Identifying Exemplary Criteria to Evaluate Studio Products in Art Education

Assessments have become commonplace in every art program in the country. They depend on guidelines often called "criteria," which is described as "characteristics of something by which its quality can be judged or a decision about it [the quality of the object] can be made." Art teachers routinely struggle to identify criteria that capture the essence of what they teach and what students' artwork attempts to accomplish. Exemplary criteria must be compatible with the goals of production activities and need to encompass a wide range of the creative and technical aspects of art making. The question of whether common criteria exist in the field for evaluating studio products raises others, including what criteria do art teachers, students, and artists use to evaluate their artwork? Are there similar or different criteria chosen by each of these groups? Why are there differences? To answer these questions, three studies were conducted as part of the Assessment Training Institutes (ATI) project funded by The National Endowment for the Arts. This article examines criteria identified by art teachers, art students, and artists in evaluating their work. (Contains 5 tables.)