Who Ever Said Studying Art Would Be Easy? The Growing Cognitive Demands of Understanding Works of Art in the Information Age

Abstract

The impact of the information age on teaching and learning in the arts has been largely ignored by researchers in art education. As with other fields of study, arts disciplines are rapidly expanding-generating a vast body of new works for students to study and comprehend. The proliferation of new art knowledge (including works of art and art scholarship) along with existing art content, dramatically increases the heavy demands already placed on art teachers and students. The cognitive and curricular consequences of this change are questioned in this paper. Special attention is paid to discussing facets of art cognition and the contextual conditions that surround the study of artwork. Finally, recommendations are offered to guide the direction of future research on art learning and curriculum development. Understanding the arts-or anything for that matter-is more demanding today than ever before due to the staggering volume of new material to teach and learn about. Existing and emerging computer technologies offer exciting opportunities for reconceptualizing educational experiences in the arts and other disciplines. However, technological advances also can inhibit understanding by speeding the production and delivery of new information and knowledge at an incomprehensible rate. Few art educators are prepared to cope with the challenges brought on by the information age because we have not fully considered the cognitive consequences of our curricula and teaching practices. We have not adequately examined how current practices help or hinder our students' success in comprehending art content, let alone the growing magnitude of what will soon exist to be learned about the arts. My purpose in writing this paper is to focus on these issues by discussing research on learning and art cognition and by questioning long-standing beliefs about professional practice (curriculum decision-making most especially). Why question art learning in the information age? There are many reasons why it is interesting and important for art educators to take a hard look at the cognitive demands of learning today and to anticipate what the future may bring. We should be cognizant of the fact that as each day passes, there are more works of art-old and new-to teach and learn about.