E I P

2: Australian Art Schools and Art Theory/History Curricula [Next Chapter] [Previous Chapter] [Contents]

• Overview
• Methodology
• Number of Art Schools with Art Theory/History Programs
• Number of Art Schools with Internationalised Curricula
• Number of Art Schools about to Change or Expressing a Wish to Change their Curricula
• Art Theory/History Units Offered
• Categories of Art Theory/History Units
• Analysis of Categories
• Some Conclusions Relating to the Above Data
• Issues Identified in Relation to the Art Theory/History Program
• Issues Raised by Perceptions of Art Theory/History Units by Australian and Asian Students
• Data on the Perceived Percentage of Non-western Content
• Student Perceptions on Art Theory/History Assessment
• Comparison with What is on Offer
• Influence on Choice of Topic
• Other Perceptions
• Conclusions and Recommendations Relating to the Above Findings

Overview

This chapter examines the content of Art Theory/History programs at Australian art schools and the major issues identified by both lecturers and students in relation to the internationalisation of the curricula.

Also included are students’ perceptions of non-Western and Asian Art Theory content in their courses, and whether students agree that Asian Art Theory should be included in Australian art school curricula. Other issues include whether students would like more Asian content, and what sort of Asian art should be offered in the curriculum.

Although many art schools have not yet internationalised their Art Theory curriculum to any great degree, both Australian and Asian students feel that Asian art should occupy a more substantial part of the program. Possible starting points for internationalising Art Theory/History curricula are also included.

Methodology

The data for this chapter were collected in three stages (refer to ‘Methodology’ in the Introduction)

• The information provided by Questionnaire 1 (see Appendix 1) was used to determine the number of schools who offered Art Theory programs; the number of schools with internationalised curricula or who wish to change their curricula, and issues identified in relation to the Art Theory/History program.

• Art Theory lecturers at all 30 art schools were asked to provide details of their Art Theory program. The format of this information varied from complete syllabuses and course outlines to photocopies from the university’s handbook. This information was used to compile the analysis of Art Theory unit categories.

• The third stage of investigation involved sending questionnaires (Questionnaires 2 to 5 in Appendix 6) to both Australian and full fee-paying Asian students at selected universities.

It should be noted that the design of the questionnaires allowed for yes/no answers, percentage estimates and comments. The interpretive strategies employed when analysing the results therefore vary, for example whereas yes/no responses formed the preliminary stage of analysis, comments were also carefully examined to expand this information.

Number of Art Schools with Art Theory/History Programs

Questionnaire 1 was sent to all 30 art schools, out of which a total of 29 returned their questionnaires. However, of these only 27¹⁶ full responses were received. All but one of the Australian art schools¹⁷ include Art Theory/History as a core subject at some if not all stages of their undergraduate degree program.

Number of Art Schools with Internationalised Curricula

The questionnaire returns indicate that nearly half of all Australian art schools were yet to introduce non-Western content in their Theory program.

Four schools (13%) indicated on their survey forms that, independent of the enrolment of Asian students, they had introduced Asian content into their programs. In cross-checking questionnaire results with the theory syllabuses submitted, it was discovered that two more schools who had answered ‘no’ (not included in the figure above) did in fact have Asian content, bringing the total to six (20%). The subject areas included cross-cultural studies, multiculturalism and Asian and Indian Art Theory.

Six schools (20%) claimed they had introduced Asian content due to the enrolment of Asian students.

One school did not return their questionnaire, and three did not answer this question, making up the remaining 13 per cent of Australian art schools (see Figure 2.1).

Figure 2.1: Asian Content in Art History/Theory Programs (All 30 Australian Art Schools)

Number of Art Schools about to Change or Expressing a Wish to Change their Curricula

One school said that Asian content would be introduced in 1996, and two schools expressed a wish to internationalise their Theory curricula. For these schools, the small numbers of Asian students and the lack of appropriate staff were cited as reasons for not having internationalised curricula.

Art Theory/History Units Offered

An examination of the 28¹⁸ Art Theory/History syllabuses submitted reveals that there are at least 479 semester-length units plus 21 shorter units.

