Abstract

At the time of this study, there was very little literature dealing with the implications of Philippine art education under the nationalistic Makabayan Curriculum. Although it was meant to be nationalistic on paper (Bernardo & Mendoza, 2009), how were art classes implemented under this curriculum and how did it impact its former learners- whether they are now professional artists, art teachers, or laymen? Using case study as research approach (Stake, 1995; Crewell, 2013) and a mixed methodology of survey and interviews, the following research aims to address such questions to better understand how schools can structure their art curricula to better serve students going into tertiary art programs or artistic professions. The survey covers a broad population and investigates Philippine Nationalistic Art Education on a macro scale through the lens of Elliot Eisner’s Classification of Three Curricula (1985) and Allan Glatthorn’s Learned Curriculum (1987). Meanwhile, the interview with artist-teachers presents Philippine art education on a micro-level, through them, I have identified three pairs of emergent themes: Mimesis vs. Authenticity, Superficiality vs. Depth, and Past vs. Future. Finally, I shall be synthesizing these themes with the interview results and the artist-teachers’ perspectives, to discern what an ideal art education should look like in this era of ever-increasing professional opportunities for artists, thanks to greater internet accessibility and globalization.