of developing children’s
are made about how sustainability dispositions.
to move forward
The significance of mindfulness – paying close sensory attention to the world around us –
towards the goal.
is a feature of artistic practice. To draw an insect, children must closely observe every detail.
reflexive
One study showed that young children who drew, as well as observed, an animal recalled
The reflexive nature
of arts practice is more factual details than the children in the control group who only observed (Fox, 2010). This
the intuitive and requirement to see and relate to the subject at a deep and focused level draws children into
reactionary response. richer understandings.
It is an ongoing
dialogue with the From the earliest times, the natural world has been a source of inspiration for artists.
evolving artwork – Consequently, a wealth of artistic creations provide study resources for developing children’s
the artist’s action is aesthetic appreciation of the natural world (Carr, 2004). The traditions of cultural festivals
a reaction.
celebrating the natural world and its rhythms are also entry points to a heightened sense of
mindfulness and connection.
A number of early childhood centres adopt the Reggio Emilia approach to learning.
Developed in Italy by Loris Malaguizzi, it has an art specialist as a core member of the teaching
team and is based on understanding children as capable, inquisitive, autonomous and active
CROSS
learners. Reggio Emilia promotes an integrated approach to learning that is well aligned to
SUST CURRICULUM CCP sustainability precepts. Emphasis is placed on making connections between the affective
PRIORITIES
and the cognitive, and expressing ideas through arts activities like drawing and movement.
Connections are pursued in a full-circle approach to learning: children know where their art
materials come from, they participate in acquiring them, they are encouraged to use them
judiciously, they clean up and know what happens when they dispose of the materials. From the
beginning, they learn the consequences of their actions.
Instrumental benefits
In much of the research and policy outlined earlier in this chapter, we see that governments or
their agencies tend to examine The Arts and arts education in terms of the contribution made
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Chapter 1 Putting you in the picture – the rationale and context for arts education 17
towards achieving broad learning, social and economic outcomes. They focus on the fact that
children’s involvement in the arts helps them learn better, socialise better and make better
contributions to society. These are instrumental benefits, in that they extend beyond the instrumental
immediate arts experience. benefits
The subject being
In the USA, attention to these instrumental values is essentially a function of the No Child studied is regarded
Left Behind policy, which measures educational outcomes using performance standards testing. as an instrument or
While the wisdom of this testing is challenged in a number of quarters, it nevertheless galvanised vehicle for achieving
benefits or outcomes
research in the USA aimed at determining the worth of arts education in this type of high-stakes in areas that don’t
testing environment. This research showed that (Fiske, 1999): relate particularly to
• students with high levels of arts participation outperformed ‘arts-poor’ students by virtually the subject itself.
every measure
• high arts participation made a more significant difference to students from low-income
backgrounds than for high-income students
• sustained involvement in particular art forms was highly correlated with success in
mathematics and reading
• learning in the arts had significant positive effects on learning in other domains.
Project Zero’s Reviewing Education and The Arts Project (REAP) contributed important
meta-analysis of the evidence about the transfer of arts learning to other areas of cognitive meta-analysis
achievement (Winner & Hetland, 2001). This work has continued with the Organisation for A statistical method
that involves
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) publication in which an extensive examination aggregating data
of the research concludes that the empirical evidence for many claims is promising but further from a range of
research is required to establish causal rather than correlational links. Instead, the meta-analysis independent research
studies to reveal
highlights the way arts learning ‘spills over’ to academic performance skills and skills in other
which claims have
areas of the curriculum. For example, the character analysis skills learned in drama spill over into a higher statistical
empathy and understanding the perspectives of others (Winner, Goldstein & Vincent-Lancrin, power.
2013).
In Australia, we regularly hear primary school arts education justified in terms of how it helps
children do well at school: integrating arts into the curriculum helps children understand maths
concepts, makes learning English more interesting, develops hand–eye coordination and allows
for different learning styles. This is all very encouraging; however, it is fundamentally misguided
to think of arts education’s primary role in this way.
Consider this: we value maths education because it develops children’s mathematical
knowledge and capacities. We want children to be maths literate and have no need to justify
maths in the curriculum on the grounds that it helps children perform better in music – even
though it does. Yet when it comes to arts education, these kinds of instrumental benefits are
regularly offered as the primary justification for its inclusion in the curriculum. Instead, it is
important to understand that, like maths (English, science and so on), learning in The Arts is
intrinsically beneficial for children’s development of an educated understanding of the world
(Hurwitz & Day, 2007; Winner, Goldstein & Vincent-Lancrin, 2013).