Categories of Art Theory/History Units

For the purpose of analysis, the Art Theory/History units have been divided into the following categories:

• general introductions to Art History;
• Pre-history, Antiquity and Medieval;
• Renaissance and Post Renaissance;
• 19th and 20th Century Western Art (excluding Australian Art);
• Australian Art;
• Aboriginal Art;
• Non-Western Art;
• Cross-cultural and Intercultural Art;
• thematic units;
• studio specific units;
• inter-disciplinary;
• Professional Practice;
• research (including writing);
• Architecture;
• Photography/Film/Video/TV;
• Craft and Design;
• Art Theory and Criticism (including philosophy); and
• Gender, Body and Sexuality.

Analysis of Categories

To show the weight put on these subject areas, information about each of them in Table 2.1 includes the number of units, the number of institutions offering them, and an approximate range of topics within each category. A complete list of schools and the units titles they offer may be found in Appendix 4.

Table 2.1: Art Theory/History units in Australian Art Schools

* The percentage refers to full semester units only and reflects the position the particular category occupies in the overall range of theory subjects.

Some Conclusions Relating to the Above Data

The survey results suggest that while a relatively high proportion of art schools (12 out of 30 schools, or 40%) have introduced non-Western content into their theory/history curricula, the actual amount in fact represents a very small percentage of all Art Theory/History units on offer—just under 2 per cent¹⁹.

The information collected shows that the major bias is Eurocentric. Nineteenth and 20th Century Western Art alone occupies 65 units. If one excluded Australian Art (43 full-length units and two short units; 9%), Aboriginal Art (nine full-length units and one short unit; 2%), Non-Western Art (eight units; 2%), and Cross-cultural and Intercultural Art subjects (17 units and one short unit; 4%), the Art Theory/History syllabuses with predominantly Western content would take up 402 units, or 84 per cent of all units offered, and this is not taking into account that much of the Australian art is Eurocentric, occupying a further 9 per cent.

There are only eight units of Non-Western art, a mere 2 per cent of the total. Of these eight units, there are five units on Asian art (representing 1% of the total number of units offered), and three on Latin American and Pacific art. It is ironic that while one can point to the small non-Western content in Australian art school syllabuses, Aboriginal Art is given a similarly low emphasis with only nine units offered (2%).

Issues Identified in Relation to the Art Theory/History Program

The following information was gained from Questionnaire 1, Question 3, Part 1 and the General Comments section. Lecturers at 16 schools out of the 28 schools who responded made specific comments from which these issues are drawn.

Many comments were of a pedagogical focus, and these will be dealt with in more depth in Chapter 4, ‘Pedagogical Issues’. Issues included specialised individual or formal assistance for Asian students, and changes to teaching methodology due to the enrolment of both Australian Aboriginal and Asian students.

Others commented on the benefits and problems of having Asian students in the course, and the apparent lack of commitment by their university in promoting fine arts courses overseas. These will be dealt with in further depth in Chapter 5, ‘Broader Issues’.

In relation to Art Theory curricula, lecturers made comments that may be categorised as follows:

Visiting Artist Programs

Three lecturers mentioned the benefits of visiting artist/lecturer programs, not only of artists from the Asian Region, but also Australian artists who had been on residencies in Asia. One school described their Art Theory program as having been enhanced by writers/curators in residence from Malaysia and Thailand who not only lectured in the school’s theory program but also consulted in Studios. Visiting artist programs that incorporate both Asian artists and Australian artists who have participated in projects and programs in Asia could therefore become an integral part of curriculum development for schools starting to internationalise their program.

Recommendation 1:

That visiting artist programs incorporating both Asian artists and Australian artists who have participated in projects and programs in Asia become an integral part of curriculum development for schools starting to internationalise their program.

Regional Location of School/Location of Australia in Relation to Asia

Lecturers at three schools noted the regional location of their school or the geographical position of Australia in relation to Asia as having an impact on their curriculum. One school commented ‘As our university is located in an area of intense population growth, we are very much involved in multiculturalism and the benefits of students of all nationalities has made an enormous contribution to the richness of the course and has influenced our program’. This awareness of Australia’s proximity to Asia is an issue that could be considered when internationalising curricula. The notion of proximity may be used as a starting point when deciding what art from which countries one should include, for example Asian countries that are geographically closest to Australia may be the first to be introduced into the program.

