Colorado Visual Arts Standards

The Colorado Department of Education describes the education of the visual arts as...

"Exploration of visual arts and design processes is about invention, creation, and innovation. Building on the development of ideas through a process of inquiry, discovery, and research leads to the creation of works of art, and, whether using traditional materials or the latest technologies, prepares students to be independent, lifelong learners. Participation in the visual arts provides students with unique experiences and skills that develop important traits for success in the 21st century workforce. Studying art and design involves inquiry, posing and solving problems, perseverance, re-purposing, taking risks, and persuading and inspiring."

Visual Arts Standards overview

1. Observe and Learn to Comprehend: Use the visual arts to express, communicate, and make meaning. To perceive art involves studying art; scrutinizing and examining art; recognizing, noticing, and seeing art; distinguishing art forms and subtleties; identifying and detecting art; becoming skilled in and gaining knowledge of art; grasping and realizing art; figuring out art; and sensing and feeling art.

2. Envision and Critique to Reflect: Articulate and implement critical thinking in the visual arts by synthesizing, evaluating, and analyzing visual information. To value art involves visualizing, articulating, and conveying art; thinking about, pondering, and contemplating art; wondering about, assessing, and questioning art concepts and contexts; expressing art; defining the relevance, significance of, and importance of art; and experiencing, interpreting, and justifying the aesthetics of art.

3. Invent and Discover to Create: Generate works of arts that employ unique ideas, feelings, and values using different media, technologies, styles, and forms of expression. To make art involves creating, inventing, conceiving, formulating, and imagining art; communicating, ascertaining, and learning about art; building, crafting, and generating art; assembling and manufacturing art; discovering, fashioning, and producing art; and causing art to exist.

4. Relate and Connect to Transfer: Recognize, articulate, and validate the value of the visual arts to lifelong learning and the human experience. To respond to art involves relating to art; connecting to art; personally linking to art; associating with art; bonding to art; moving toward art sensibilities; shifting to art orientations; thinking about art; attaching meaning to art; replying to art; reacting to art; internalizing art; personalizing art; and relating art to diverse cultures.