Criticizes the traditional approach to art education that emphasizes formal properties such as line, color, and shape. Proposes that teachers develop student abilities to go beyond the visual level of artworks and gain access to the complexity of meanings that art possesses. Includes contemporary art examples and corresponding analyses. (MJP)

Presents a series of lesson plans analyzing four paintings. The lesson plans use discipline-based art-education principles to examine issues of racial, ethnic, social, and gender prejudice. The artists represented are Robert Gwathmey, Thomas Hart Benton, Eastman Johnson, and Jacob Lawrence. Includes color plates and background information. (MJP)

Examines types and functions of useful definitions of art in education. Considers the strengths and limitations of functionalist and proceduralist definitions. Identifies art as a concept operating within a culture; therefore, recommends embracing a variety of definitions to be used in contextually significant ways. (MJP)

Presents three works of art that examine issues of exhibition, display, culture, and access in contemporary museum practices. The works include four black mannequins dressed as security guards, a room-size installation consisting solely of objects related to the artist, and a poster highlighting the general exclusion of women artists. (MJP)

Maintains that the various components of philosophical inquiry (reasoning, forming concepts, translating) can serve as useful methods for art education research. Discusses four approaches to philosophical research: analytic, phenemenological, feminist, and pragmatic. Reviews examples of each drawn from recent art education literature. (MJP)