Recommendation 2:

That schools internationalising their curricula should consider using as a starting point countries that are closest to Australia, whether through trade or economic links, politically, or geographical proximity. These Asian countries may be the first to be introduced into the program.

Interest from all Students in Asian Art

One lecturer said that all students at their school were interested in studying Asian art which, in addition to the school’s regional location (in an area of high Asian population), has led to changes being made to the curriculum. This school is currently in the process of introducing an Asia Pacific focus in its degree course as a result of these factors. Students’ interest in Asian art will be covered in a later section of this chapter, under ‘Other Perceptions’.

Increase in Cross-cultural Influence in Art

One lecturer commented that ‘it is impossible to disregard Asian practices as a lot of cross-over is increasingly occurring in contemporary art’. It should be pointed out that this is also related to issues of multiculturalism in Australian society that were raised both by lecturers and students (see following section, ‘Issues Raised by Perceptions of Art Theory/History Units by Australian and Asian Students’).

Only two out of the 16 schools who made comments were less positive regarding the introduction of Asian content into the Art Theory curriculum. Both said that the very small number of Asian students enrolled would not justify special consideration and one of these schools expressed concern that courses in Asian art would attract very low enrolments. However, one school then added that for other reasons (not stated what) they would like to introduce courses on Asian art but have no staff member qualified to teach this area. The other school said that despite the small numbers of Asian students, they had considered using an Asian

Art History topic jointly with the Asian Studies area. Therefore, although these schools made apparently negative comments to do with internationalising the curriculum, these negative aspects appear more to do with how to manage such change and problems with finding the resources to do so.

Issues Raised by Perceptions of Art Theory/History Units by Australian and Asian Students

Apart from describing the content of their Art Theory/History program, students made very few other comments that were specifically relevant to the curriculum, and these appeared in the final ‘Further Comments’ section of the questionnaires. In general, Australian students expressed the benefits of having an internationalised curriculum more so than Asian students. Asian students tended to address issues associated with pedagogy or racism, and these will be dealt with in Chapter 4 ‘Pedagogical Issues’ and Chapter 5 ‘Broader Issues’.

Need for More Asian Art Content as Australia is a Multicultural Nation

The main emphasis among Australian students who commented was their recognition that Australia is a multicultural society. Of the 48 Australian students who commented, 16 (33%) said there should be more Asian content in their theory program as Australia is a multicultural nation. (Full details on the number of students who indicated they would like to have more Asian Art Theory may be found later in this chapter in the section entitled ‘Other Perceptions’). A further three (6%) commented that an increase in Asian content leads to wider understanding and promotion of racial harmony. In comparison, only 1 (17%) of the six Asian students who made comment cited this issue. This information reveals that almost 40 per cent of Australian students who commented perceive benefits in having an internationalised curriculum.

Recommendation 3:

Schools should internationalise their curricula as there are benefits to be gained through this for Australian society, including the promotion of intercutural awareness and understanding.

Asian content in Art Theory/History presents a link to Studio work that is not provided elsewhere in the course

One Australian student (2%) commented that the Asian content in his/her Art Theory/History program provided a valuable link to Studio work that wasn’t provided elsewhere in the course.

An informal connection with Studio activity such as this is a benefit that could result from an internationalised Art Theory/History curriculum. Students may or may not choose to use information gained from their Art Theory classes to inform

their Studio work. Nevertheless, many of the resources that are amassed through internationalising an Art Theory program may also be pertinent as a resource when starting to internationalise Studio curricula.

Recommendation 4:

Schools which internationalise their Art Theory/History curricula should consider using the resources they have amassed for this as a starting point for also internationalising Studio content.

Stimulated Interest in Asian Art/Culture

Another Australian student (2%) said that having Asian content made him/her more curious about Asian art and the way Art Theory is taught in Asian countries.