Intrinsic benefits
People are not usually motivated to paint or sing or dance because it will make them better at
maths or help them develop perseverance. Rather, there are other, more direct gains that come
from the very nature of being involved in the arts. These are referred to as intrinsic benefits. intrinsic benefits
We are drawn to the arts because of the aesthetic pleasure, emotional stimulation and vivid These are benefits
that relate directly
personal experience of the world they provide. The arts are a celebration of life and who we are: to the learning,
we sing and dance, go to concerts, listen to music on our mobile devices. We choose the movies experiences and
we want to see and the music we like to hear. We make choices about clothes, hairstyles and outcomes gained
in, and about,
adornments. Through these activities, we express who we are. the subject being
studied.
Copyright 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-202
18 PART 1 The ABC of arts education
When we invite children to express their ideas and perspectives through imaginative arts
engagement we are inviting them into a creative space where they are free to explore and
communicate their ideas. In this way, we help develop their sense of self and place in the world
by affirming that the way they see the world actually matters – that they actually matter. In many
ways, the arts provide an important arena for the development and support of personal identity
and a sense of belonging.
Unlike distanced, discursive, analytical ways of understanding, arts practices are embodied
somatic ways of experiences that are deeply rooted in our sensory world. They represent a somatic way of knowing
knowing and communicating (Matthews, 1991). Children learn through practical experiences and
Knowledge that is
gained from the communicate ideas through colour, movement and sound. The artist Georgia O’Keeffe
body – the senses (1887–1986) said, ‘I found I could say things with colour and shape that I couldn’t say any other
and perception. way – things I had no words for’. Similarly, the celebrated dancer Isadora Duncan (1877–1927) said,
Hence, somatic
knowing is embodied
‘If I could tell you what it meant, there would be no point in dancing it!’
and experiential in When we enter imaginative spaces to exercise our creative powers, we usually find ourselves
nature. immersed in deeply satisfying experiences that bring new insights and perspectives, which enrich
our lives and contribute to our growth as individuals. The feeling of rapt absorption or captivation
we feel when deeply absorbed in an arts experience, as either creator or audience, removes us
from the habitual world and opens us to new ways of seeing and experiencing. We have all had
experiences like this where we have been completely absorbed in the experience, losing all sense
of time and place. In these moments, we can feel profoundly connected to the world (McCarthy
et al., 2004).
We turn to the arts to find solace and comfort. We do this as individuals by selecting songs to
play that suit our mood – and culturally, for example, by using music at funerals. In 15th-century
Italy, musicians were a regular feature in hospital wards because their music helped patients to
recover. Today there are fields of therapy such as music therapy and art therapy designed to
support emotional and physical healing. More broadly, engaging in the arts as either artist or
audience contributes to our sense of wellbeing.
Many individuals suggest that music is the only thing they care about, or talk about
finding themselves through art, or that they found their way through grief by singing. Such
statements signal that the arts offer a particular kind of experience that matters profoundly
to those who embrace it. What we see is that the arts, in and of themselves, are meaningful
in people’s lives.
Copyright 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-202
Chapter 1 Putting you in the picture – the rationale and context for arts education 19
AT A GLANCE
TEN THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE VALUE OF THE ARTS IN
CHILDREN’S EDUCATION
1 Research shows that an authentic program of arts 6 Education in The Arts is quantifiably different to
education develops the sorts of capabilities needed other learning areas and provides a crucial avenue
to successfully meet the particular challenges of for self-expression and self-validation. These have a
living sustainably in a globalised digital world and positive effect on a child’s identity formation, self-
knowledge economy. esteem and wellbeing.
2 The arts transport people into the world of 7 The exponential growth in digital forms of
imaginative experience that offers intense, revealing communication and their deep penetration into every
and meaningful experiences that bring insights. This sphere of life requires not only technical skill but
experience of captivation creates the sense of being also ethical, aesthetic and communicative judgement
connected to the world. that authentic arts education develops.
3 Authentic arts education develops children’s 8 Students with high levels of arts participation have
capabilities to act creatively, think flexibly and been shown to outperform ‘arts-poor’ students by
solve problems. These are recognised as critical virtually every measure. Sustained involvement in
functioning skills for meeting the challenges facing particular art forms has a positive effect on learning
us in the 21st century. in other areas of the curriculum and is highly
4 All benefits of the arts in schools – intrinsic and correlated with success in mathematics and reading.
instrumental, personal and societal – derive from an 9 Authentic arts education has proven benefits for
authentic and comprehensive Arts program. disadvantaged and disaffected students. Students
5 Authentic arts education has a proven capacity to from low-income backgrounds gain the most benefit
develop cultural understanding, community values, from sustained arts participation.
a personal sense of connection and empathy for 10 Arts participation has demonstrated significant
others. These social capabilities are important and positive effects on children’s willingness to
for social inclusion in a culturally diverse and participate in schooling and on their interest in
transforming world. learning.
