Talent and Creativity
As I watch my students at work, I wonder about similarities and differences among those who demonstrate artistic talent and their peers who exhibit creative thinking. Some children, through disposition and perseverance, become highly skilled at certain types of visual representation. For example, I have talented students who can sculpt exquisite wildlife in clay or draw detailed cityscapes in perspective. (For purposes of comparison, I will use the term “talented” here although, in general, I prefer to identify these students as having exceptional skill ability.) Creative children are identified as those who are extremely inquisitive about ideas that captivate their attention. These learners think deeply about the idea, explore it through artmaking and may defer for a time, only to return to the same idea later, with purpose and intent.
Are talented students also creative? Possibly; these categories are not mutually exclusive. However, I’m not convinced that all talented art students are creative thinkers. Renzulli (2000, p. 97) speaks of “schoolhouse giftedness” as “the abilities people display on IQ and aptitude tests [that] are exactly the kinds of abilities most valued in traditional school learning situations.” Perhaps there is also an artroom giftedness. Students with talent will shine when they are assigned an art project that falls within their skill sets. But there is no guarantee that they will be problem finders, divergent thinkers, collaborators, or risk failure by testing a new art material or technique.
Zimmerman (2009, p. 394) cautions: “In the past, creativity and art talent often were viewed as being synonymous. Recent studies have demonstrated that traits associated with creativity are not necessarily those associated with art talent. More research is needed to determine if and how exceptionally creative art students differ from those who are considered talented in art and what implications this may have for art teaching and learning.” Relevant research about creativity and talent in the school setting will be very useful as our districts direct us to teach 21st century skills, including creative and critical thinking.
Diane Jaquith
Burr Elementary School
Newton, MA
didij@aol.com
References
Renzulli, J.S. (2000). The identification and development of giftedness as a paradigm for school reform. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 9(2), 95-114.
Zimmerman, E. (2009). Reconceptualizing the role of creativity in art education theory and practice. Studies in Art Education, 50(4), 382-399.
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