Creating Connections: Adding "Art" to Your Art Program

by Patricia Tarr

Caregivers plan art experiences in early childhood programs from two distinct perspectives. For some, art consists of planning seasonally directed activities such as ironing leaves between sheets of waxed paper, making tissue ghosts, creating turkeys by drawing around a child's hand, and other activities that form a traditional body of "folklore" of child art. For others, art experiences consist of putting out art materials and letting children explore and create without adult direction or interference.

Art educators have long argued against the practice of giving young children art projects that are limited to colouring in or pasting predetermined shapes, resulting in look-alike products preconceived by adults. They argue that these activities do nothing to improve children's abilities to engage in imaginative thinking, pose and solve problems, develop meaningful art skills or express ideas in visual ways.

On the other hand, art educators have also begun to challenge the educational validity of letting children "do their own thing" without some form of teacher-child interaction. Both approaches to programming hamper children's artistic abilities. The first method underestimates children's abilities to create personal visual images by having them follow step-by-step procedures. The second method overestimates children's abilities by failing to facilitate children's personal growth in visual expression, assuming that they can acquire knowledge and skills through their own explorations with materials, or from a brief introduction to a technique. It is taken for granted that a few talented individuals will continue to be interested in art past childhood; most are expected to grow into adults who "can't draw a straight line!"

Learning to Draw

Learning to draw is sometimes compared to learning to talk. Scribbling, or "mark-making," parallels babbling; single discrete forms, such as circles, become the equivalent of first words, and recognizable pictures are like sentences and paragraphs. Both symbolic forms appear to be self-taught, originating in seemingly innate abilities for language and symbolic representation. However, if we apply this analogy to the process of how children learn to talk and how they learn to draw, the parallels begin to break down. Learning to talk is an interactive process. Talking is being modelled continuously, and this modelling is essential to the process of learning to communicate verbally. On the other hand, learning to create visual images has often been left to children to develop on their own without meaningful social interaction around the art-making process or without modelling by competent practitioners. Alternately, when children are taught to follow step-by-step directions to create an object, they learn the equivalent of such rote phrases as "have a nice day." Both are devoid of any real personal expression or meaning.

In the following discussion, I would like to challenge caregivers from each of these art-making perspectives to reconsider their role in providing art experiences for young children. Given that adults socialize children into accepted cultural norms through their interactions, caregivers must reflect on their beliefs, values and attitudes about art and the art-making process in order to provide quality art experiences for young children.

Beliefs and Values from Art Education

Art educators, such as Colbert & Taunton (1992), believe that quality art programs should include opportunities for children to use materials in increasingly expressive and skillful ways. Quality programs should expand from art production to include opportunities for children to discuss their own work and to respond to works of art created by their peers and adult artists. Young children should have experiences that introduce them to the rich and diverse forms of artistic expression created across cultures and throughout history. Children should become aware of the role art plays in their daily lives. Art educators recognize that not all children will grow up to be artists but stress that all individuals are entitled to become visually literate and knowledgeable about their artistic heritage. Although these components sound academic and beyond the capabilities of young children, the foundation can be started during the preschool and kindergarten years.

How can caregivers provide children with opportunities to explore materials and engage in art experiences that have artistic integrity and that will help them develop their skills in visual expression? Answers to this question lie in the ways in which artists engage in art-making and in the ways that these parallel or can be incorporated into the exploratory and play behaviours of young children.

The Artist as Role Model

Although adults encourage children to role-play and model roles from many spheres of adult life, the role of artist is rarely included, even though art-making forms an essential component of early childhood programs. Understanding how and why artists create art can inform caregivers about ways to plan and implement art programs that allow children opportunities to make connections between their own work with art media and those of mature artists.

Herberholz and Herberholz (1994) summarize a number of ways in which artists approach their work: they usually begin by sketching ideas or thoughtfully reflecting on ways to approach a work; they may work on a number of pieces at one time, exploring and reworking a theme or idea over a period of time; and, they discover ideas for work from a variety of sources, including the properties of a new art material, other artists or works of art. Just as there are many purposes for writing, art takes many forms and serves to draw the viewer's attention to ideas that are best expressed in a visual way. These ideas have included: narratives; records of people, places, things and events; political or religious statements; experiences; dreams; emotions; and statements about visual relationships. Art-making is a form of inquiry and way of learning about oneself and the world.

Young children and artists do share some common ways of experiencing the world around them. They ask questions, explore materials and are responsive to the rich visual and sensory world around them. Many artists have a predilection for collecting things. Artists and young children are serious investigators and players. This comparison is not to suggest that artists are young children but that there are common characteristics that can be nurtured in childhood.

An investigation of two-year-olds engaged in art experiences at the University of British Columbia Child Study Centre (Tarr, 1992), revealed some ways in which adults socialize children into art-making practices that run counter to those employed by mature artists. Caregivers close off the potential opportunity for the child to continue or refine a work when they remove a painting from the easel or an artwork from the table as soon as the child has finished. In the two-year-old classes at UBC, children occasionally did return to work when it still was available. From these observations it became obvious that children's experiences were limited by the teachers' assumption that leaving the easel or art table meant the experience was completed. In interviews, teachers discussed the importance of the process of art-making but did not recognize the full implications of engaging in the art process. Recognizing the practical consideration of having space for other children to work, I believe it is still possible to suggest to children that the piece is still available, should they wish to continue to work on it. However, most caregivers would probably consider a child attempting to work on more than one thing at a time as having a short attention span rather than pursuing legitimate artistic process.

