NAEA Position Statement on Media Arts

NAEA recognizes media arts as a vibrant and evolving component of visual art education guided by the National Core Art Standards for Media Arts. NAEA recognizes (that) a comprehensive pre-K through 16 visual art and design education includes a wide variety of art forms which communicate through many modes using diverse tools and skills developed through traditional and contemporary media art practices.

Emerging tools and materials are expanding the traditional practice of the media arts as part of the visual arts. While media arts forms depend on technological tools, the tools are a vehicle for communication and creative processes; not an end to themselves. Certified visual arts educators possess the unique expertise necessary to foster career and college-readiness, facilitating critical thinking and problem solving, and encouraging personal and collaborative learning; all essential to media arts.

Recognizing that artmaking practices evolve along transdisciplinary pathways and vigorously remix and transform cultural expression, NAEA encourages an open-ended and inclusive approach to media arts education. Art classrooms and studios are important sites of innovative and meaningful artistic work, both in traditional visual arts and emerging practices. Media Arts education is infused with aesthetics and the purposeful use of art and design elements, NAEA believes media arts education provides learners the essential skills of creativity, visual/media literacy, digital citizenship and the ability to learn effectively via a variety of processes.

NAEA supports equitable access to the widest possible variety of new media arts technologies in visual arts learning, and advocates the frequent updating of those technologies in the visual arts classrooms, art studios and other art learning environments.

NAEA supports high quality, professional development which trains visual art educators in traditional, new, and evolving media technologies.

Notes and Resources:

MEDIA ARTS is an expanding field that currently includes, but is not limited to: the design of mediated images, objects, spaces, and experiences, film, video, computer programming, interactive animation, digital fabrication, games, virtual and augmented reality. Accordingly, the national arts standards, Media Arts refers to “technologies of - imaging, sound, moving image, virtual and interactive.”

• http://www.nationalartsstandards.org/customize-handbook?bundle_name%5B4%5D=4&sm_vid_Process%5B1%5D=1&include%5Beu%2Feq%5D=eu%2Feq

For additional defining language for Media Arts see:

NY State Documents

• http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/arts/standards/home.html
• http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/arts/documents/Posters/Media%20Arts/Med%20Arts_Process_Anchor_EU_tables_8.5x11.pdf
• http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/arts/standards/2017%20Implementation%20Guide%20(9.2)%20.pdf

SC State Documents

• Design and Visual Art Standards CA State Documents
• https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/sf/documents/artsmedia.pdf

Resources:

• National Core Art Standards - NCAS - Media Arts at a glance https://www.nationalartsstandards.org/sites/default/files/Media%20Arts%20at%20a%20Glance%20-%20new%20copyright%20info.pdf
• Cornerstone Assessments for Media Arts as component of Core Art Standards: http://www.nationalartsstandards.org/mca/media-arts
• http://www.mediaartseducation.org/
• http://www.nationalartsstandards.org/customize-handbook?bundle_name%5B4%5D=4&sm_vid_Process%5B1%5D=1&include%5Beu%2Feq%5D=eu%2Feq