Below are the Ohio Visual Arts Standards. The Ohio Department of Education completed their adoption of these standards in 2004. This course focuses on the visual arts of Non-Western civilizations - Africa, India, China, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Japan, Oceania, Native North America and Native South America. This course addresses standards one (1, 2), three (1, 2), four (1-3) and five (1, 3).

Content Standard One: Historical, Cultural and Social Contexts

Benchmarks: By the end of grades 9 - 12 program, students will:
1. Explain how and why visual art forms develop in the context (e.g., cultural, social, historical, and political) in which they were made.
2. Compare works of art to one another in terms of the historical, cultural, social and political influences evident in the works.
3. Explain ways in which selected, contemporary works of art relate to the themes, issues and events of their contexts.
4. Select a culture and create an original work of art that demonstrates understanding of a historical, social or political issue of the culture.

Content Standard Two: Creative Expression and Communication

Benchmarks: By the end of grades 9 - 12 program, students will:
1. Demonstrate mastery of materials, concepts and personal concentration when creating original artworks.
2. Create expressive artworks that demonstrate a sense of purpose and understanding of the relationship among form, materials, techniques and subject matter.
3. Engage in ongoing assessment to revise and improve artworks and to produce a portfolio of work.

Content Standard Three: Analyzing and Responding

Benchmarks: By the end of grades 9 - 12 program, students will:
1. Apply the knowledge and skills of art criticism to conduct in-depth analyzes of works of art.
2. Explain how form, subject matter and context contribute to meanings in works of art.
3. Critique their own work, the works of peers and other artists on the basis of the formal, technical and expressive aspects in the works.

Content Standards Four: Valuing the Arts/Aesthetic Reflection

Benchmarks: By the end of grades 9 - 12 program, students will:
1. Communicate how an aesthetic point of view contributes to the ideas, emotions and overall impact of personal artworks and the works of others.
2. Identify and analyze a variety of viewpoints on aesthetic issues and themes in visual arts and develop a personal point of view.
3. Judge the merit of selected artworks and provide the aesthetic basis for their positions.

Content Standard Five: Connections, Relationships and Applications

Benchmarks: By the end of grades 9 - 12 program, students will:
1. Summarize and explain the impact of a historical event or movement (e.g., realism, feminism, modernism or postmodernism) on the development of visual art.
2. Formulate and solve visual problems using strategies and perspectives from other disciplines.
3. List and explain opportunities for lifelong involvement in the visual arts.