http://s1/bmiddle/64a24467g7eae7c8dd450&690        Process art or processcentered art, explored by artists such as Jackson Pollock, expresses its meaning through the process of making an art piece, not just through the final finished art product. In art education, this approach
can be particularly useful because
education should be more concerned with the process of learning rather than with a final perfect, finished product. An over-emphasis on perfect end products, can lead to the teaching of rote mechanical actions, to teachers doing work for students, and to the cultivation of a fear of risk-taking. An emphasis on the
process of art, on the other hand, develops techniques, nurtures creativity, and cultivates core skills the students can apply to other situations in the future, whether in art or in other fields.

    Examples of a processcentered approach to art education can be found in a number of projects the students have undertaken at YKPS. In the P1 self-portraits, currently on display on the second floor, students mixed paint colors, observed themselves and others, discussed
similarities and differences, made paper patterns used pastels to represent facial features,
and represented hair texture and color three dimensionally. Another important part of the project was a final critique in which the students assessed and praised strengths in each other’s work. With this type of process students learned to work on a sustained project, to follow complex instructions, to manage personal items, to plan and revise, and to support and encourage fellow classmates, things not necessarily evident in the final work......Another example of a process centered approach can be seen in the P2 class mobiles currently on display around the school. This group project required students to brainstorm ideas,negotiate and agree on a theme with classmates, explore paper techniques, plan and execute designs, move past personal challenges, and learn about balance and force. Perhaps the biggest challenge for the students was learning to contribute to a single group project, rather than only focusing on their own work. The P3 class also learned cooperation in a carp kite project, displayed at the recent ground-breaking ceremony in Jinshan District. Four groups of students learned to work with each other as they used patterns, painted, sewed, and developed their projects. The goal of such projects is not just to make a beautiful final work but also to learn to think in terms of “we” not “I” and to see that group efforts can often be more powerful than individual efforts. The current P4 Chinese bronze art project demonstrates another dimension of the process-centered approach the teaching of historical contexts for artistic practices and techniques.Even as the students explore their own artistic representations of bronze, they are learning about the historic and stylistic development of bronze, the social function of bronze, and the techniques of ancient bronze fabrication. This type of foundation is useful to students as they think about similar situations in their present world.
    Parents can also be involved in the process-centered approach. Instead of only talking about
work simply as “good” or “bad,” it is more helpful to comment on a specific aspect of the work and to ask questions such as: How did you do that? Was any part particularly difficult? How did you overcome difficulties you encountered? Are you pleased with your effort? If you had
more time, what else would you do? Did you learn anything from seeing the work of another student?
    As you walk the corridors of our school, we invite you to observe our work and to enter with us into our process-centered journey.