Why Process Art?

“Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.”
-Dr. Maria Montessori

Upon entering the Bixby Preschool classroom environment, it is likely that you will observe children engaged with various materials; exploring and creating a multitude of experiences of their own. One place you will see this is with art. And more specifically, process art. In a short description, process art is defined as how it was created, not the what was created. There are no expectations, nor any determined outcome.

Why process art?

Endless opportunities to create! What a wonderful thing! Art is about your own view, your individual experiences, and letting your imagination take you to amazing places. When children are presented with an open-ended opportunity and a variety of materials to touch and explore, they can do just that. They can create something that is one of a kind; the experience belongs to them.

Process art also provides children with an opportunity to learn about all the wonders of art. How colors mix, what happens to the paint when they move the brush this way and that, how clay feels when it dries to their hands, and more. This is cause and effect, as well as meaningful and hands-on learning.

What does process art look like?

In observing children who are engaged in process art, it is likely that you will see an abundance of things happening. It may be messy, or it may not. The children may be laughing and jumping, or they may be still and in deep concentration. There may be two materials, or there may be ten. The possibilities are plentiful!

Here is a glimpse of process art, right here in the Bixby Preschool classroom…

Marble Painting