In this article, the author focuses on the essential practices in guiding student dialogue about works of art. He offers ways to improve the quantity and quality of students' discussions about art, both the art that they make and that of professional artists. The article is informed by research into what philosophers of art and literature have said about critical discourse; by examinations of professional critics' thoughts about criticism and their critical and historical writings about art; and by active engagement of learners of all ages, in preschools and colleges, community groups, and senior-citizen communities. (Contains 14 endnotes.)