This article is a personal narrative of a teaching artist reaching out to persons ill, elderly, and their caregivers because of his own experiences with cancer. As a teaching artist, the author serves schools and communities as an art critic, that is, one who facilitates discussions about works of art made by the learners or by established…

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…