From February to April 2025, I conducted an artistic self-study, analyzing visual content and journal entries to assess the relationship between medium and meanings in my art. Through this process, I aimed to better understand my practice, and to plan and teach lessons to K-12 students with intentionality, helping them understand that relationship.
research
questions
1. How do my choice of artistic medium and concept/subject matter relate to and inform each other within my art?
2. How do the physical characteristics of and techniques used with different mediums allow the same subject to be represented in a distinctive manner?
3. How can K-12 visual arts students be supported to explore and understand the relationship between medium and concept within their art?
Mary Hafeli, Exploring Studio Materials : “Play in the studio context… has in part to do with materials experimentation, with figuring things out as you go along, and with discovering… through exploration what materials do and can’t do and how they can be used to create different effects that suggest different kinds of meanings.” (2014, p. 19)
Olivia Gude, "Postmodern Principles: In Search of a 21st Century Art Education": “Postmodern principles are often the fusion of a visual form and a conceptual artmaking strategy.” (2004, p. 8)
John Dilworth, "Medium, Subject Matter, and Representation": The medium “is of a distinctive kind of meaningful content associated with an artwork, that is distinct from its subject matter or representational content, and which content is also the locus for a work's expressive, stylistic and intentional aspects.” (2003, p. 2)
Lois Hetland, Studio Thinking 2: “Technique must be tied to its purpose, which is making an idea visible… Alertness to opportunities to use techniques, and the inclination to pursue techniques both lead to the expression of meaning. Teaching artistic conventions in isolation from what these skills are for fragments art education into mere training.” (2013, p. 43-44)
literature
review
Data analysis
Data was analyzed and organized by the following categories:
1. Prior Knowledge: Understanding and Assessing Materiality, Capabilities, and Limitations
2. Sequence of Development: Medium to Concept or vice versa
3. Effect of Different Mediums on Treatment of the Same Subject
4. Teaching Meaningful Use of a Medium in K-12 Projects to Make Connections Between Material and Concept
Findings
Regarding:
my artistic practice
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My practice generally begins with having a concept or subject in mind, then choosing a medium I think would best capture the characteristics I’m interested in
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Prior uses of a medium inform my decisions while planning as I assess how I used each medium in relation to various concepts in the past
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I can choose a familiar medium to further explore a similar concept, or change my medium to present a new interpretation of the same subject
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There is a continual back-and-forth of medium and the concept informing each other
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Related works can be assessed for the medium’s success in enhancing the desired interpretation of the subject, and to note any new thematic connections that arise
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I generally create art about places, things, or experiences from my own life; I consider what characteristics about that subject most interest me, and aim to capture and emphasize them through my choice of medium
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When using different drawing mediums to draw the same subject, the physical and visual qualities of the medium and prior associations with work made using that medium influence the manner in which the subject is represented
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Each image have a distinctive mood due to the material’s aesthetic qualities
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Even within just the discipline of drawing, each medium presents a unique visual appearance and opportunity for distinctive commentary upon the subject matter
Regarding:
INTERPRETATIONS OF ONE SUBJECT IN DIFFERENT MEDIUMS
Regarding:
k-12 visual arts education
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While teachers generally choose the medium for K-12 projects, students can make choices regarding how they use that medium
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Discussions analyzing visual resources can help them to understand the connection between medium creating meaning
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Having students talk about their decision-making process for material and technique through peer discussions or written artist’s statements can help them think through/articulate this connection
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As students gain competency with a variety of mediums, there is more possibility for meaningful student choice and individually-driven projects
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There is a lack of literature addressing teaching conceptualization compared to physical art making strategies and expectations for each grade level
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Many texts encourage teaching technique related to meaning making, but they do not articulate how to connect them, nor is there much guidance for teaching conceptualize at any grade level
reccomendations for the field
1. Research should be undertaken with the goal of developing a curriculum focused on conceptualization, as well as identifying specific standards for each grade level to clarify the more abstract element of the artistic process.
2. I recommend that art educators assess their own curriculum and look for opportunities in which students can be guided to make meaningful choices about which medium they work within, furthering the individuality present in each work of art made within a classroom.