Education Commons^™

Commentary: Media, Environment, And Art: A New Agenda For Art Education, Ron Sylva

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

Much has been written about what an education in art should be for. We might think more about what an education in art should be against. We live in a world where objects, environments, ideas, and feelings are manufactured for, and merchandized to, people defined as consumers rather than citizens, spectators rather than participants, and users rather than doers. Despite the proclaimed democratic ideals of education and the celebrated independence of the artist's vision, art education has contributed little to the education of independent minded, informed, and empowered human beings.