The purpose of this in-progress study is to try to find commonalities between visual proficiency and artistic performance. In order to assess visual proficiency, a test of spatial ability is being developed and pilot tested. Student performance on the test will be recorded and examined in relation to two traditional measures of student art performance: teacher assessment of ability (anecdotal and report card) and through administration of Clark's Drawing Abilities Test. This assessment tool is related to two arenas of professional interest. The first is the examination of the active operations of visual thinking by a variety of examples from psychological tests. The second is the difficulty in the identification of visually gifted children by classroom teachers without art training. The development and pilot testing of the new assessment tool, the tasks of which are revisions of Seymour's "Visual Thinking" activities, is outlined; and 13 visual abilities assessed through the test tasks are listed. Spatial visualization and spatial orientation are defined, and an overview is given of the assessment of children's spatial abilities. In summary, it is noted that the test being developed is not intended as a stand-alone assessment of visual abilities or proficiency, but rather a means of providing a single focused view to be considered in relation to other assessments. (Contains 16 references.) (MAS)