Despite recent research by regional historians, Appalachian museums continue to collect and exhibit artifacts that conform to a century-old "canon" romanticizing pioneer life. Within this framework, Appalachian craft objects are considered low-status compared to the material culture of colonial elites exhibited in major urban museums.…

Paintings can fulfill many different pedagogical purposes. They can illuminate and bring to life historical events and characters. Paintings and other images can also make students aware of a point of view (the artist's commentary), which enriches and modifies the history they find in books and documents. This article provides examples of teaching…

This article describes the foundations, development and some of the findings from a research project about how the use of the gaze, as a key idea from critical art history, might affect the understanding of art by art educators. It shows how the use of this key idea involved not just the disruption of a modernist model of art interpretation (based…

The art education literature has recently given a good deal of attention to the topic of Visual Culture in Art Education (VCAE). VCAE appears to some art educators as the next new emphasis in art education following Discipline-Based Art Education. At least four recent theme issues of Art Education have addressed the topic in various ways. All of…

This exploratory case study investigates pedagogical strategies meant to encourage secondary level students to think critically about their perceptions and use of the Internet. This process included guiding them in analyzing works of Internet art and introducing them to web authoring in order to create works of art that could be viewed on a web…

In this article, the author presents two quotations from Walter Pater which suggest a provoking and demanding recipe by which to live one's aesthetic life and point out where all aesthetic education must begin. The author also exemplifies Walter Pater's ideas through two works by the painter James McNeill Whistler and the poet Algernon Swinburne…

This book presents the experiential approach as a method for teaching art history. Through this approach, which may be used with any student age group, art historical problems are explored through self-expressive art production and experienced events. Yet, the focus remains on the art object rather than the student. The approach encourages:…

This study (N=103) sought to determine if there was a statistically significant difference between the art criticism abilities of an experimental group of preservice elementary teachers who had received supplemental instruction in visually analyzing works of art and the art criticism abilities of a control group who had not received the…

This paper describes postmodern theory as a paradigm composed of concepts and ideas. It does not describe postmodern theory as if it were developed logically from a simple premise, because it was not, nor can the postmodern paradigm be described in neat, concise terms. The paper presents a review and explication of postmodernism's theoretical…

In general, children between the ages of four and eight criticize works of art based on their subject matter, color, pattern, or related combinations of these criteria. Between the ages of 8 and 11 children begin to notice their feelings, the artist's ability, and the expressive qualities of a picture. After the age of 11 children become…

Focuses on making the distinction between aesthetics and pragmatics within the realm of design education, particularly architecture. States that aesthetics is typically associated with beauty, while pragmatics is a way to demonstrate that a frank approach has been utilized. (CMK)

Examines the influence of novelty of pose and facial expressions on college students determination of a photograph's artistic merit. Moderate novelty of poses and positive facial expressions received the greatest endorsement. However, some deviation occurred between considerations of artistic and photographic merit. (MJP)

Describes the 1991 "West as America" exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American Art, which sought to expose the complicity of art in maintaining a glorious national history while ignoring the dark side. Discusses the consequent controversies and the role of the museum as temple versus forum. (SV)

Relates the Pueblo myth of the Water Jar Boy. Examines a petroglyph created during the period 1350-1680 at the long deserted La Cienaga Pueblo, and interprets this petroglyph in terms of metaphors used in the Pueblo myth. Contains 18 references. (SV)

Argues that in an art world dominated by critical theory the contribution of painting to society and education is not firmly established. Reviews challenges from critical theory to painting and constructs an alternative relationship between them. Articulates how concepts in critical theory are informed and extended by painting. (DSK)