Teaching Expressive Arts History
Each Creative Arts Strand Has Its Own Characteristic History
Each strand of the expressive arts has its own distinct flavour and style. Challenge students to explore why and how they developed.
Teaching the history of the Expressive Arts is a fascinating challenge. When investigating how the Arts developed it is an opportunity to remind students that the arts could have evolved differently. Small incidences of history, politics and taste can greatly influence patronage, funding, availability of materials and other possible incubations that cause the Arts to flourish.
If students come to realise the depth of struggle that artistic creation can engage, they may come to an ever deepening appreciation and gratitude for the variety and multicultural nature of the range of options available to them.
Investigating why certain styles of Art now predominant can be an occasion to create an exciting trail of Artistic detective exploratory work.
There are many ways to go about investigating Art History.
- Compare and contrast styles and delve into how they developed. See The History of Dance
- Compare the style of an art form now against how it was in yesteryear
- Have the students write a play about the life of an artist
- Give the students an opportunity to paint, act or sing in the style of their favourite artist
- See if they can mimic their favourite artist exactly
- Challenge the students to perform a well known artistic statement in a different style or material
- Have the students write a memoir of an artist - encourage them to walk in the artists shoes
- Pretend to live as the artist or cast would have at the time of a works creation and write an add for a performance or exhibition.
- Investigate the land from which an artistic style originated
- Investigate the movement or travel of a particular style. Trace the country of origin and the permeation of the style from there.
- Look at the influence of the government of the day on a particular art movement
- Become aware of benefactors of the arts in a variety of situations
- Explore issues of funding of the Arts in particular cultures and in different countries
- Browse artwork that occurs outside the system. This could be work from people such as Prisoners, Outsiders, People in the Mental Health System. Explore their issues empathetically.
- Try to understand the protest, issues and campaign art of small interest groups.
- Take an unbiased look at the way the media report the arts
- Look out for under reporting of the arts
- Trace the development of a relatively new genre such as the comic strip, animation or Manga
- Look at the reporting about exotic, quixotic, or interesting places such as Southbank and investigate the many ways they have been represented. Ask the students to see if they can come up with another original way.
- Research phenomena such as water flowing, splashing or waves crashing, the unfolding of a butterfly, or the eruption of a volcano. Find ways that these happenings have been represented artistically.
The aim of such historical work is to help the students connect the present day with the past.
They may also develop some idea of the direction of the Arts for the future.
Such investigations of the story of Art can be delightful, unexpected, fun and surprising.
The knowledge can deepen understanding of human kind and lead to an empathy for the motivation and spirit of people and of nations.
The investigations can show differences and sameness of cultures and deepen respect for the commonality of the human spirit.
Explorations can assist to develop tolerance, understanding and respect.
This in turn can motivate students, give direction and inspire them to create authentic pieces and performances of their own.
Exploring how techniques and technologies have developed can deepen understanding of the Arts and why society might be enriched by them.
This in turn helps to develop critical judgement and perspective. Exploring Social Milleu will also develops critical literacy which is a process of consciousness raising.
Here is a Blog Link about The History of Dance