Copyright 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-202
20 PART 1 The ABC of arts education
When classroom practices in relation to arts education were surveyed (National Review of
School Music Education, DEST, 2005; National Review of Visual Education, 2006), a rather patchy
picture emerged. Some schools and teachers were doing an excellent job, others were trying to
do the right thing but the activities, which may look like arts activities, were essentially not much
more than busy work (cutting and pasting, colouring in) and contributed little towards meeting
contemporary goals. Still others were doing nothing much at all. In other words, it is hard to
ascertain the value of The Arts education curriculum based on what you may see occurring – or
not occurring – in many classrooms. This may seem a little harsh, but unfortunately the history
of arts education in primary schools is characterised by an ongoing undercapitalisation on the
educational benefits.
This situation may be because some generalist teachers don’t have a clear understanding of
the role of arts in education in today’s classrooms and what authentic arts learning entails. They
may feel ill-prepared and lack confidence in their abilities. Furthermore, it takes time for new
ideas to take hold – and the dynamic, decentralised and complex nature of education means
there is never a straight line between the educational vision, policy development, curriculum and
teaching practice in every school or classroom. The degree to which the curriculum is enacted can
be influenced by macroeconomic and political forces, as well as local demographics, deployment
of resources such as staffing and professional development, the nature of school leadership and
priorities, teacher competence and confidence, pressures of a crowded curriculum, parental
expectations and the introduction of specific programs or strategies that can have unintended
consequences in terms of a balanced curriculum. We see, for example, that enthusiasm for turbo-
charging literacy, numeracy and, now increasingly, science has inadvertently led to a narrowing
of the implemented curriculum in some instances – resulting in curriculum areas such as The Arts
being sidelined.
Additionally, the uncertainties of a changing world generate countervailing views and
policies about how to prepare the next generation for success. While some wish to retreat to
old orthodoxies, new measures such as a focus on innovation can be constrained by traditional
frameworks or entrenched attitudes and practices.
Copyright 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-202
Another random document with
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All this is as wrong-headed as it can be. While he is filling his museum
he does not seem to understand that he is denuding every necropolis in
Egypt. I will give one or two instances of the destruction wrought by western
museums. I take them at random from my memory.
In the year 1900 the then Inspector-General of Antiquities in Upper Egypt
discovered a tomb at Thebes in which there was a beautiful relief sculptured
on one of the walls, representing Queen Tiy. This he photographed, and the
tomb was once more buried. In 1908 I chanced upon this monument, and
proposed to open it up as a show place for visitors; but alas!—the relief of
the queen had disappeared, and only a gaping hole in the wall remained. It
appears that robbers had entered the tomb at about the time of the change of
inspectors; and, realising that this relief would make a valuable exhibit for
some western museum, they had cut out of the wall as much as they could
conveniently carry away—namely, the head and upper part of the figure of
Tiy. The hieroglyphic inscription which was sculptured near the head was
carefully erased, in case it should contain some reference to the name of the
tomb from which they were taking the fragment; and over the face some
false inscriptions were scribbled in Greek characters, so as to give the stone
an unrecognisable appearance. In this condition it was conveyed to a dealer’s
shop, and it now forms one of the exhibits in the Royal Museum at Brussels.
In the same museum, and in others also, there are fragments of beautiful
sculpture hacked out of the walls of the famous tomb of Khaemhet at
Thebes. In the British Museum there are large pieces of wall-paintings
broken out of Theban tombs. The famous inscription in the tomb of Anena at
Thebes, which was one of the most important texts of the early Eighteenth
Dynasty, was smashed to pieces several years ago to be sold in small
sections to museums; and a certain scholar was instrumental in purchasing
back for us eleven of the fragments, which have now been replaced in the
tomb, and with certain fragments in Europe, form the sole remnant of the
once imposing stela.
One of the most important scenes out of the famous reliefs of the
Expedition to Pount, at Dêr el Bahri, found its way into the hands of the
dealers, and was ultimately purchased by the museum in Cairo. The
beautiful and important reliefs which decorated the tomb of Horemheb at
Sakkâra, hacked out of the walls by robbers, are now exhibited in six
different museums; London, Leyden, Vienna, Bologna, Alexandria, and
Cairo. Of the two hundred tombs of the nobles now to be seen at Thebes, I
cannot, at the moment, recall a single one which had not suffered in this
manner at some time previous to the organisation of the present strict
supervision which was instituted by Mr. Carter and myself.
