Customer Reviews

Art School: (Propositions for the 21st Century)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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Some books should be required reading before attending college. This is one of them. The problems of the artworld are very real, and very dangerous. A vast amount of money is wasted each year by students who think they need to attend an art college, only to find the fire sucked out of them. Became a trained professional in a non-professional field.
The real beauty of this book, so far, is that it discerts how the art world actually functions; not refering by way to financial power, but of the history chase and denial. It explains how, probably mostly because of Duchamp, there is a constant struggle with mentor, how this pushes art forward, and how the predators with money prey upon the artists, who by the way are not innocent. In essay form, this book will make you look differently at art education in general and the art world as a whole. I just started reading it, but know it will be an important manuscript that may push forward a change in art education on all levels.
If you like thick, meaningful discussion that requires educated thought, buy this.

This book is composed of valuable essays from critical thinkers of our century. I recommend it to young artists who are wanting to understand the artworld. This book has every subject in it that should be discussed in classrooms. It holds light in to how art schools prepare students for the art world.Consider it a proffessional seminar...Multiple opinions,and voices.Very Informative.

I have had the chance to read several chapters in this book and I am impressed by the composition of the book alone. I love that the book covers several contemporary issues in art and the teaching of the visual arts. I love several of the conversations that talk about what should and should not be taught in art schools. I like how several artist's give their personal reflections of what effected them as a student of the visual arts and what they have been able to do with that knowledge gained. I feel that sometimes this book got a little bland and boring at parts but over all it was a pretty good read and can be beneficial to those who would like to learn contemporary methods in teaching art.

This book will challenge your idea about what an art school should entail. As an aspiring artist it helped me shape my values in regards to art education. I also came to understand more fully what "art schools" in our day and age are all about and how they came to be that way. The book is broken down into chapters from several different authors/artist. With every page you learn and discover the reality of this amazing career choice. If you consider being an artist or an art educator, this book is a MUST read!

If you are an art educator looking for a description of how different art programs are structured, or how artists approach the teaching of art at the secondary level, this is NOT the book for you. Its mostly criticism about the role of education in Art (capital A).