Does art have any use or real purpose in today’s society? Why do governments around the world spend millions on art education? Rejecting the vogue for social and cultural accounts of the nature of art-making, this book is largely psychological in its approach to discussing art-making and its place in education.
The ‘we’ in the title is intentionally polemical, with the author claiming a universal, i.e. pan-cultural basis for ‘art’-making activities - or rather activities which can be described as ‘creating aesthetic significance’. Developmental issues in art education are examined, together with the nature of learning in art, with reference to concept acquisition.
Section two of the four sections which comprise the book, focuses upon some ‘mini case-studies’, detailing conversations with people talking about their art-making, together with some autobiographical reflections. Section three then considers the issues in art and learning which can be gleaned from various respondents’ accounts of their making activities; these include the nature of the artistic personality and the role of art in self-identity and self-esteem. Other topics touched upon include imagination, expression and creativity. The concluding section examines the notion of creating aesthetic significance as a fundamental human urge, drawing upon work done in evolutionary psychology.
Whilst questioning whether schools as they are currently conceived are the best places for teaching and learning anything, an art curriculum based upon the acquisition of ‘threshold skills’, such as drawing, together with a gradual introduction to the appreciation of visual form is advocated. Declaring that schools of the early twenty-first century will soon be seen as as dated as the Victorian workhouse, the successful art room, with a learner-centred rather than discipline-centred philosophy is put forward as a model for schools and schooling.
The ‘we’ in the title is intentionally polemical, with the author claiming a universal, i.e. pan-cultural basis for ‘art’-making activities - or rather activities which can be described as ‘creating aesthetic significance’. Developmental issues in art education are examined, together with the nature of learning in art, with reference to concept acquisition.
Section two of the four sections which comprise the book, focuses upon some ‘mini case-studies’, detailing conversations with people talking about their art-making, together with some autobiographical reflections. Section three then considers the issues in art and learning which can be gleaned from various respondents’ accounts of their making activities; these include the nature of the artistic personality and the role of art in self-identity and self-esteem. Other topics touched upon include imagination, expression and creativity. The concluding section examines the notion of creating aesthetic significance as a fundamental human urge, drawing upon work done in evolutionary psychology.
Whilst questioning whether schools as they are currently conceived are the best places for teaching and learning anything, an art curriculum based upon the acquisition of ‘threshold skills’, such as drawing, together with a gradual introduction to the appreciation of visual form is advocated. Declaring that schools of the early twenty-first century will soon be seen as as dated as the Victorian workhouse, the successful art room, with a learner-centred rather than discipline-centred philosophy is put forward as a model for schools and schooling.
Customer Review: Academic rationalists ignore the creative at their (and our) cost.
Sight unseen I was dubious that this book could help to qualify and quantify what I'd always believed about the importance of art education. I was pleased and invigorated by the relevance of the content, especially the allusion to a biological imperative and a recognition of Eisner's insightful belief about the danger of simplifying all aspects of visual learning into measurable, assessable and therefore falsely ascribed valuations. This book should be compulsory reading for all aspiring and dormant art educators, with the academic rationalists wailing on the gates of creativity there cannot be a better time to stand up for the absolutely essential promotion of visual literacy and artmaking in all curricula.
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