Like many disciplines in design and the visual fine arts, critique is a signature pedagogy in the graphic design classroom. It serves as both a formative and summative assessment while also giving students the opportunity to practice the habits of graphic design. Critiques help students become keen observers of relevant disciplinary criteria;…

The curriculum of preprofessional university degree programs in dance typically comprise four components: theory and history, dance technique, creative process, and performance. This article focuses on critique in the modern dance technique and choreography components of the dance curriculum. Bachelor of Fine Arts programs utilize critique as a…

Art criticism was introduced into art education to help students understand works of art. However, art interpretation methods differ according to the educational goals specified for various types of art students. The fine arts interpretation procedures established in education are usually purely theoretical and exclusively verbal, and are thus…

For the last decade Michelle Kamhi has been prominent in her critique of contemporary art education. In her philosophy she positions herself as an essentialist who believes there are essential masterworks that define fine art, and the curriculum in art should teach fine art only. Her definition of fine art focuses on representation in painting and…

A focus on school reform within the field of elementary education has brought an arts-integrated approach to teaching and learning to the forefront. This is not a new approach, as integrating what many call "hands-on activities" in the classroom is quite common. The difference lies in the quality and depth of the approach to teaching and learning,…

Argues that studying professional art critics can provide material for studying art criticism in the classroom. Focuses on the published work of Lawrence Alloway. Describes how his work covered a wide range of artists and movements and how he was politically proactive in promoting underrepresented populations of artists. (KM)

Describes a computer system in which art reproductions are described and entered into a database containing 27 categories of information. Named the Visual Art Index System (VIAS), its underlying structure is influenced by contemporary models of aesthetics and art criticism. Maintains that the database and laserdisk can effect teaching methodology,…

Examines the role of the African American "trickster" archetype and the conceptions of the trickster in folk tales and pop culture. Discusses the trickster in the life and work of Romare Bearden. Provides a rationale for an arts-based integrated curriculum and describes a four-step art criticism technique to integrate Bearden and the…

Describes a game designed to motivate students to conduct art historical research. Required students to find artists who created art in four different ways, realistically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. Students chose ways to take collected data and work cooperatively to create a mural. (KM)