Discipline Based Art Education (DBAE) is by far the most accepted and utilized art curriculum model.It was largely funded and marketed by the Getty Foundation for the Arts in the 1980's, but its roots first surfaced in the 1960's. It arose out of the need for Art to become a stand alone discipline. Traces of DBAE can be found throughout state and national education standards.

DBAE is based on a model for academic disciplines such as math and science. The idea is that students learn best if they assume the role of the particular discipline of study. For example, students studying science should learn science best if they assume the roles of a scientist. Transfer that to the discipline of art, and we have Artists, Art Historians, Art Critics, and Aesthetician. Therefore, we have four components of DBAE; Studio Production, Art History, Art Criticism, and Aesthetics. Each of these components assumes the roles and duties of their respective real world counterpart.

The DBAE curriculum model suggests that art lessons include at least two or three of these components. For example, a DBAE art lesson might begin with a study of an artist (art history), followed by a critique of their artwork (art criticism). Students would then engage in an art making activity based on that artist's use of media, concept, or style. This is only one of many examples of the possibilities of the DBAE model.

For more information on this curriculum module, please visit these links:

The Getty Foundation and North Texas Institute for Educators on the Visual Arts