Increased attention to the importance of the arts in general education demands that we carefully define what we mean by "art" when we argue that it should be included in the school curriculum. Education in the arts has traditionally meant education in the making of art, but while only a few students will go on to produce artistically in…

Aesthetic value enhances personal and professional lives and contributes to people's environment. If one defines the aesthetic sense as the faculty that enables one to modify the quality of his or her environment, then it follows that aesthetic education should be a means to achieve this end. In order for that to happen, there must be changes both…

The historical process by which the modern art museum has come into being is explored, and how the art museum has established itself as an instrument of culture and a primary agency in the task of aesthetic education is discussed. (RM)

There is no natural or genetically determined talent for aesthetic appreciation, but at most a widely distributed capacity that, fortified by interest, can be developed. The aesthetic experience should be cultivated but for its own sake. (RM)

Defines cultural literacy, relating it to verbal and musical literacy. Discusses how reading with comprehension compares to listening to music. Describes what musically literate people know, and the level of their knowledge. Maintains that to attain musical literacy one needs to know some cultural data but primarily one needs to listen to music.…

Historical background concerning the nature and function of museums is provided, and the aesthetic functions of museums are discussed. The first major aesthetic function of museums is to preserve the artistic heritage of mankind and to make it widely available. The second major function is patronage. (RM)

The value of "shibusa," a concept of Japanese aesthetics, is explored for Canadian educators confronted with a "high tech" society. The qualities of shibusa--simplicity, implicitness, modesty, silence, naturalness, roughness, and normalcy--have many implications for the Canadian educator. (SLD)

Finds only a very limited research basis for claims about the effects of art experience on academic achievement. Identifies three levels to which arts education contributes: arts-based, arts-related, and ancillary outcomes of art education. Discusses four contributions arts education makes to the arts and to life beyond them. (SR)

Describes activities stimulated by in-school professional artists: writers, painters, folksingers, and so on. (KS)

Speculates on the reasons for declining interest in the arts and asserts that, for educators, the goal of developing students' sensory and psychic strength is not just an abstract ideal. (KS)

Disputes the argument that aesthetic education is important because it contributes to learning the three Rs, and argues that aesthetic education should be considered a fourth R because aesthetic response is "a primary form of experience on which all cognition, judgment, and action depend." (Author/JG)

Presents responses to the policy recommendations issued by the National Endowment for the Arts in "Toward Civilization: A Report on Arts Education." Samuel Hope places this report in an historical context, Kevin Mulcahy points out the dangers of viewing art education as a pedagogical frill, and James Hutchens addresses issues of…

The part the artistic-aesthetic might play in contemporary curriculum would be providing opportunities for the seizing of a range of meanings by persons open to the world. (Author/MLF)

Describes elements in the Philosophy for Children program that have relevance for aesthetic education. Outlines some of the main philosophical themes associated with aesthetic education. Discusses both materials and methods, paying particular attention to the text "Suki." Reviews ways in which the program holds students' attention and…

The cultivation of a community environment that attracts the creative worker requires technology, talent, and tolerance. The creative knowledge worker seeks a community not only with technological resources, often including a research university at its hub, but also the presence of arts, culture, and diversity. The Social Impact of the Arts study…