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V!"!#$ % V#!&'Design Education as Agent for Change

Chris Chapin

In order for our students to be able to a(ect how the world sees, we, as educators, have to )rst teach them how to see the world. And, in order for our students to be able to go out and give voice to those who need it, we )rst have to help them )nd their own voice.

As art and design educators, there is no more powerful way in which to a(ect change in the world than through giving our students the power of vision and voice. In each course we teach, students study some aspect of how to create: to compose, paint, draw, set type, photograph and produce. We teach them how to solve problems, organize information, tell a story, and create clear and beautiful presentations. In the midst of learning these tools, students are usually clear about what to do with them, but often loose sight of why. Why paint, why design, why create? It is through this question of why create (what is the purpose?) that forces for change can begin to grow.

Unlike speci)c tools and methods, purpose is not something we can give our students. We can, however, challenge them with the question, and help them )nd ways to examine why they will create. At the core of this question is another question; what will they be putting into the world through their art and design? It is through this question that students

can begin to consider the change their work will bring about. In addition to a sense of purpose, an artist or designer who wishes to a(ect change in the world needs to develop the two most important tools of all: their vision and their voice.

On Vision Vision is not the ability to see the future, but rather the ability to clearly see the present, evaluate it in the contexts of social, political and cultural environments, and then imagine what the future could look like. Vision is about clarity; seeing beyond conventions, habits, surface reactions and disinformation to reveal a true picture of a problem or condition. It is supremely important that we help each student develop his or her clear and unique vision. *e )rst key to how we teach students to see clearly is through teaching them critical thinking.

*is manifests in several areas in the education of an artist, teacher or designer: through teaching about culture and politics, through teaching how to research, through teaching about processes in the develop-ment of meaningful work, and through helping students discover where they can )t in the sociopolitical world. *ere are also e(ective exercises in developing how students see, in courses such as photography, typography, drawing and creative writing. In these courses, students can be challenged to view objects, places,people and situations through a variety of di(erent lenses. Upon completion of courses like these, students often see the world around them di(erently. It is important to emphasize, at this point, that the vision each student develops must be his or her own, and not overly in+uenced, or determined, by the vision of the teacher. We are serving the student’s individual growth only as far as we are able to help them develop their own unique vision.

On Voice All art and design requires the artist/designer to have a clear and unique voice with which to communicate to employ his or her vision of what can be created. In the )ne arts, the voice is that of the individual artist in design it is a creative combination of the designers voice and that of !"

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