Of the seven Australian students (15%) who made negative comments, three said that the program should include other non-Western art including Australian indigenous art. One of these also added that there should be Asian art content in addition to other non-Western art. The remaining four students commented that Asian art was not of concern to them or that ‘it doesn’t fit in’. It should be noted that four of these students were studying courses at schools whose syllabuses revealed no units that focus on non-Western art.

It would appear that students attending schools which have partially internationalised their Art Theory/History curricula have more positive attitude towards and interest in non-Western art. Australian students in particular are aware of a growing need for an awareness and understanding of other cultures, particularly those in close proximity to Australia (i.e. Asian cultures).

Data on the Perceived Percentage of Non-Western Content

Inclusion of Non-Western Content

In Questionnaire 2 and Questionnaire 3, students were asked the following question:

Q1 Does the Art Theory/History part of your study include non-Western content? (that is, subject matter in lectures, tutorials or required reading which may be, for example, Latin American, Asian, Aboriginal etc.)

Note: The following data is based on responses from 234 Australian students (including one Australian from an Asian background).

Of the 234 Australian students, 187 (80%) said that their Art Theory program included non-Western content. Those that perceived an absence of non-Western content in their program totalled 45 (19%), and only two (1%) did not answer the question.

A total of 28 Asian students responded to this question, out of which 19 (68%) indicated that non-Western content was offered. One Asian student (4%) did not complete the question.

Description of Non-Western Content

Students were then asked the following question:

Q1 [contd] Please describe the non-Western content.

Of the 234 Australian students, 105 responded to the request to describe the non-Western content of their Art Theory program.

At one art school 13 (or 6% of the total number of Australian students) indicated that they were currently enrolled in a unit on Art and Spirituality in which non-Western content is higher than in other theory units. Their descriptions of this unit included Buddhist art, temples, Hindu stone sculpting and symbolism.

Twenty-eight students (27% of those who made comments) described the content of their theory units as being non-Western art in relation to Western art practice, citing topics such as Primitivism and how Asian art has influenced Western artists.

Twenty-two (21%) said that the content included Aboriginal art, and again 22 (21%) said it included ‘primitive’ art.

Fifteen students (14%) said that the non-Western content was only brief, (e.g. two lectures out of a three-year program, or that it was offered as an elective).

Of the 28 Asian students, 14 (50%) described the non-Western content of their Art Theory/History units. Of these, four (29%) indicated that the Asian content was from a Western viewpoint or focused on Asia’s influence on Western art, including Primitivism. Other descriptions included traditional and contemporary Asian art, Japanese art, Chinese and Indonesian art history and Australian Aboriginal art. One student (7%) commented that the only non-Western content was that a video program about spirituality and ritual was shown.

Percentage of Non-Western Content

In the second part of Questionnaire 2 and Questionnaire 3, students were asked the following question:

Q1 [contd] [If the Art Theory/History part of your study does include non-Western content], please estimate what percentage is non-Western content.

Although 80 per cent of Australian students and 68 per cent of Asian students had stated that non-Western content was included, the perceived percentage of this content was low, with 104 (45%) Australian students and nine (32%) Asian students indicating that the non-Western content of their program was below 25 per cent.

Earlier in this chapter the point that was made that although 40 per cent of art schools have introduced some non-Western content, in 1995 at least 84 per cent of the curriculum was taken up by predominantly Western content. These results from students in 1996 support this statement, allowing for some modification to curriculum content at the change in the academic year.

Percentage of Asian Content

The third part of the first question asked students the following:

Q1 [contd] [If the Art Theory/History part of your study does include non-Western content], please estimate what percentage is Asian content.

Similarly the perceived percentage of Asian content was low. One hundred and thirty-seven Australian students (59%, or 81% of those who completed the question) indicated that Asian content took up less than 25 per cent of the program. A substantial number of Asian students (43%) did not answer this question, but if one does not count the non-respondents, 56 per cent of the Asian students said that Asian content occupied under 25 per cent of the Art Theory program.

Student Perceptions on Art Theory/History Assessment

In Questionnaires 2 and 3, students were asked the following question:

Q2 Does the assessment (e.g. essay or examination topics) of your Art Theory/History units include non-Western content?