The curators of western museums will argue that had they not purchased
these fragments they would have fallen into the hands of less desirable
owners. This is quite true, and, indeed, it forms the nearest approach to
justification that can be discovered. Nevertheless, it has to be remembered
that this purchasing of antiquities is the best stimulus to the robber, who is
well aware that a market is always to be found for his stolen goods. It may
seem difficult to censure the purchaser, for certainly the fragments were
“stray” when the bargain was struck, and it is the business of the curator to
collect stray antiquities. But why were they stray? Why were they ever cut
from the walls of the Egyptian monuments? Assuredly because the robbers
knew that museums would purchase them. If there had been no demand
there would have been no supply.
To ask the curators to change their policy, and to purchase only those
objects which are legitimately on sale, would, of course, be as futile as to ask
the nations to disarm. The rivalry between museum and museum would
alone prevent a cessation of this indiscriminate traffic. I can see only one
way in which a more sane and moral attitude can be introduced, and that is
by the development of the habit of visiting Egypt and of working upon
archæological subjects in the shadow of the actual monuments. Only the
person who is familiar with Egypt can know the cost of supplying the stay-
at-home scholar with exhibits for his museums. Only one who has resided in
Egypt can understand the fact that Egypt itself is the real place for Egyptian
monuments. He alone can appreciate the work of the Egyptian Government
in preserving the remains of ancient days.
The resident in Egypt, interested in archæology, comes to look with a
kind of horror upon museums, and to feel extraordinary hostility to what
may be called the museum spirit. He sees with his own eyes the half-
destroyed tombs, which to the museum curator are things far off and not
visualised. While the curator is blandly saying to his visitor: “See, I will now
show you a beautiful fragment of sculpture from a distant and little-known
Theban tomb,” the white resident in Egypt, with black murder in his heart, is
saying: “See, I will show you a beautiful tomb of which the best part of one
wall is utterly destroyed that a fragment might be hacked out for a distant
and little-known European or American museum.”
To a resident in Europe, Egypt seems to be a strange and barbaric land,
far, far away beyond the hills and seas; and her monuments are thought to be
at the mercy of wild Bedouin Arabs. In the less recent travel books there is
not a published drawing of a temple in the Nile Valley but has its
complement of Arab figures grouped in picturesque attitudes. Here a fire is
being lit at the base of a column, and the black smoke curls upwards to
destroy the paintings thereon; here a group of children sport upon the lap of
a colossal statue; and here an Arab tethers his camel at the steps of the high
altar. It is felt, thus, that the objects exhibited in European museums have
been rescued from Egypt and recovered from a distant land. This is not so.
They have been snatched from Egypt and lost to the country of their origin.
He who is well acquainted with Egypt knows that hundreds of watchmen,
and a small army of inspectors, engineers, draughtsmen, surveyors, and other
officials now guard these monuments, that strong iron gates bar the
doorways against unauthorised visitors, that hourly patrols pass from
monument to monument, and that any damage done is punished by long
terms of imprisonment; he knows that the Egyptian Government spends
hundreds of thousands of pounds upon safeguarding the ancient remains; he
is aware that the organisation of the Department of Antiquities is an
extremely important branch of the Ministry of Public Works. He has seen the
temples swept and garnished, the tombs lit by electric light and the
sanctuaries carefully rebuilt. He has spun out to the Pyramids in the electric
tramcar or in a taxi-cab; has strolled in evening dress through the halls of
Karnak, after dinner at the hotel; and has rung up the Theban Necropolis on
the telephone.
A few seasons’ residence in Egypt shifts the point of view in a startling
manner. No longer is the country either distant or insecure; and, realising
this, the student becomes more balanced, and he sees both sides of the
question with equal clearness. The archæologist may complain that it is too
expensive a matter to travel to Egypt. But why, then, are not the expenses of
such a journey met by the various museums? Quite a small sum will pay for
a student’s winter in Egypt and his journey to and from that country. Such a
sum is given readily enough for the purchase of an antiquity; but surely
right-minded students are a better investment than wrongly-acquired
antiquities.
