Abstract

Observational drawing has many benefits, yet it can be a difficult and frustrating curriculum for students and teachers alike. As I was teaching elementary and college art classes simultaneously, I noticed a significant discrepancy between my younger and older students. Students in my elementary art classes loved to draw and often expressed how excited they were to make art. However, students in my college art classes were more hesitant and self-conscious about drawing and did not believe they could progress artistically. Many of these students had abandoned drawing in elementary or middle school. This pattern evokes the U curve of artistic development as discussed in Harvard's Project Zero (Davis, 1997). Because of this lack of skill and confidence, many of the students in my college classes could not fully apply themselves to reap the benefits of observational drawing. How can educators help college students reclaim their confidence as visual artists after years of avoidance and fear? In an attempt to help college students overcome these anxieties and improve their art skills, I created and implemented a mindfulness intervention in a traditional drawing curriculum. Using case study methodology, I conducted a qualitative study throughout the winter semester of 2019 at Brigham Young University to examine the affordances or limitations of implementing mindfulness in an undergraduate drawing curriculum.

Degree

College and Department

Fine Arts and Communications; Art

Rights

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