Australian Students

Of the 234 Australian students who completed the Art Theory/History questionnaire, 145 (62%) said that their assessment did include non-Western content.

Seventy-six of these students described this content, and their comments fall into the following broad categories:

The majority of Australian students (62%) say that the assessment of their Art Theory/History units includes non-Western content. According to their descriptions of this content, however, it appears that the non-Western content is either related to units that are primarily Eurocentric (e.g. Primitivism) or is there only at the student’s discretion (i.e. the student can choose his/her own essay topic). This accounts for 62 per cent of the total number of descriptions. Only 10 (13%) out of the 76 who commented said that their non-Western topics form a compulsory part of assessment.

Asian Students

The Asian students perceived a slightly lower amount of non-Western content in their Art Theory/History assessment. Of the 28 students who completed the questionnaire, 13 (46%) answered ‘yes’. Of these students, 13 went on to describe their assessment, their comments falling into the following broad categories:

Responses from Asian students indicate that half perceive their Art Theory/ History assessment as not having non-Western content, and almost half (47%) saying it does. Out of the 13 who described this content, six (46%) stated that their assessment included topics on specific Asian art (including particular countries). Three students (23%) said the topics were on East/West art influences and relationships, and one student (8%) said that students are able to choose their own topic. This ability for students to choose their own topic is an unknown factor in these responses. Because of the low response rate amongst Asian students and their dispersal between institutions, no interpretation can be made as to whether these subjects are included as a result of students’ being given choice of topic in their assessment or if they are the result of compulsory inclusion.

Comparison with What is on Offer

Comparisons between school and student data is somewhat inconclusive as Questionnaire 1 was administered to art schools in 1995, whereas the student questionnaires were administered in 1996. The Australian academic year is a calendar year, whereas this project was conducted over the financial year. Therefore, because one must allow for possible changes to the curriculum at the start of the academic year, the information from which comparisons were drawn in this section should not be taken as absolute. Another consideration is that while all Australian university art schools were targeted for Questionnaire 1, the student responses were a sample group. During analysis it also became evident, by comparing responses from the same group of students, that some students had misread the question and had in error estimated the Western rather than non-Western content, and this also rendered the statistics unreliable.

However, it may be said that 187 (80%) out of 234 Australian students (including one from an Asian background) and 19 (68%) out of 28 Asian students answered ‘yes’, that their program did include non-Western content, and in most cases this supported what was determined from the syllabuses supplied earlier by the schools as to what was offered.

Only six schools showed some disparity between the information the school had supplied and the students’ perceptions, and this information may be found in Appendix 9.

Influence on Choice of Topic

In Questionnaires 2 and 3, students were asked the following question:

Q7 Has the inclusion of contemporary Asian content in your Art Theory/History units influenced your choice of topic in any of your Art Theory projects (e.g. essays, assignments etc.)?

Australian Students

Australian students’ choice of topic did not seem to be influenced by Asian content in the curriculum. Out of 234 Australian students (including one from an Asian background) who completed the Art Theory/History questionnaire, 99 students (42%) indicated that Asian content had ‘no influence’ on their choice of topic.

Of the students who said this content did influence them, 61 made comments explaining in what way this influence had occurred. Their comments fall into the following broad categories:

Asian Students

Of the 28 Asian students who completed the Art Theory/History questionnaire, nine students (34%) said that Asian content in the curriculum had no influence on their choice of topics for assessment. Sixteen students (57%) indicated that some influence had occurred, with the highest number out of this group (six students, representing 21%) indicating ‘medium influence’.

Eleven out of the 28 students then described the nature of this influence. The following broad categories represent those into which the students’ descriptions fell.

Other Perceptions

Students were also asked whether they thought contemporary Asian Art Theory/History should be included in an Australian art school and whether they would like to have more contemporary Asian content in the Art Theory/History units they study. These were Questions 3 and 4 in both Questionnaire 2 and Questionnaire 3.

Q3 Do you think contemporary Asian Art Theory/History should be included in an Australian art school?

