McLuhan’s idiom “the medium is the message” (1964) states that the effect of a specific form of medium is not particularly related to its explicit content or ‘message’, i.e. “the effect of the movie form is not related to its program content. The ‘content’ of writing or print is speech, but the reader is almost entirely unaware either of print or of speech” (McLuhan, 1964, p. 19). The medium through which content is transmitted carries it own, unconsciously pervasive ‘message’ and it is this message that ultimately shapes recipients: “The effects of technology [or mediums] do not occur at the level of opinions or concepts, but alter sense ratios or patterns of perceptions steadily and without resistance” (McLuhan, 1964, p. 19).
Therefore, in terms of art education we might say that the effects of the pedagogy and methodology used are not particularly related to the specifics of the curricular content. Thus, the significant, transformative aspect of art education is the pedagogical medium used and the teaching approach applied. This can be clearly seen in the context of the Room 13 project in Caol Primary School where students and adults work alongside each other to explore ideas and concepts on an equal footing as artists - learning is a dialogue between student and teacher. Danielle Souness, Room 13’s managing director (11 yrs old) during 2002-2003, explains that “It teaches us how to think, it treats our ideas, our dreams and thoughts seriously and, perhaps even more importantly, it allows us to find ways of expressing them. (p. 44)” (Atkinson, 2011, p. 90). This change in the pedagogical approach from that of a transmission model to one where the experiences and ways of knowing that young people bring to art work are recognised and built upon is vital. Adopting a more “co-constructivist pedagogical paradigm that facilitates a mutually productive and participatory practice” (Atkinson, 2011 p. 92) is a way of “providing students with a recognition that they, not their teachers alone, possess the power to think, feel, and act according to their own volition.” Duncum, 2009, p. 241). By employing this ‘medium’ of working pupils are unconsciously taught, through art education, to believe in the validity of their own knowledge and experience base, their identities as artists and in the legitimacy of their artistic work. This type of empowerment in turn increases confidence and ownership of learning. Traditional skills and knowledge will undoubtably be developed but as a part of the art project rather than the focus. The importance of the medium as a message could be summed up in Chomsky’s (2012) words as he quotes an old professor "It doesn't matter what we cover, it matters what you discover".
Another significant part of an effective, critical art education is delivery of certain aspects through the medium of contemporary arts practice. Ward (2005, p. 36), as cited in Atkinson (2011) explains that “by introducing students to contemporary practice, by talking to them about the ways in which present day artists make their own artwork and by allowing them the freedom to try anything, we nurture that sense of enquiry and willingness to experiment” (p. 61). This sense of the exploration of meaning is one of the ‘messages’ contained within the medium of contemporary art.
On a personal level I know that engagement with contemporary art through participation in the MEd course has been very instrumental in my own development as an artist. Prior to this engagement I was fairly established in traditional forms of representation. However, focusing on contemporary art practice has enlarged my understanding of the purposes and function of art, the ways in which meaning can be explored and represented and the legitimacy of these approaches. I feel a much greater sense of excitement and ownership of my artwork and a deeper engagement with the creative process.
Atkinson, D., 2011. Tension in Art Education. In Equality and Learning: Pedagogies Against the State. Rotterdam: Sense. Ch 5
Atkinson, D., 2011. Subjectivities and School Art Education. In Equality and Learning: Pedagogies Against the State. Rotterdam: Sense. Ch 3
Chomsky, N., 2012. The Purpose of Education [educational lecture] [online] Available at: < http://www.learningwithoutfrontiers.com/?s=Noam+chomsky > Accessed January 2012
Duncum, P., 2009. Towards a Playful Pedagogy: Popular Culture and the Pleasures of Transgression. National Art Education Association Studies in Art Education, A Journal of Issues and Research, 50(3), pp.232-244
McLuhan, M., 1964. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man [online] Available at: < http://beforebefore.net/80f/s11/media/mcluhan.pdf > Accessed February 2012
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