A Visual Arts Curriculum Requires Vision

Abstract

The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum draft, was launched by the Hon. Dr. Nick Smith, then Education Minister, on 12 May, 1999. It states that; “Dance, drama, music and the visual arts develop the artistic and aesthetic dimensions of human experience. They contribute to our intellectual ability and to our social, cultural, and spiritual understandings. They are an essential element of daily living and of lifelong learning” (Foley, Hong & Thwaites, 1998, p. 8). Despite its promises, the Visual Arts component of the draft curriculum is struggling to meet the “intellectual...social, cultural and spiritual....” needs of New Zealand students and teachers. The aim of this paper is to identify the criteria needed to teach visual arts in New Zealand and decide if the draft document meets these criteria.