It must be now pointed out, as a third argument,
The author standing upon the cliffs between the Temple of Dêr el Bahri and the Valley of the Tombs of
the KingsThe author standing upon the cliffs between the Temple of Dêr el Bahri and the Valley of the
Tombs of the Kings
When a great man puts a period to his existence upon earth by dying, he is
carefully buried in a tomb and a monument is set up to his glory in the
neighbouring church. He may then be said to begin his second life, his life in
the memory of the chronicler and historian. After the lapse of an æon or two
the works of the historian, and perhaps the tomb itself, are rediscovered; and
the great man begins his third life, now as a subject of discussion and
controversy amongst archæologists in the pages of a scientific journal. It
may be supposed that the spirit of the great man, not a little pleased with his
second life, has an extreme distaste for his third. There is a dead atmosphere
about it which sets him yawning as only his grave yawned before. The
charm has been taken from his deeds; there is no longer any spring in them.
He must feel towards the archæologist much as a young man feels towards
his cold-blooded parent by whom his love affair has just been found out. The
public, too, if by chance it comes upon this archæological journal, finds the
discussion nothing more than a mental gymnastic, which, as the reader drops
off to sleep, gives him the impression that the writer is a man of profound
brain capacity, but, like the remains of the great man of olden times, as dry
as dust.
There is one thing, however, which has been overlooked. This scientific
journal does not contain the ultimate results of the archæologist’s researches.
It contains the researches themselves. The public, so to speak, has been
listening to the pianist playing his morning scales, has been watching the
artist mixing his colours, has been examining the unshaped block of marble
and the chisels in the sculptor’s studio. It must be confessed, of course, that
the archæologist has so enjoyed his researches that often the ultimate result
has been overlooked by him. In the case of Egyptian archæology, for
example, there are only two or three Egyptologists who have ever set
themselves to write a readable history, whereas the number of books which
record the facts of the science is legion.
The archæologist not infrequently lives, for a large part of his time, in a
museum. However clean it may be, he is surrounded by rotting tapestries,
decaying bones, crumbling stones, and rusted or corroded metal objects. His
indoor work has paled his cheek, and his muscles are not like iron bands. He
stands, often, in the contiguity to an ancient broadsword most fitted to
demonstrate the fact that he could never use it. He would probably be
dismissed his curatorship were he to tell of any dreams which might run in
his head—dreams of the time when those tapestries hung upon the walls of
barons’ banquet-halls, or when those stones rose high above the streets of
Camelot.
Moreover, those who make researches independently must needs
contribute their results to scientific journals, written in the jargon of the
learned. I came across a now forgotten journal, a short time ago, in which an
English gentleman, believing that he had made a discovery in the province
of Egyptian hieroglyphs, announced it in ancient Greek. There would be no
supply of such pedantic swagger were there not a demand for it.
Small wonder, then, that the archæologist is often represented as
partaking somewhat of the quality of the dust amidst which he works. It is
not necessary here to discuss whether this estimate is just or not: I only wish
to point out its paradoxical nature.
More than any other science, archæology might be expected to supply its
exponents with stuff that, like old wine, would fire the blood and stimulate
the senses. The stirring events of the Past must often be reconstructed by the
archæologist with such precision that his prejudices are aroused, and his
sympathies are so enlisted as to set him fighting with a will under this banner
or under that. The noise of the hardy strife of young nations is not yet
silenced for him, nor have the flags and the pennants faded from sight. He
has knowledge of the state secrets of kings, and, all along the line, is an
intimate spectator of the crowded pageant of history. The caravan-masters of
the past, the admirals of the “great green sea,” the captains of archers, have
related their adventures to him; and he might repeat to you their stories.
Indeed, he has such a tale to tell that, looking at it in this light, one might
expect his listeners all to be good sturdy men and noble women. It might be
supposed that the archæologist would gather round him only men who have
pleasure in the road that leads over the hills, and women who have known
the delight of the open. One has heard so often of the “brave days of old”
that the archæologist might well be expected to have his head stuffed with
brave tales and little else.
His range, however, may be wider than this. To him, perhaps, it has been
given to listen to the voice of the ancient poet, heard as a far-off whisper; to
breathe in forgotten gardens the perfume of long dead flowers; to
contemplate the love of women whose beauty is perished in the dust; to
hearken to the sound of the harp and the sistra; to be the possessor of the
riches of historical romance. Dim armies have battled around him for the
love of Helen; shadowy captains of sea-going ships have sung to him
through the storm the song of the sweethearts left behind them; he has
feasted with sultans, and kings’ goblets have been held to his lips; he has
watched Uriah the Hittite sent to the forefront of the battle.
