Investigation of street art is an effective medium for visual arts instruction. Through use of instructional strategies implemented through the new National Visual Arts Standards, street art is a contemporary counter-cultural art form ideal for classroom unit plans at any age level. Street-art is a particularly exceptional example of content area material, because the content application of this visceral art form is easily engages a diverse student body. These visual art studies meets the latest visual arts standards while also fulfilling criteria required by common core and supporting learning strategies for all area of study.
The Goal of Visual Arts Instruction
Visual arts instruction is a constantly evolving professional area within education. New reforms implemented through the new National Standards of Art Education lead visual arts educators away from notoriously shallow project-based lessons, to a more relevant curriculum that exceeds the expectations of educational legislation requirements implemented at the national, state, and local levels. New instructional approaches introduced by the new National Standards places emphasis on intrinsically beneficial aspects of learning gained through visual arts experiences and visual thinking strategies (Martinez 2015). …show more content…
Street art conveys messages through poignant controversial imagery. Street artists complete their work through use of stencils thrown up and spray-painted quickly in the night. The analysis of street art is relevant to instruction in the visual arts classroom in several ways. Street art offers a controversial subject matter that will be useful in development of critical thinking skills, developing methods of inquiry, and facilitating an environment to foster these skills through classroom discussion. For example, the works of Banksy and I Heart,