Museums have become a crucible for questions of the role that traditional art and art history should play in contemporary art. Friedrich Nietzsche argued in the nineteenth century that museums can be no more than mausoleums for effete (fine) art. Over the course of the twentieth century, however, curators dispelled such blanket pessimism by…

Job security is a relatively new concept in the ancient field of teaching art. Historically artists have created, and been judged on, their own credentials--that is, their art. The master of fine-arts (M.F.A.) degree, often described as a "terminal degree," or the endpoint in an artist's formal education, has long been sufficient for artists…

The Indians of the Great Plains of North America once wore some of the most magnificent works of art in the form of bison robes that were painted in a variety of modes. These forms of expression have become obsolete and their function has been replaced by new materials. (Availability: CHEA National Office, 151 Slater Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1P…

Offers background information on the art form of visual poetry. Suggest that visual poetry occupies an "intermedia" space between linear poetry and the visual arts. (RS)

Presents an informal discussion with composer John Cage which includes his response to George Maciunas' work, his recollections of Marcel Duchamp, the complex relationship between inelegant material and revealing works of art, neo-Dada and neo-Fluxus, Wittgenstein and the artist's ultimate responsibility to initiate a change in the viewer or…

Artemis is a late Hellenistic Greek marble sculpture of the huntress, running in a flowing garment, now lacking arms, legs, and head, and about three-quarters life-sized. The llama is a remarkable hollow male figure of smooth thin gold, and about two inches tall, and was made by the Inca before the Spanish conquest in 1532. This narrative is just…

Presents a discussion of visual poetry in Brazil and 14 examples of visual poetry. Includes 11 selected resources arranged by date and brief biographies of the 14 visual poets. (RS)

Presents a discussion of the history of visual poetry in Cuba and nine examples of visual poetry. (RS)

Presents a discussion of visual poetry in Italy and eight examples of visual poetry. Includes 18 selected resources arranged by date. (RS)

Presents a discussion of visual poetry in Portugal and 18 examples of visual poetry. Includes 24 selected resources and brief biographies of five Portuguese visual poets. (RS)

Presents a discussion of visual poetry in Uruguay and eight examples of visual poetry. Includes 27 selected resources and brief biographies of 9 Uruguayan visual poets. (RS)

Presents a discussion of visual poetry in the United States and 10 examples of visual poetry. Includes 10 selected resources. (RS)

A prevailing assumption of Western theorizing about art is that each work of fine art is to be attributed to a single individual, "the artist" who created it. Art education, particularly in art history, reflects this assumption. Despite the "New Art History" of the 1980s that revised and diversified the canon, education in art history remains a…

Examines some problems in teaching art history to students in a fine arts program. Argues that art history should be taught as the history of recurring artistic problems. (Author/RKM)

Is art merely an adjunct to the serious business of life? Is there a secret ingredient that makes some art more worthwhile than other art? Does art have something to offer that makes its pursuit or purchase worthwhile, or is it simply an outlet for spare capital? Does art really matter at all? (Contains 5 figures.)