Conceptual Approach

Students in today’s society grow up often criticized for expressing their direct opinions of topics and/or concerns. A way we as educators can assist our students is through teaching art with conceptual methods. Through encouraging these conceptual approaches within our art classroom, it allows for these feelings to be expressed through the students work while conveying important views. However, it is important that we continue to encourage that these ideas not be memorized but the student should arrive at them as discoveries through selected things, people, events, or processes and relationships according to Kahl (1973). Despite our best efforts as art educators, our intentions can often be misunderstood. One concern with this method is how conceptualism can provide a problem in the evaluation of student artwork according to Leuthold (1999). This is why it is important to focus on the originality, shock value, and social value of the work. These evaluation methods help in eliminating the student’s self conscious feelings about their work among peers when all students are asked to create a traditional piece of work all consisting of the same criteria.

According to Opehshaw & Strasser (1967), it is important that teachers keep in mind that they are the key in initiation and stimulation of productive thinking within the classroom. According to Leuthold (1999), it is important that we keep in mind that students should not be asked to produce objects, master traditional artistic skills or exhibit in spaces defined as art spaces. Instead Leuthold (1999) suggests that in order to stay within this educational context it is important to maintain the relationship of conceptual art with instrumentalist theories of art; this may cause concerns about the loss of formal, expressive, and representational values in art. However, it is still important for educators to teach the value of theory to students. Kahl (1973) states, instruction should encourage openness to change through the acceptance of creative attitudes and responses.