Artist workbooks : their value for artistic expression and assessment

Abstract

Developments in assessment practices have challenged attitudes towards teaching practices in the visual arts. Artist workbooks in which ideas, discoveries and transformations in thinking, are recorded in visual and written form have historical precedence and in this study, primary and intermediate school students' use of them is investigated to establish what they tell us about student learning in the visual arts and the assessment of it. A literature review identifies the importance to human development of aesthetic ''ways of knowing". It surveys the differing opinions of the nature of aesthetics and artistic expression in Western, Māori, Pasifika, and Eastern art and examines the historical influences that these opinions have had on art education. The influence of philosopher Herbert Read and historical and contemporary visual arts educators are explored, to provide the context in which artist workbooks are used. Teachers whose students were using artist workbooks were asked to select students for the sample. These students were interviewed to find out how students developed and refined ideas, and made judgements about their work. An analysis of selected drawings and comments from students' artist workbooks was made to establish the kinds of material, contained in the artist workbooks. The findings showed that the student use of an artist workbook served valuable functions in the field of visual arts where there is little agreement on approaches to teaching. Their use is related to both teacher directed learning and to providing opportunities for students to freely express their ideas by letting images develop spontaneously. The artist workbook provides opportunities for student artistic expression and the assessment of it.