Three-to-One: A Post on a New and Militaristic Analogy for Art Education Advocacy

Recently, I wrote on Pecha Kucha (Read it here.), a new, more creative, and possibly increasingly effective method for oral, multimedia presentations. I have since been thinking about what I might present in a Pecha Kucha about, and thought about advocating art education. However, how could I make this exciting? I wrote a paper on the current state of art education in the United States this year, and received poor marks in the course because, from an English perspective, the topic was simply uninteresting. The everyday person didn't care, or was not excited by the topic. The same goes for my sometimes too intellectual art--How do I make people care and look at my work for more than 6 seconds?


Maybe I can hold their attention for, rather, 6 minutes and 40 seconds--the length of a Pecha Kucha presentation. Maybe I can put the struggle to save art education in the United States in terms of just that: a struggle. Instead of that word, or advocacy, what if I pitched it as a fight? A war? Or better yet, a siege? I would think this might attract a more conservative, action-oriented, 'macho', or masculine audience.

Reblogged from War and Game

"unofficial doctrine holds that it takes

a 3-1 strength ratio for an attacker to dislodge a defender"

This quote from an interesting military paper on the principles of Carl Von Clausewitz (Culminating Points), expresses exactly that: an unofficial principle for laying siege to, for instance, a castle, a fort, or a base [any defensive position].

The question I am asking today, and what I would propose in my Pecha Kucha, is if Art Education in Public Education (K-12)--as a government-controlled institution--is in fact a defensive position and must be laid siege to by three attackers:

1.) Private Educators

2.) Museum, Gallery, and other Art Community Educators

3.) Public Educators

From Tacticus's De Nomi et de gli ordini militari (Florence) in a Rare Book Exhibition at K-State Libraries

Now, the third of these three attackers is becoming weak, seeing as they are the victim of defending institution of the government. But, the only way, I would point out, that this can be turned around is if all art educators work together to overwhelm the institution. 

The Plan of the Battle of Yorktown (from Wikipedia)
Note the french navy to the North of the British fortified position
at Yorktown (for this purpose, Attacker #1), aided by Lafayette & Rochambeau and
their infantry and artillery to the East and West of the British (Attacker #2),
and the colonials to the South (Attacker #3).

And, the only way us students--especially those of us to-be-art-educators--can help this siege to become part of it. How do we become part of it? By working as hard as we possibly can to march to the frontlines of the fight, and join it. They will not let just anyone join it though--we will need to be well-networked, hold impressive resumes, have external credentials, communication skills, references, portfolios, samples, and other professional development advantages. 

This is why I do what I do. I don't think it is about 'playing the game' or 'being fake' but do whatever it takes to earn your place in the attacking classes  of the professional public, private, and community art educators.