Advancing the study of visual art as a vehicle of multidisciplinary knowledge in enabling programs

In order to develop their own creative practice, Visual Art students must gain an awareness of other paradigms which expand and reflect their knowledge of lived experience, both past and present, as well as inform abstract interpretations that express emotional states. Visual Art as an enabling subject trains students to see the wider importance of theoretical analyses, a key pedagogical component of tertiary preparation. Therefore it can be argued that Visual Art provides an important opportunity to combine the aesthetic and practical processes involved in creating art work with deeper theoretical and disciplinary knowledge. The links between Visual Art and other disciplines provides an opportunity to broaden students’ foundational knowledge. An extensive literature review was undertaken to examine these links: firstly to explore literature on any enabling courses or tertiary preparation courses that commented on visual art curriculum and practice; secondly to examine literature that highlighted the interconnections and relevance of taking an interdisciplinary approach to the study of art