Marisa Sanchez

Professor Amber Ward

Art 133 PM
10 September 2015
Whats the Big Idea?
I had never really given much thought to the meaning of art. I suppose I could tell you
what I thought about a piece of art, or how it made me feel, however I would not go any farther
than that. This units readings focus on the bigger meaning of art and the importance of art and
artmaking in an individuals life. In this paper I have chosen to focus on the significance of an
artists Big Idea. In Sydney Walkers Teaching Meaning in Artmaking, Big Ideas are defined as
broad, important human issues-characterized by complexity, ambiguity, and multiplicity
(Walker 2001, pg 1). Ideas can be considered Big Ideas if they have been a concern to all
cultures around the world throughout any time in history (Ward 2015). Therefor an example of a
big idea could be the issue of identity, or conflict, perhaps. The influence of social media in our
world, on the other hand, has not been a concern throughout history nor to all cultures today,
therefor would not qualify as a big idea, but perhaps a theme or subject matter.
Our first in-class studio focused the big idea, identity. Although the instructions were
very specific, the idea is still so broad that each students identity can be seen through the images
they photographed. As a former child and future educator, I recognize the importance of selfexpression as a child. Looking back on my childhood art education, I can only remember art
projects in which every student followed the same instructions, and created the same result. By
giving students a big idea, it challenges them to think outside of the box while still giving them
plenty of freedom to express their selves. As a future educator, it excites me to imagine the
difference that a good art education will have on my future students.
References
Walker, S. (2001). Teaching meaning in artmaking. Worchester, MA: Davis.