Australian Students

Eighty-nine per cent of Australian students believe Asian Art Theory should be included in Australian art schools’ curricula. Of the total number of 234 Australian students (including one Australian student from an Asian background), 207 (88%) out of 234 Australian students said ‘yes’ (see Figure 2.2).

Figure 2.2: Australian Students’ Response to Question: ‘Should Asian Art Theory be Offered in Australian Art Schools?’

Of these students, 141 made additional comments giving the reasons as to their answer to this question. Their comments fell into the following broad categories:

Only eight (6%) students out of the 141 commenting made negative comments (such as 'stay within own country's history'). A further eight (6%) students made the comment that Asian art should be included but not more so than art from anywhere else.

Australian students perceive many benefits to be gained from Asian art being offered in the curriculum. Primarily seen as an enhancement to arts practice that gives a broader view of art, they are also aware of the benefits to be gained culturally. One student made the comment ‘Nearness to Australia geographically but also politically...Need to understand more about cultures around us to be able to develop art that speaks with understanding and wisdom’. Another student appeared to see the potential for reversing the Eurocentricism of the curriculum: ‘A good way to put Western art history into perspective is by comparing it to non-Western art’.

Recommendation 5:

That Asian Art Theory/History be included in Australian art school curricula in order to give a broader view of art, enhance art practice and increase cultural enrichment.

Asian Students

Asian students agree that Asian Art Theory should be offered at Australian art schools, with 26 (93%) out of 28 students answering ‘yes’ to this question.

Figure 2.3: Asian Students’ Response to Question: ‘Should Asian Art Theory be Offered in Australian Art Schools?’

Out of the total number of 28 students, 23 made additional comments giving the reasons as to their answer to this question. All of these students were positive about the inclusion of Asian art, and their comments fell into the following broad categories:

Asian students perceived enhancement of the curriculum in relation to art practice as being the main reason for including Asian Art Theory (this was also stated by Australian students). Perhaps because Asian students are more informed about their own Art Theory/History, they were less likely to see the inclusion of Asian art as giving a broader view of art or extending boundaries.

Q4 Would you like to have more contemporary Asian content in the Art Theory/History units you study?

Australian Students

137 (59%) out of 234 Australian students indicated they would like the Asian content of their Art Theory/History program increased.

Out of the total number of 234 students, 99 made additional comments stating which topics of Asian art they would like to be included. These fell into the following broad categories:

Contemporary

35 students (35%)

It should be noted that many of these students stated that they would like contemporary Asian art to be placed in its historical context.

Specific country

19 students (19%) indicated that they were interested in Japanese art

7 (7%) students indicated that they were interested in Chinese art

1 (1%) student was interested in art from Singapore, Indonesia, India, Taiwan and Malaysia

Political

12 students (12%)

Traditional

10 students (10%)

How Western and Asian art influence each other

4 students (4%)

The above information reveals that the majority of Australian students (35% of those who commented) would like to have more contemporary Asian Art Theory in the curriculum, and many of these indicated that this art should be placed in its historical context. There is a large amount of interest in Japanese art, and a more moderate amount of interest in Chinese art. Students were also interested in political issues that influence Asian art as well as political art, such as ‘underground art’. Australian students also showed a moderate degree of interest in intercultural influences between Western and Asian art.

Asian Students

A high percentage of Asian students indicated that they would like to have more Asian content in their Art Theory/History program. Out of the total number of 28 students, 24 (86%) answered ‘yes’.

Twenty of these students made additional comments, stating which topics of Asian art they would like to be included. These fell into the following broad categories:

Specific country

7 students (35%) indicated that they were interested in Chinese art

5 (25%) students indicated that they were interested in Japanese art

1 (5%) student each elected art from Vietnam, Korea, Thailand and Sri Lanka

Contemporary

6 students (30%)

Traditional

3 students (15%)

Political

1 student (5%)

Asian students showed more interest than Australian students in art from particular Asian countries, with 35 per cent of those making comment indicating an interest in having more Chinese art, and 25 per cent nominating Japanese art. Of those who commented, 30 per cent said they would like to be offered more contemporary Asian art in the curriculum. This percentage is close to the number of Australian students who said they wanted contemporary Asian Art Theory (35%).

