NAEA Position Statement on Arts Integration

NAEA recognizes arts integration as an integral part of contemporary art and pedagogical practice. Art explores and interprets the world; it is often based on research and tackles big ideas and issues.

Arts integration builds greater understanding across disciplines, supporting authentic

experiences that engage and motivate learners. It provides multiple modes of learning and encourages imagination, creativity, and personal interpretation of ideas. Through creative inquiry, arts integration fosters personal connection and insight, enriching the artmaking process. Arts integration is particularly effective in helping learners make meaningful connections between self, others, and the world.

Effective arts integration aligns the curriculum with the National Visual Arts Standards, as well as standards from other content areas. Various models of arts integration provide options for art educators and generalists. Here are two examples:

• One model explores a cross-disciplinary theme in multiple classrooms with educators serving as the integrators. 
• Another model is based in the art studio, where learners research and interpret cross-disciplinary themes, ideas, and issues through art, making learners the integrators. 

Arts integration encourages learners to stretch and explore their thinking. Arts integration is key to meaningful, inclusive, and holistic learning. Arts integration develops learners’ skills, concepts, and strategies to construct meaning and deepen understanding.This practice democratizes art rooms, enabling learners’ voices and perspectives to be represented through artistic expression.

Resources:

Blythe, T., & Associates. (1998). The teaching for understanding guide. Jossey-Bass.

Clark, E. T., Jr. (1997). Designing and implementing an integrated curriculum: A student-centered approach. Holistic Education Press.