Thus, were he to offer a story, one might now suppose that there would
gather around him, not the men of muscle, but a throng of sallow listeners,
as improperly expectant as were those who hearkened under the moon to the
narrations of Boccaccio, or, in old Baghdad, gave ear to the tales of the
thousand and one nights. One might suppose that his audience would be
drawn from those classes most fondly addicted to pleasure, or most nearly
representative, in their land and in their time, of the light-hearted and not
unwanton races of whom he had to tell.
Who could better arrest the attention of the coxcomb than the
archæologist who has knowledge of silks and scents now lost to the living
world? To the gourmet who could more appeal than the archæologist who
has made abundant acquaintance with the forgotten dishes of the East? Who
could more surely thrill the senses of the courtesan than the archæologist
who can relate that which was whispered by Antony in the ear of Cleopatra?
To the gambler who could be more enticing than the archæologist who has
seen kings play at dice for their kingdoms? The imaginative, truly, might
well collect the most highly disreputable audience to listen to the tales of the
archæologist.
But no, these are not the people who are anxious to catch the pearls which
drop from his mouth. Do statesmen and diplomatists, then, listen to him who
can unravel for them the policies of the Past? Do business men hasten from
Threadneedle Street and Wall Street to sit at his feet, that they may have
instilled into them a little of the romance of ancient money? I fear not.
Come with me to some provincial town, where this day Professor Blank
is to deliver one of his archæological lectures at the Town Hall. We are met
at the door by the secretary of the local archæological society: a melancholy
lady in green plush, who suffers from St. Vitus’s dance. Gloomily we enter
the hall and silently accept the seats which are indicated to us by an
unfortunate gentleman with a club-foot. In front of us an elderly female with
short hair is chatting to a very plain young woman draped like a lay figure.
On the right an emaciated man with a very bad cough shuffles on his chair;
on the left two old grey-beards grumble to one another about the weather, a
subject which leads up to the familiar “Mine catches me in the small of the
back”; while behind us the inevitable curate, of whose appearance it would
be trite to speak, describes to an astonished old lady the recent discovery of
the pelvis of a mastodon.
The professor and the aged chairman step on to the platform; and, amidst
the profoundest gloom, the latter rises to pronounce the prefatory rigmarole.
“Archæology,” he says, in a voice of brass, “is a science which bars its doors
to all but the most erudite; for, to the layman who has not been vouchsafed
the opportunity of studying the dusty volumes of the learned, the bones of
the dead will not reveal their secrets, nor will the crumbling pediments of
naos and cenotaph, the obliterated tombstones, or the worm-eaten
parchments, tell us their story. To-night, however, we are privileged! for
Professor Blank will open the doors for us that we may gaze for a moment
upon that solemn charnel-house of the Past in which he has sat for so many
long hours of inductive meditation.”
And the professor by his side, whose head, perhaps, was filled with the
martial music of the long-lost hosts of the Lord, or before whose eyes there
swayed the entrancing forms of the dancing-girls of Babylon, stares horrified
from chairman to audience. He sees crabbed old men and barren old women
before him, afflicted youths and fatuous maidens; and he realises at once that
the golden keys which he possesses to the gates of the treasury of the
jewelled Past will not open the doors of that charnel-house which they desire
to be shown. The scent of the king’s roses fades from his nostrils, the
Egyptian music which throbbed in his ears is hushed, the glorious
illumination of the Palace of a Thousand Columns is extinguished; and in the
gathering gloom we leave him fumbling with a rusty key at the mildewed
door of the Place of Bones.
Why is it, one asks, that archæology is a thing so misunderstood? Can it
be that both lecturer and audience have crushed down that which was in
reality uppermost in their minds: that a shy search for romance has led these
people to the Town Hall? Or perchance archæology has become to them
something not unlike a vice, and to listen to an archæological lecture is their
remaining chance of being naughty. It may be that, having one foot in the
grave, they take pleasure in kicking the moss from the surrounding
tombstones with the other; or that, being denied, for one reason or another,
the jovial society of the living, like Robert Southey’s “Scholar” their hopes
are with the dead.
