Teaching Visual Culture

Global culture is rapidly shifting from text-based communication to image saturation. Visual culture is everywhere: on television, in museums, in magazines, in movie theaters, on billboards, on the internet, and in shopping malls. As a result, learning about the complexities of visual culture is becoming ever more critical to human development. This is the first book to focus on teaching visual culture. The author provides the theoretical basis on which to develop a curriculum that lays the groundwork for postmodern art education (K–12 and higher education).

Drawing on social, cognitive, and curricular theory foundations, Freedman offers a conceptual framework for teaching the visual arts from a cultural standpoint. Chapters discuss: visual culture in a democracy; aesthetics in curriculum; philosophical and historical considerations; recent changes in the field of art history; connections between art, student development, and cognition; interpretation of art inside and outside of school; the role of fine arts in curriculum; technology and teaching; television as the national curriculum; student artistic production and assessment; and much more.

Kerry Freedman is a Professor of Art and Education at Northern Illinois University (NIU). A teacher for over twenty-five years, she has taught art at all levels and has published extensively on art, education, and technology.

“A compelling synthesis of scholarship from a variety of fields….This book successfully blends theory with provocative arts education applications.”
—Doug Blandy, Director, Arts and Administration, Institute for Community Arts Studies, University of Oregon

“Insightful and well-researched….This book will spark discussion among art educators, serving as a catalyst for change in theory and practice.”
—Mary Ann Stankiewicz, President, National Art Education Association