Stanley Fish wrote a column for the "New York Times" entitled "Will the Humanities Save US?" Here, Fish asserted that the humanities can't save humans, and in fact they don't really "do" anything, other than give pleasure to "those who enjoy them." This sustained shrug elicited a blast of energetic and…

This article advocates an approach for teaching critical and contextual studies in secondary art education based on Wittgenstein's philosophy of language in relationship to meaning as use, custom, rule following, and physiognomy. The references to meaning form four metaphorical points on a compass for directing the will for making judgments about…

Shows how the advertisement copy for "collectible art" can be used to develop a definition of art. Suggests that middle and high school students should look at the criteria for art offered in the advertisements. Recommends they analyze the terminology used to convince the lay person that the object is "genuine" art. (LS)

Summarizes the lives and pursuits of four U.S. artists: Winslow Homer, John Frederick Peto, George Bellows, and Joan Mitchell. Explains the concepts apparent in the four works of art and shows how the artists created these works through expressing their perceptions of the world around them. Lists questions for further exploration. (CMK)

Art reflects the ideas, experiences, spirit, and hopes of those who create it. It is through art works that students can see a visual record of how men and women lived and thought throughout history and across cultures. This instructional resource includes 52 transparencies, accompanying teaching strategies, and student worksheets which are…

Compares works selected from the permanent collection of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, an art museum at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada. Provides two sets of painting reproductions, information about the artists, transcripts of the telephone-accessed comments for viewers of each set, additional background information, and suggestions for…

Considers the true value of art by outlining a number of factors that determine the price of a painting including the fame of the artist, the time of the artist's death, and the age of the work. Concludes that students should be encouraged to consider the emotional, aesthetic, and intellectual worth rather than the monetary value. (KM)

This guide presents public sculpture as an effective instructional tool, with the primary emphasis on works contributing to a sense of national or community identity. Sculptures are introduced according to the chronology of persons or events commemorated. The 10 lessons focus on United States history from the Civil War to the present. Unit 1:…

Addresses the issue of the fame of Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa." Describes several kitsch objects that have been created about the painting. Maintains that students need to address this issue otherwise such exploitation will depreciate the value of the art work. (KM)

Murals created by Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros embody a time of change in Mexico. The murals they created were intended to educate an illiterate population. Today these murals embody national pride. The goal of this curriculum project is rooted in learning about the history, culture, and art of Mexico. The project…

Recommends using an activity-based approach to art history similar to that of the "new social studies" movement of the 1960s. Provides suggestions for activities related to art criticism, style, and inductive learning. Concludes that student activities can help integrate art history and studio art in art education programs. (CFR)

Proposes a definition of art criticism and claims that art criticism can never be a neutral activity. Examines reasons and provides examples of value orientations. Suggests a method for criticizing art in an educational context. (CFR)

Defines aesthetics when framed as critical inquiry as the process of teaching students to use critical strategies of professional philosophers to develop aesthetic content. Addresses four major aesthetic issues: meaning and value in art, how to discuss art, aesthetic experience, and beauty. Presents a sequence of critical-inquiry activities. (CMK)

Focuses on a way of teaching that explores the connection between historical and cultural content in works of art, linking the present and past through reCognizing (understanding a previously known thing differently or viewing an unknown thing in multiple ways). Provides an example of reCognition using the Kwanzaa Playground in Columbus (Ohio).…

Investigates whether employing the philosophical inquiry approach specifically in the aesthetics and art criticism component of the visual arts curriculum was beneficial to teacher effectiveness and student understandings. Describes the methodology and data analysis and an intervention program that aimed to assist teachers to engage in…