Be the explanation what it may, the fact is indisputable that archæology is
patronised by those who know not its real meaning. A man has no more right
to think of the people of old as dust and dead bones than he has to think of
his contemporaries as lumps of meat. The true archæologist does not take
pleasure in skeletons as skeletons, for his whole effort is to cover them
decently with flesh and skin once more and to put some thoughts back into
the empty skulls. Nor does he delight in ruined buildings: rather he deplores
that they are ruined. Coleridge wrote like the true archaeologist when he
composed that most magical poem “Khubla Khan”——
And those who would have the pleasure-domes of the gorgeous Past
reconstructed for them must turn to the archæologist; those who would see
the damsel with the dulcimer in the gardens of Xanadu must ask of him the
secret, and of none other. It is true that, before he can refashion the dome or
the damsel, he will have to grub his way through old refuse heaps till he
shall lay bare the ruins of the walls and expose the bones of the lady. But this
is the “dirty work”; and the mistake which is made lies here: that this
preliminary dirty work is confused with the final clean result. An artist will
sometimes build up his picture of Venus from a skeleton bought from an old
Jew round the corner; and the smooth white paper which he uses will have
been made from putrid rags and bones. Amongst painters themselves these
facts are not hidden, but by the public they are most carefully obscured. In
the case of archæology, however, the tedious details of construction are so
placed in the foreground that the final picture is hardly noticed at all. As well
might one go to an aerodrome to see men fly, and be shown nothing else but
screws and nuts, steel rods and woodwork. Originally the fault, perhaps, lay
with the archæologist; now it lies both with him and with the public. The
public has learnt to ask to be shown the works, and the archæologist is often
so proud of them that he forgets to mention the purpose of the machine.
A Roman statue of bronze, let us suppose, is discovered in the Thames
valley. It is so corroded and eaten away that only an expert could recognise
that it represents a reclining goddess. In this condition it is placed in the
museum, and a photograph of it is published in the daily paper. Those who
come to look at it in its glass case think it is a bunch of grapes, or possibly a
monkey; those who see its photograph say that it is more probably an
irregular catapult-stone or a fish in convulsions.
The archæologist alone holds its secret, and only he can see it as it was.
He alone can know the mind of the artist who made it, or interpret the full
meaning of the conception. It might have been expected, then, that the public
would demand, and the archæologist delightedly furnish, a model of the
figure as near to the original as possible; or, failing that, a restoration in
drawing, or even a worded description of its original beauty. But no: the
public, if it wants anything, wants to see the shapeless object in all its
corrosion; and the archæologist forgets that it is blind to aught else but that
corrosion. One of the main duties of the archæologist is thus lost sight of: his
duty as Interpreter and Remembrancer of the Past.
All the riches of olden times, all the majesty, all the power, are the
inheritance of the present day; and the archæologist is the recorder of this
fortune. He must deal in dead bones only so far as the keeper of a financial
fortune must deal in dry documents. Behind those documents glitters the
gold, and behind those bones shines the wonder of the things that were. And
when an object once beautiful has by age become unsightly one might
suppose that he would wish to show it to none save his colleagues or the
reasonably curious layman. When a man makes a statement that his
grandmother, now in her ninety-ninth year, was once a beautiful woman, he
does not go and find her to prove his words and bring her tottering into the
room: he shows a picture of her as she was; or, if he cannot find one, he
describes what good evidence tells him was her probable appearance. In
allowing his controlled and sober imagination thus to perform its natural
functions, though it would never do to tell his grandmother so, he becomes
an archæologist, a Remembrancer of the Past.
In the case of archæology, however, the public does not permit itself to be
convinced. In the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford excellent facsimile
electrotypes of early Greek weapons are exhibited; and these have far more
value in bringing the Past before us than the actual weapons of that period,
corroded and broken, would have. But the visitor says “These are shams,”
and passes on.
It will be seen, then, that the business of archæology is often
misunderstood both by archæologists and by the public; and that there is
really no reason to believe, with Thomas Earle, that the real antiquarian
loves a thing the better for that it is rotten and stinketh. That the impression
has gone about is his own fault, for he has exposed too much to view the
mechanism of his work; but it is also the fault of the public for not asking of
him a picture of things as they were.
Man is by nature a creature of the present. It is only by an effort that he
can consider the future, and it is often quite impossible for him to give any
heed at all to the past. The days of old are so blurred and remote that it
seems right to him that any relic from them should, by the maltreatment of
Time, be unrecognisable. The finding of an old sword, half-eaten by rust,
will only please him in so far as it shows him once more by its sad condition
the great gap between those days and these, and convinces him again of the
sole importance of the present. The archæologist, he will tell you, is a fool if
he expects him to be interested in a wretched old bit of scrapiron. He is right.
It would be as rash to suppose that he would find interest in an ancient sword
in its rusted condition as it would be to expect the spectator at the aerodrome
to find fascination in the nuts and screws. The true archæologist would hide
that corroded weapon in his work-shop, where his fellow-workers alone
could see it. For he recognises that it is only the sword which is as good as
new that impresses the public; it is only the Present that counts. That is the
real reason why he is an archæologist. He has turned to the Past because he
is in love with the Present. He, more than any man, worships at the altar of
the goddess of To-day; and he is so desirous of extending her dominion that
he has adventured, like a crusader, into the lands of the Past, in order to
subject them to her. Adoring the Now, he would resent the publicity of
anything which so obviously suggested the Then as a rust-eaten old blade.
