The problem with dropping art history from the curriculum
These may be the last years that students can study art history comprehensively at NCEA level, but why is that important?
With the axing of art history as a dedicated subject at high school, students risk losing their grasp of some of the most iconic pieces that have shaped the industry and society, the president of an arts history teachers’ group says.
For NCEA levels 2 and 3, teachers are given a list of artists across a range of eras - including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Ai Wei Wei, and New Zealand icons like Charles Frederick Goldie and Frances Hodgkins – to choose to teach their students about.
From 2028, the government has plans to integrate the subject into visual art subjects – which are more about the practice of creating art – due to low participation and students’ “evolving interests and future-focused career pathways”.
Charles Goldie's pieces are among the list that NCEA students can learn more about at NCEA level.
RNZ / Nita Blake-Persen
However, New Zealand Arts History Teachers' Association president Barbara Ormond believes participation would grow under the new curriculum – if it remained as a standalone.
The director of secondary programmes at University of Auckland believes most interested in art history would not want to pursue visual arts. For some schools, the subject sits under the social sciences department, not the arts, Ormond says.
“The art teachers do not think it's tenable. There's a couple of reasons for that," Ormond told Culture 101.
“There's not enough time to do the practical arts and a comprehensive, coherent art history curriculum within the visual arts.”
The problem with dropping art history from the curriculum
Teachers and peers in the arts industry have been shocked and upset by the move, she says.
“The other thing is that not all art teachers would want to teach the art history. They don't necessarily have the qualifications that they feel necessary to teach art history.”
Vincent Van Gogh is well-known for his post-impressionist work. Pictured is "Starry Night over the Rhone" 1888, during a press preview for "Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers" exhibition at the National Gallery, in London, on 9 September, 2024.
AFP / Henry Nicholls
Under the change, students risk missing out on the “knowledge-rich learning approach”, she says.
“Art history is so important for understanding the world, so students gain a lot of knowledge about the world's views on things, people's values, religious and cultural beliefs, their philosophies, et cetera.
“Through looking at art, the ideas of the world in the past and the present are illustrated very clearly. It's also very important for the skills it teaches.
“It enables students to interpret artworks and decode the messaging within them. In today's very visual world, we need this more than ever to be able to interpret what we're seeing and being able to be reliable about what we think things mean.
“It's also very important as a subject that enables students to write very well, so it develops their literacy skills as well.”
Art history teachers also traverse architects and their work, such as the Eiffel tower, L’Arc de Triomphe and St Peter's Basilica.
Art history students also learn about iconic pieces of architecture, like St Peter's Basilica (pictured).
Vatican Media / CPP / HANS LUCAS / Hans Lucas via AFP
The Ministry of Education said subjects like Classical Studies could include aspects of art history. For those with a strong passion, the ministry advised they could pursue it further at tertiary level.
Ormond says offering the subject as a standalone at school gives students a chance to see if they want to commit to it, before going to university. She believes it could, therefore, have knock-on effects for tertiary enrolments.
Career opportunities for art historians include museum educators, art gallery educators, curators and art critics. All of them “develop our cultural sense of ourself in New Zealand”, Ormond says.
Ormond says they do study more contemporary works too, like that of Andy Warhol. (Pictured: Members of gallery staff study two prints from US artist Andy Warhol, "Portrait of Princess Diana" (L), 1982 and "Portrait of Prince Charles" (R), 1982 during the photocall at the Phillips auction house, in central London, on 4 October, 2024.)
AFP / Henry Nicholls
The ministry said there would be a chance for teachers and kaiako to develop the draft curriculum and resources and provide targeted feedback.
Ormond says, while they believe the subject is already “future focused”, they would be happy to explore ways of incorporating elements “that go beyond the traditional fine arts”, like AI.
“We would want to look at the possibility of it still being a standalone subject, because we think that's the best for students and the future of art in New Zealand.”
In a statement, Education Minister Erica Standford says art history is still a valued subject, but "meaningful participation" was low.
"In 2024, only 322 Year 12 students and 675 Year 13 students gained 14 or more credits, the benchmark for meaningful participation in a subject."
She says art history will now be part of other visual art subjects, and is still available at university.
"The refreshed curriculum is focused on providing students with future-focused, purposeful pathways and opportunities for specialisation, particularly recognising the importance of STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, while still offering pathways in the arts."
