In this paper, the author asserts that current efforts to transform art education into visual culture studies (VCS) constitute a deeply disturbing educational trend. She asserts that, much like the now largely discredited developments in literary studies of recent decades (whose bankruptcy it apparently ignores), this movement aims quite…

What are the moral limits of artistic license? A strong case can be made for the view that there are none; that in viewing works of art people should resist ethical criticism, and, "a fortiori," resist moral strictures on the artist's inventiveness. This view has recently been defended by Richard Posner, who argues that people should not expect…

Recent research indicates that the taught curriculum in art and design secondary school education pays scant attention to meaning-making in visual art. This article explores possibilities for teaching interpretation through a report on an action-research project based on Tate Modern's Summer Institute for Teachers. In doing so it argues for the…

A method of pedagogical art criticism can be used to examine meaning in one of today's most pervasive forms of visual imagery: the advertising image. It was necessary for the art critical method to accommodate the following components of advertising imagery: (1) history; (2) purpose in a capitalist society; (3) function in society; (4) effects on…

Line, shape, color and texture have always been the universal components of visual expression. Together these elements form a visual language. This packet is designed to be used as part of the Thematic Tour "First Look" offered by the Georgia Department of Education. The material explores some of the ways people use pictorial language;…

This resource, which includes nine colored postcards, offers words and pictures to stimulate classroom discussion of the key issues relating to both the institutions of art and of education. It attempts to challenge and question the current relations of power, hierarchies, and received information in the field of art education. Part 1, "On…

This paper reviews some of the recent research relative to the thoughts and writings of the English art critic, Clive Bell, one of the leaders in British art criticism for the first part of the 20th century. Bell's conception of "art as significant form" is considered with specific reference to the following educators: (1) Roger Fry and…

The "Bulletin of the Caucus on Social Theory and Art Education" is an annual publication, with each issue devoted to a unified theme. The theme of this issue is aesthetic response. The following papers focus on the audience and the persons responding to art: "Attitudes of Three Urban Appalachian Teenagers Toward Selected Early Modern American…

The first step in learning to appreciate art is learning to classify a work according to its primary purpose. The artist creates art for one of three reasons: to recreate the physical world (Imitationalism); to express an idea or feeling (Emotionalism); or to create an interesting design (Formalism). A classified work may then be critiqued by: (1)…

Outlines a methodological approach to developing bibliometric models of the sources used in different types of humanities scholarship. Identifies five types of scholarship: description of primary sources, editing of primary sources, historical studies, criticism, and theory. Illustrates the approach through an analysis of sources used in 54…

Explores a set of principles as a guide to art interpretation in "Criticizing Art: Understanding the Contemporary." States that responding to works of art is a means to interpretation, focuses on personal and communal interpretations, and addresses the issues of multiple interpretations of artworks. Includes references. (CMK)

Identifies and responds to criticisms of discipline-based art education (DBAE). Shows how it is an all-inclusive program that responds to the needs of all students. Analyzes factors that relate to self-esteem and demonstrates how DBAE enhances it. Describes a typical lesson and case studies to support this argument. (KM)

Presents an activity for fifth-grade students that demonstrates how to research works of art from different points of view and that also introduces them to a variety of art careers. Provides a format for researching and writing about a work of art, a list of materials, and instruction for the activity. (CMK)

Discusses a sample puzzle activity called "Thinking Like an Artist" that encourages careful observation of artwork and prompts students to decode the thought processes used by artists. Helps students develop original ideas and strengthens their problem-solving abilities. Provides a list of materials, rules, and the procedure in detail. (CMK)

The history of drama education can be read as a series of arguments over dichotomies: process and product, theatre and classroom, artist and teacher, and so forth. One of the more recent discussions has focused on technology versus live classroom drama. At the heart of these discussions is an attempt to define the aesthetic dimensions of the…