African American artists have participated in every major art style and movement since before the founding of this nation. However, until recent decades, this "grand epic" had been marginalized within the traditional survey canon of American art. Art historians have undertaken considerable scholarship (Bearden & Henderson, 1993;…

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…

Studying images of families in works of art and in snapshots is compelling, and the author wondered if looking at both types of images side by side might help students understand both kinds of images more fully. Snapshots often prompt detailed and vivid stories among family members and friends. Therefore, she wondered if dialogue about snapshots…

The consequence of narratives becoming stagnant or controlled is that they become a Master Narrative. The Master Narrative is an "ideological script that is being imposed by the people in authority on everybody else: The Master Fiction... history" (Moyers, 1990, para. 4). Master Narratives use myths and ideologies to sustain a sanitized version of…

Collecting and placing images/objects of inspiration and personal significance is not an uncommon practice for studio artists. Washington based mixed-media/installation artist Renee Stout draws from the collections she displays in her studio and in her home. She is an avid collector of various objects, including vintage perfumes, West African…

In this article, the author takes a look back at several scholars of the 1960s (Vincent Lanier, June King McFee, and Corita Kent) and their contributions to the discussion of visual culture in art education. He asserts that, though these scholars were not successful in implementing changes within their own time, their ideas provide powerful…

Offers an art lesson for grades K-3 based on an early 19th century sculpture of the head of a Benin Queen. Presents background on the relevance of Queen Mother's position in Benin culture. Discusses importance of regalia and scarification associated with Benin heads. Includes suggestions for classroom activities. (BR)

Lowenfeld enjoined teachers never to permit children to copy art works because children's art was such a crucial part of the self. Yet by rejecting all copying, one can place too great a value on novelty and miss the essence of Lowenfeld's emphasis on the individual child's experience. (IS)

Contradictions in the literature abound concerning Franz Cizek's role in fostering creative art. Researchers should turn to student recollections to determine what Franz Cizek's contribution to art education really was. A former Cizek student who today is prominent in design work is interviewed. (RM)

A review of reports, a survey, and national assessments of art education shows that visual art students are not learning art knowledge and skills because art teachers do not teach art appreciation, art history, or design and drawing skills. Priorities concerning art education content and teaching methods must be changed. (RM)

Discusses the contents of typical art education learning packages. Those of the Central Midwestern Regional Laboratories (CEMREL) are designed to heighten student involvement through use of media. Other packages focus on art history, art appreciation, and arts and crafts activity. A package has also been developed for special education students.…

Provides six lesson outlines to help teachers motivate high school students to discuss basic questions about the meaning and function of art, aesthetic responses cultural context, and artistic skill. Illustrates artwork from the Museum of Modern Art by Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Meret Oppenheim. (KM)

Outlines an issue-centered approach to teaching aesthetics, where students identify and analyze possible solutions before learning an aesthetician's viewpoint. Suggests that teachers acquire basic aesthetic knowledge but also be willing to accept planned uncertainty as an educational principle. Presents a fictional art forgery scenario to…

Shows how learning, in an art appreciation class, can be more meaningful and lasting by emphasizing expressive outcomes that develop during class and reflect students' life experiences. Explains how teachers can take advantage of students' spontaneously generated questions. Provides four examples from an undergraduate class that can be applied at…