The enduring politics of art education: the common European framework of reference for visual literacy − prototype

This article is a discussion that replies to a generous call from European colleagues to evaluate and respond from an Australian perspective, to a new Art1 education framework in the area of visual literacy. This call also asks whether such a framework is relevant to Art education in the Australian context. The initial impression of the framework from an Australian perspective is that it is a useful if not complex attempt to generate a common language and understandings in the domain of visual education across and through the multifarious linguistic and cultural entities that comprise the European continent. This is an ambitious undertaking and a courageous one, given the complexities of the domain of Art education, and one that is embedded in the on-going politics of contemporary education generally and contemporary Art education specifically. The structure of this essay will be to first explain and contextualize the framework as I have viewed it so that the reader is oriented to the discussion. This is followed by a dialogue on its relevance initially and philosophically to Art Education as a domain more generally, and then specifically towards Art education in the Australian context. Finally, I offer some humble comments upon possible further developmental elements of the Common European Framework of Reference for Visual Literacy (CEFR-VL).