A Picasso or a Pre-schooler? : ways of seeing the 'child as artist'

Abstract

Children’s art is a commonly featured in early childhood classroom and care centres. Adults readily display the art of young children in prominent locations for others to admire. This practice of displaying young children’s visual art poses several questions about the child and his or her artistic expression. Are these children likened to professional artists? How do children feel about their own art being displayed? What methods of display are appropriate, if any?

A review of early childhood art education literature offers ways of seeing the "child as artist." Artistic learning is complex in and of itself, and to complicate matters art education has not progressed in a linear fashion and lacks a unified organizational structure. However, the place of art in the curriculum and the best way of teaching art to young children are central debates within the field of early childhood art education.

This paper draws on doctoral research that attempts to explore ways of seeing the "child as artist" within the context of early childhood art education and presents an argument for new understandings of young children’s experiences with the display of their own visual artwork.