| This study examines cognitive decision-making in the artistic process for the purpose of enhancing art production and instruction. Although diverse approaches to art education exist, a review of the literature reveals that none emphasize the inherently cognitive aspects of art production and instead focus on evaluation after the fact rather than during the process of engagement. A cognitive approach to artistic process benefits artists, art instructors, and art learners of all levels by providing an alternative, and perhaps, more rigorous approach to art education.; The philosophy of L. S. Vygotsky, used more often by other disciplines, is applied to this investigation of artistic process. His cognitive theory informs every aspect of this study from its original concept and philosophical orientation to the analysis of the data and conceptual framework. The aspects of Vygotsky's theory most pertinent to this paper are inner speech, scaffolding, the zone of proximal development, and the cognitive dimensions of the imagination. The Reggio Emilia program, and the work of Howard Gardner, Vera John-Steiner, and Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi are examined for their relevance to a cognitive approach to art education.; A series of intensive, in-depth interviews with three working artists, chosen for their shared ability to examine and articulate their artistic process, provide the basis of this study. The conversations, focused on the artists' descriptions and explanations of their approach to art production, demonstrate that they use a wide variety of experiences and prior knowledge in conjunction with aspects of their artistic process for the purpose of self-instruction to progress in their work. This study presents evidence for a cognitive approach to art production and instruction, one that can be put to use by art educators. |
