What ACARA "forgot": Opening up the space for a conceptual framework for Visual Arts in the Australian Curriculum

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority promised that a national arts curriculum would enhance learning entitlements in dance, drama, media arts, music and visual arts for Australian students. Visual arts educators have argued that the content proposed in the draft curriculum lacks conceptual coherence. Using an evaluation model by Clark and Zimmerman, the article examines the alignment of concepts and theoretical orientations in draft proposals for visual arts. The evaluation, together with empirical support drawn from selected research on conceptual development in visual arts, provides a rationale for justifying visual arts as a domain of study. It contend that a conceptual framework aligned with appropriate theoretical orientations should be adopted to improve the quality of the proposed curriculum.