Art and Design Education

Art and Design Education programs include

• fine art (traditional areas of drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, and so on),
• design arts (environment design like architecture, landscape, urban planning, interior design, etc.; object design like products, furniture, transportation, fashion, appliances, etc.; information design like publications, websites, video, film, photography, etc.; and experience design like interactive exhibits, toys, games, events, theme parks, etc.),
• vernacular art (crafts, festivals, costumes, mascots, lawn decorations, folk art, etc.), and
• visual communication (maps, charts, graphs, diagrams, etc.)

The inclusion of design in visual art education developed naturally from a growing awareness of the importance of design in the daily life of the culture. The products we use daily, from packaging and clothing to pens, cars, websites, and media are products of the designer's art. Through the vision and leadership of Dr. Martin Rayala, DPI's former art consultant, Wisconsin became one of the early leaders in design education.

Two other areas that further expand the world of visual art are visual communication and visual culture. Visual communication grew from recognition of the importance, efficiency, and clarity of communication with pictures in many knowledge domains. Visual culture reflects the methods of the culture, ranging from its politics, economics, and ethics to pop and folk culture.

Art and Design Education concerns should be addressed to Rebecca Vail, Director, Content and Learning Team (608/266-2364) at the Department of Public Instruction.

For further information about art and design education in Wisconsin, see Wisconsin Art Education Association.

Last updated on 3/2/2011 10:46:21 AM