Photographic representation in art education

This paper outlines an Art Education curriculum designed for and implemented with a group of elementary school-aged children. The project, which took place over a two-year period, emphasized the integration of various standards-based subject areas, including language arts, social studies, computer technology and the visual arts. The students were encouraged to consider photography in terms of its social relevance, both generally and with regard to their own work. A philosophic and historical basis was established for the main premise of the project: the status of the family photograph as a universally respected democratic art form. The curriculum culminated with a computerized multi-media presentation, and a photography exhibition.