Recommendation 6:

That contemporary Asian art be included in Art Theory/History curricula in Australian art schools, incorporating the following:

• Japanese art²⁰;
• Chinese art;
• the historical and social contexts of Asian art;
• political Asian art and political issues that influence Asian art; and
• topics concerning East/West intercultural influences in art.

Conclusions and Recommendations Relating to the Above Findings

The results indicate that 28 out of 29 (97%) Australian art schools include Art Theory/History as a core subject at some if not all stages of their undergraduate degree program. Twelve schools (40%) include some degree of Asian Art Theory

content. While this suggests that a relatively high proportion of art schools have introduced non-Western content into their theory/history curricula, the actual amount in fact represents a very small percentage of all Art Theory/History units on offer, with at least 84 per cent of Art Theory curricula being represented by Western Art Theory.

Of the 479 units on offer, Aboriginal Art occupies two per cent (nine units plus one short unit), Non-Western Art two per cent (eight units), Cross-cultural and Intercultural Art subjects four per cent (17 units plus one short unit). Australian Art occupies a higher percentage at nine per cent (43 units plus two short units), but much of this content is Eurocentric.

Asian art occupies only five out of eight units listed under the category of Non-Western Art, or one per cent of the total number of units offered.

Schools that have not made moves to internationalise their curricula cite their reasons as being low numbers of Asian students and lack of appropriate staff. Negative comments regarding internationalisation appear more to do with how to manage such change and problems with finding the resources to do so.

Despite the reticence of some schools to internationalise due to low Asian student enrolments, student support for the internationalisation of Art Theory curricula is undeniable, with 88 per cent of Australian students and 93 per cent of Asian students stating that they believe Asian Art Theory should be included in Australian art schools’ curricula.

The benefits for Australian students from having an internationalised curriculum are obvious from the student comments. These students perceive internationalised content primarily as an enhancement to arts practice that gives a broader view of art, and they were also aware of the cultural benefits to be gained. Asian students also perceived enhancement of the curriculum in relation to art practice as being the main reason for including Asian Art Theory.

Even where students have limited contact with non-Western content, the impact of this content on students is considerable. Students attending schools which have partially internationalised their Art Theory/History curricula appear to have a more positive attitude towards and interest in non-Western art. Australian students in particular see growing need for an awareness and understanding of other cultures, particularly those in close proximity to Australia (i.e. Asian cultures).

The inclusion of Asian Art Theory/History in art schools presents possibilities for also enhancing Studio programs. Students may or may not choose to use information gained from their Art Theory classes to inform their Studio work. Nevertheless, many of the resources that are amassed through internationalising an Art Theory program may also be pertinent as a resource when starting to internationalise Studio curricula.

The students’ comments have also provided some useful information for art schools to consider when starting to internationalise their curricula.

Thirty-five per cent of Australian students who commented and 30 per cent of Asian students indicated their preference for inclusion in the curriculum was Contemporary Asian Art Theory, with many of the Australian students commenting that this art should be placed in its historical context. Australian students also show a large amount of interest in Japanese art, and a more modest amount of interest in Chinese art. Students were also interested in Political art from Asia, the political issues that influence Asian art as well as showing a moderate degree of interest in Intercultural influences between Western and Asian art.

Asian students showed more interest than Australian students in art from particular Asian countries, with 35 per cent of those making comment indicating an interest in having more Chinese art, and 25 per cent nominating Japanese art.

Awareness of Australia’s proximity to Asia is an issue both in lecturers’ and students’ comments, and this could be also considered when internationalising curricula. The notion of proximity may be used as a starting point when deciding what art from which countries one should include, for example Asian countries that are geographically closest to Australia may be the first to be introduced into the program. The notion of proximity may be broadened beyond the geographical to include the closeness of trade and political relations.

There were positive comments regarding the inclusion of artist programs that incorporate both Asian artists and Australian artists who have participated in projects and programs in Asia, and these should also become an integral part of curriculum development for schools starting to internationalise their program.

[Return to Top]