Young children do not have the same long-term focus as adult artists because children's experience is direct and immediate. Initially, they are not concerned with careful preparation and planning to develop an idea. However, perhaps caregivers should take a long-term view of helping children grow into such experiences by suggesting these possibilities in the beginning. Lessons from the preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, demonstrate that under sensitive adult guidance and support, young children can explore and express ideas about a topic over an extended period of time. Working with teachers and a resident artist, these children demonstrate that they are capable of revising and refining their ideas given meaningful in-depth opportunities to do so.

Invite an Artist

Consider inviting an artist to spend some working time in your centre (with non-toxic materials only). The purpose is not for the artist to provide a model for children to copy but to model the process of art-making, and through informal conversation describe the process and problems encountered in creating a work of art. If possible, plan a cooperative project where children and artist can contribute equally. For example, at the University of Calgary, early childhood education students enrolled in an art methods course have worked with young children to plan and execute large papier-mâché animals, with the children originating ideas for the project and the students providing technical assistance. Both students and children applied papier-mâché and paint, but the children assumed responsibility for adding the finishing facial details.

One spring, a graduate student in art education set up her easel and acrylic paints in the two-year-old class. The children were fascinated to watch her paint and were soon involved in helping mix colours. Other children painted at their easel, set up with similar colours of tempera paints. On other occasions, artist and children painted on a canvas together. Children eagerly awaited their turns and even the more hesitant children became involved. This generated discussion and interaction around the art process and children's individual paintings reflected their experience of working with the artist. When looking at a nearly finished piece, a just-turned three-year-old announced, "It needs some more of that colour, right there," as he pointed to a spot on the canvas.

Begin with Exploration and Play

Watch a two-year-old explore paint or glue for the first time. The child will be intent as she focuses on the way the brush can move the paint across the paper, or on the lines created as glue drips from the end of the applicator. During these initial exploratory encounters the innate properties of the material will suggest uses to the child. The two-year-old may be focused on the visual placement of the marks she draws on the paper, or may carefully select specific pieces to form a collage on a sheet of paper. These explorations are intentional and involve beginning aesthetic responses to such elements as colour, placement or texture.

It is not too early for caregivers to respond to the visual qualities in the child's work, introducing descriptive words for the colours, lines, shapes and textures, or the feelings elicited by the marks appearing on the paper. This is a more legitimate response than questioning the child about subject matter or representational intent, which may be premature for the child's level of expression. This interaction provides an opportunity to increase the child's visual awareness and vocabulary, and may open the opportunity for the child to engage in further discussion about the work. This dialogue may encourage children to refocus on, and re-engage with the work. This form of exchange also introduces the idea that works of art can be talked about. Caregivers can extend discussion about visual images to the book centre. Even two-year-olds may have opinions about which version of The Three Little Pigs they prefer.

After children have become familiar with materials they may begin to engage in more playful behaviours with a material. Art may become a social experience with children sharing ideas across the art table. This becomes an opportunity for adults to encourage children to share ideas, solutions and responses to artistic problems and can be an opportune time to introduce ways that artists have expressed similar ideas or solved similar problems. Picture books can serve as models for techniques or ideas. How did Leo Lionni create the pictures for Frederick, or Rachel Isadora suggest the sounds of jazz in Ben's Trumpet? Currently there are many books being published about artists that are written specifically for children. Although the texts of most of these books are written for elementary school children, they provide accessible background information for caregivers and quality art examples for younger children.

Suggestions

There are several key things caregivers can do to develop the quality and scope of their art programs:

Consider the process of art-making. Examine how it is encouraged or discouraged in your program.
Value children's collections. Create classroom collections of aesthetically pleasing objects.
Encourage the sharing of ideas about visual images created by children and adults. Value individual responses to art-making and personal preferences for specific images. Ask children to share why they like an image or the feelings an image evokes.
Connect reasons for making art in your centre with some of the reasons artists create (e.g. to express an idea, illustrate a story, depict an emotion, explore visual relationships or record what they see).
Encourage children who are creating recognizable forms in their drawings to draw from observation, not just from imagination or memory.
Provide opportunities for children to observe adults creating art.
Provide role-playing opportunities related to artists, architects and designers.
Visit art galleries or art in the community. Five-year-olds may enjoy making a sketch of their favourite work, which they can share after the trip. Involve children in creating an art gallery in the centre.
Compare the form and function of everyday objects (e.g. chairs, cups and shoes).
Build a collection of visual images of famous works of art and art from diverse cultures to create a rich, visual environment. (Watch for art calendars on sale at the beginning of the year.)

Patricia Tarr, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Early Childhood Education Program at the University of Calgary where she has also taught art methods courses for early childhood and elementary education students. She completed her doctoral research while teaching in the ANCHOR Project at UBC's Child Study Centre. She has experience working with children in a variety of settings, including day care centres, preschools, kindergartens and art galleries.

References

Colbert, C. & Taunton, M. (1992). Developmentally Appropriate Practice for the Visual Arts Education of Young Children. (NAEA Briefing Paper). Reston, Vermont: The National Art Education Association.

Edwards, C., Gandini, L., & Forman, G. (1993). The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education. Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex.

Herberholz, D. & Herberholz, B. (1994). Artworks for Elementary Teachers: Developing Artistic and Perceptual Awareness (7th ed.). Dubuque, Iowa: WCB Brown & Benchmark.

Isadora, R. (1979). Ben's Trumpet. New York: Mulberry Books.

Lionni, L. (1967). Frederick. New York: Pantheon Books.

Tarr, P. (1992). Two-Year-Old Children's Artistic Expression in a Group Setting: Interaction and the Construction of Meaning. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of British Columbia.

Creating Connections: Adding "Art" to Your Art Program

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