His whole business is to hide the gap between Yesterday and To-day; and,
unless a man be initiate, he would have him either see the perfect sword as it
was when it sought the foeman’s bowels, or see nothing. The Present is too
small for him; and it is therefore that he calls so insistently to the Past to
come forth from the darkness to augment it. The ordinary man lives in the
Present, and he will tell one that the archæologist lives in the Past. This is
not so. The layman, in the manner of the little Nationalist, lives in a small
and confined Present; but the archæologist, like a true Imperialist, ranges
through all time, and calls it not the Past but the Greater Present.
The archæologist is not, or ought not to be, lacking in vivacity. One might
say that he is so sensible to the charms of society that, finding his
companions too few in number, he has drawn the olden times to him to
search them for jovial men and agreeable women. It might be added that he
has so laughed at jest and joke that, fearing lest the funds of humour run dry,
he has gathered the laughter of all the years to his enrichment. Certainly he
has so delighted in noble adventure and stirring action that he finds his
newspaper insufficient to his needs, and fetches to his aid the tales of old
heroes. In fact, the archæologist is so enamoured of life that he would raise
all the dead from their graves. He will not have it that the men of old are
dust: he would bring them forth to share with him the sunlight which he
finds so precious. He is so much an enemy of Death and Decay that he
would rob them of their harvest; and, for every life that the foe has claimed,
he would raise up, if he could, a memory that would continue to live.
The meaning of the heading which has been given to this chapter is now
becoming clear, and the direction of the argument is already apparent. So far
it has been my purpose to show that the archæologist is not a rag-and-bone
man, though the public generally thinks he is, and he often thinks he is
himself. The attempt has been made to suggest that archæology ought not to
consist in sitting in a charnel-house amongst the dead, but rather in ignoring
that place and taking the bones into the light of day, decently clad in flesh
and finery. It has now to be shown in what manner this parading of the Past
is needful to the gaiety of the Present.
Amongst cultured people whose social position makes it difficult for
them to dance in circles on the grass in order to express or to stimulate their
gaiety, and whose school of deportment will not permit them to sing a merry
song of sixpence as they trip down the streets, there is some danger of the
fire of merriment dying for want of fuel. Vivacity in printed books, therefore,
has been encouraged, so that the mind at least, if not the body, may skip
about and clap its hands. A portly gentleman with a solemn face, reading his
“Punch” or his “Life” in the club, is, after all, giving play to precisely those
same humours which in ancient days might have led him, like Georgy Porgy,
to kiss the girls or to perform any other merry joke. It is necessary, therefore,
ever to enlarge the stock of things humorous, vivacious, or rousing, if the
thoughts are to be kept young and eyes bright in this age of restraint. What
would Yuletide be without the olden times to bolster it up? What would the
Christmas numbers do without the pictures of our great-grand-parents’
coaches snowbound, of huntsmen of the eighteenth century, of jesters at the
courts of the barons? What should we do without the “Vicar of Wakefield,”
the “Compleat Angler,” “Pepys’ Diary,” and all the rest of the ancient
books? And, going back a few centuries, what an amount we should miss
had we not “Æsop’s Fables,” the “Odyssey,” the tales of the Trojan War, and
so on. It is from the archæologist that one must expect the augmentation of
this supply; and just in that degree in which the existing supply is really a
necessary part of our equipment, so archæology, which looks for more, is
necessary to our gaiety.
In order to keep his intellect undulled by the routine of his dreary work,
Matthew Arnold was wont to write a few lines of poetry each day. Poetry,
like music and song, is an effective dispeller of care; and those who find
Omar Khayyam or “In Memoriam” incapable of removing the burden of
their woes, will no doubt appreciate the “Owl and the Pussy-cat,” or the Bab
Ballads. In some form or other verse and song are closely linked with
happiness; and a ditty from any age has its interest and its charm.
That is from the Greek of a writer who is not much read by the public at
large, and whose works are the legitimate property of the antiquarian. It
suffices to show that it is not only to the moderns that we have to look for
dainty verse that is conducive to a light heart. The following lines are from
the ancient Egyptian:—
Such examples might be multiplied indefinitely; and the reader will admit
that there is as much of a lilt about those which are here quoted as there is
about the majority of the ditties which he has hummed to himself in his hour
of contentment. Here is Philodemus’ description of his mistress’s charms:—