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The Art Teachers Union’s opinion for the book of Plastic Arts |
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06.10.07 |
Plastic art teaching has special characteristics and undeniable
particularity. This is well known, not only to artists of the plastic
arts, but to everyone. One of its main peculiarities lies in the fact
that besides a general definition of the subject that it deals with, in
any occasion, this teaching allows for more than only one plastic
approach. There are more than one paths to the solution to plastic
problems.
For example, even though everyone will deal with the instructive subject “tone” (or “color” or “composition”), the teaching approach, having as purpose the comprehension and assimilation of the lesson by the student, varies according to the teacher, and to the number of plastic solutions every teacher can choose or invent, based on personal experience and class status.
This fact derives from the nature of the class. Art teaching presupposes multiformity for the achievement of its goals, prospers with this condition, contains creative improvisation and is in total disagreement with recipes for general use and one-sided clinging to patterns-motives.
Art cannot be taught from books, and especially not the creative-productive part of art, that is the essential part. Only supplementary can the student’s understanding and interest in plastic arts, be boosted, with books of art history, and mainly with albums with photographic reproductions of art works, of necessarily good printing quality, accompanied with brief and informative comments. Such books are necessary, and very useful, to the students. Any other kind, especially books aiming to provide the student with a “guide” for learning art, are irrelevant to the needs of art and education.
The publication of books of this kind for the student, instead of initiating in the fields of art, stimulating thought and provoking creativity, on the contrary, cultivates a spirit of standardization and clichés, leading to a state of mind incompatible to art teaching.
For that reason, artists of the plastic arts always proposed, insisted and fought for the writing, approval and publication of books for the teacher, decisively rejected, within their meetings, and never consented to the publication of a book on “plastic arts” for the student.
It’s not accidental that in the last decades, such a book did not exist, neither for high school students, nor for any student of any school of fine art. However we face such a case now.
The “book of plastic arts” for the students of the 3rd grade of high school, is already published and ready to be distributed, and is accompanied by a “workbook” for exercises, as it is entitled.
Already with the decision of the Ministry of education, related seminars on the book take place, for art teachers. What is our view on this matter?
This book can in no way be the book that will introduce the student to the concept of art. That would turn the art class into a class of overall reproduction of recipes.
The “plastic arts” book of the 3rd high school grade and its accompanying workbook, in the student’s hand, will function as – disregarding its intention – a disorientating art hand-book, without teacher. This will, undoubtedly, be quite harmful. Therefore we are opposed to the existence of such a book for the student.
At this point we wish to express our concern, whether the people who plan the reformations promoted by the Ministry of Education – as the Minister, Marieta Giannakou stated – have the intention of “reforming” the curriculum, in agreement to the new book, thus destroying the creative character of the class.
This is our view, and it has substantial importance and effect, not only for the given book, but for any other attempt made by the Ministry, in the future, without taking into account the peculiarities of art teaching.
As teachers and artists we will not allow the art class to be turned into a list of recipes from an “art-pharmacy”, of the old and surpassed or of a new and so called “modern” standardization.
(Voted unanimously by the art teachers that participated in Union’s seminars for teachers all over Greece.)
Athens
6/9/2006
NOTICE
The directing board expressing the feelings and thoughts of fellow colleague artists – teachers, as they were formulated in the voting of the overall meeting on 6/9/2006, demands the withdrawal of the “plastic arts” book for the 3rd high school grade and the accompanying workbook, as it disorientates the student about the creative – multi-formed character of art, and therefore is regarded as totally harmful.
For the board of directors of the Art Teachers Union
The president.
Z. Xatzi
The secretary
N. Paliokosta
Translated from Greek by Stathis Panou
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