Negotiating cross-cultural education in the visual arts

This paper looks at the problems posed by a Eurocentric Visual Arts educati on in Australia. It illustrates the cultural circumstances that created an environment sympathetic to move away from an Euro-American cultural emphasi s towards a more Asian centred programme. It describes how the Western Aust ralian School of Visual Arts chose a conceptual model appropriate to the ta sk of re-aligning the objectives and content of the teaching of visual art theory at the School. The debates considered essential to the development o f a course of study appropriate to the evolving of a post-colonial, multi-c ultural Australia are examined. The benefits and problems of the Modernist agenda in Australia are discussed alongside proposals that promote understa nding of cultural difference. The intention is to produce graduates who are aware of the relevance of cross cultural negotiation in contemporary Austr alian art and design practice, and who have a familiarity with current theo retical models of cross cultural negotiation and exchange.