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Our Neighbours’ Understanding Of Art: A Class Field Study, Patricia Stuhr, Jeffrey Leptak

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

Most people believe that taste in art is highly individual, that one person’s opinion is as good as another. However, the literature on art and art education usually reflects the assumptions and values of the established authorities –art critics, historians, and aesthetic philosophers. It is assumed that, "With varying degrees of success, schools and colleges pass on a set of cultural values which reflect the dominant culture of society ... '" Jones, p. 135). Other institutions, such as museums, also promote these values. However, Johnson's study of socialization in art museum tours found that docents and visitors both emphasized the …