Art history, criticism and the TMR art experience.

When first confronted with the idea of incorporating art history and criticism activities in the Trainable Mentally Retarded (TMR) art experience, many responded with surprise and disbelief. Criticism? Response? With TMR's? You are kidding? No, it is true. Incorporating art history and criticism activities within the studio art curriculum is a rewarding experience for the students and for the instructor.

Recently the TMR classes at Williamsport Area High School in Williamsport, Pennsylvania completed three units of study based on using oil pastel, watercolor markers, and tempera paint. Teaching basic art skills is an important objective. Students need to develop and enhance fine and gross motor skills through the use of art media. Task analysis (the breaking down of art processes into small steps) is used to teach the skills. By using this process the students can successfully master any given media.

But what about thinking and verbal communication skills? Most TMR students have poor skills in these areas. Art can be one portion of their total curriculum where these skills can be improved upon. TMR students enjoy talking about art, looking at art, and learning about the artist who created the artwork. Basic criticism and art history skills for TMR students fall under the following objectives.

1. Ability to attend to a work of art.

2. Ability to identify the subject matter.

3. Ability to identify the elements of design.

4. Ability to identify compositional elements.

5. Ability to discuss some aspect(s) of the artist's life.

6. Ability to identify and discuss cultures other than their own.

7. Ability to evoke feelings of emotions from the artwork.

8. Ability to discuss likes and dislikes.

The key to success with these objectives is to remember that the skills are and should remain basic. These students can identify color, shape, texture, subject matter and, some times, media. Questions such as "What does the artwork remind you of? Do you think it is warm or cool in the picture?" and "Would you like to be in this picture?" evoke a multitude of responses. TMR's like to talk. Some will respond better than others. The excitement comes from varied responses and observations from the students.

These art history and criticism activities are followed up by a studio activity. During these units the students used the previously mentioned materials along with reproductions of Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night, Georgia O'Keeffe's Black Iris, and Pablo Picasso's The Three Musicians. Sometimes the students tried to reproduce the particular artwork. Other times the students intensely looked at a work of art and created what they saw in the artwork. This was true in the O'Keeffe unit where the students did not identify the subject matter of the painting as a flower until the end of the class period. Finally, the students played "make believe." They were Pablo Picasso and they were ready to make a drawing of musicians. They were asked, "How would you do it if you were Picasso?" They responded with their artwork.

These activities have some carry-over into the regular routine of the TMR student. When seeing The Starry Night in a book some students made the connection between their art experience and what they were currently viewing. This is true especially if the artist is deceased. The first response is "We saw a picture by

him and he's dead!"

Art history and criticism is a base part of the art experience. For the TMR art curriculum, these components should be included. The key to success is--keep it basic and be prepared for the unexpected.

Thomas A. Kelchner teaches art at Williamsport Area High School, Williamsport, Pennsylvania.