Is Art a Discipline?

Manuel Barkan (1913-1970) was an instructor at Ohio State University who identified a social need for more disciplinary structure in art education.  In the late 1950’s after the Soviet Union achieved space travel, there was focus on reforming American education to involve more discipline-based curricula. Unlike other disciplines taught in formal education, art lacked a determined set of rules to be followed. Art education could be a discipline if a set of rules and criteria could be determined to inject it as such, but Balkan seemed hesitant to allow for “ any single-minded or fixed ideology” of art education (4). Enter art history, criticism, and aesthetics. These aspects of contemporary art education are derived from facts, allowing for the measureable results characteristic of a discipline. Barkan designed a curriculum that incorporated art history and art criticism with art making in order to allow for discipline-based assessment in art education.

I think having art history and art criticism integrated into my studio courses over the years has helped me develop a greater appreciation of art and my knowledge of the field. Reviewing the work of others, be it observing work of Old Masters or a simple classroom critique, always challenges me to work harder on my artwork. I also think having this aspect in art curricula wards off the critics who think art is all fluff and no worthy content. Some people need that “right answer” to validate purpose. I, however, value the problem solving skills the “no set answer” characteristic encourages. As with other humanities courses, development of cultural understanding, social awareness, and aesthetics are fostered via art. I met recently with a past president of the bank I work for during the summers. He commented that business and economic degree holders currently saturate the job applicant pools of financial institutions in Indiana and individuals holding degrees in Anthropology and more culture-based areas of study are more likely to be hired because they have something different, but equally valuable in business, to offer. Whether this is fact or his flattering opinion of my education choices, I can’t be sure, but it does make me optimistic for growing the validity (at least in popular opinion) of art education.  Perhaps new reform is on the horizon that will lessen the discipline-based ideology of the late 20^th century and allow for more art education opportunities?  Perhaps the hiring of arts degree-holders will be a new trend in business workplaces and generate a more concrete opinion of art as a valid discipline? Whatever changes come, I’m confident that contemporary and future artists and educators will always find methods to adapt their purpose, curricula, and manners of delivery to meet whatever "decided" learning needs society throws at them.