Art Appreciation is often a course that undergraduate students take to meet their general education requirements. However, many students have little interest or value of art due to a lack of previous art experiences and often choose the course because they feel it will be relatively easy. This qualitative, naturalistic inquiry focused on students'…

In this article, the author examines how art educators can create narrators of art history rather than those who ascribe truth to the opinion of a few. She presents a series of tangible classroom activities that will potentially help art history become meaningful to students' lives. The author states that students have a right to access art…

What does an introduction to and engagement in performance art offer K-12 students? In this article, we respond to this question by proposing a lesson inspired by the artmaking practices of the contemporary artist Erwin Wurm. Performance art can be defined as any form of work that combines the artist's body and a live-action event with or…

"Art and Social Justice Education" offers inspiration and tools for educators to craft critical, meaningful, and transformative arts education curriculum and arts integration projects. The images, descriptive texts, essays, and resources are grounded within a clear social justice framework and linked to ideas about culture as commons. Essays and a…

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,…

Matisse's use of bright colors and strong pattern is an instant motivator for elementary students. He effectively balances colors and simple shapes. This lesson, designed for 3rd graders, is an example of how art studio experiences for young students can draw upon art history. Sections include: (1) Discovering Patterns; (2) Planning Special…

Last year, a school embarked on a school-wide project that would take all of their students, kindergarten through-sixth grade, through a tangible art timeline. The result was a passageway--over seventy-five feet in length--that revealed the history of art, from cave painting to modern-day graffiti art. The "walk through time" was inspired by how…

How would you like to put some "Pow!" into your art instruction? A lesson in comic books--history, design, story, and production--can make your classes come alive. The authors present a new approach to using comics to build artistic skills and involve students in art appreciation. Why Comics? Many art teachers have students who say, "I hate art!"…

In the art lesson described in this article, students explore the arts of architecture, design, painting, and sculpture within four time periods: early colonial (1500-1700), late colonial (1700-1776), the quest for independence (1776-1860), and industrialization and growth (1860-1900). Through class discussion, readings, and slide presentations,…

The four content areas of discipline based art education (aesthetics, art criticism, art history, and art production) should be addressed in every art education unit planned and taught to students. All four content areas are addressed in the process of formal art criticism therefore every unit/lesson that utilizes a formal art criticism also…

The document contains suggestions for developing a goal-based instructional program in art for grades k-12. It was designed as a model for curriculum development committees and classroom teachers by the Oregon State Department of Education. It is presented in five parts and nine appendices. Part one introduces the program. Part two discusses…

Describes origins of the constructed relief and shows some examples of contemporary artists' work. Suggests using this history to motivate students to construct their own reliefs. Outlines a four-step lesson: preliminary drawing, finished drawing, mock-up relief, and finished construction using durable materials, such as wood, acrylic sheet, or…

Reviews Natalie Robinson Cole's contribution to the field of art education by contrasting her philosophies with those of other art educators. Compares her teaching style with Viennese art educator, Franz Cizek. Concludes that Cole's life and work can be examined within as many frames for understanding as can be devised. (KM)

The collected papers from three conferences about art education are documented in three volumes. The first conference addressed art education, aesthetics, and art criticism. Eighteen scholars representing classroom teachers, museum educators, and university faculty were invited to prepare papers on the general topic of aesthetics and art criticism…

This guide is designed to help teachers develop sequential and creative art education programs in elementary and secondary classrooms. Specific goals focus on enabling students to perceive, describe, and respond to the aesthetic qualities of the natural and man-made environment; to analyze, judge and value works of art; to acquire a knowledge of…