A History of Art Education: Intellectual and Social Currents in Teaching the Visual Arts

by Arthur D. Efland

Is art education a frill, or an indispensable part of the curriculum? Debate on the place of the arts in American life has refocused attention on art education in the schools. In A History of Art Education: Intellectual and Social Currents in Teaching the Visual Arts , Arthur Efland puts current debate and concerns in a well-researched historical perspective. “The ways the visual arts are taught today,” says Efland, “were conditioned by the beliefs and values regarding art held by those who advocated its teaching in the past.” In this book the author examines the institutional settings of art education throughout Western history, the social forces that have shaped it, and the evolution and impact of alternate streams of influence on present practice. A History of Art Education is the first book to treat the visual arts in relation to developments in general education. Particular emphasis is placed on the 19th and 20th centuries and on the social context that has affected our concept of art today. This book will be useful as a main text in history of art education courses, as a supplemental text in courses in art education methods and history of education, and as a valuable resource for students, professors, and researchers.

320 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1989

Reviews

[D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

You mean that the history of the world (Western...well, okay mostly American....) can be summarized by telling a history revolving around art education? Interesting. Too bad it stops at 1989...

[Peaches · Rating 3 out of 5]

An impressive undertaking going from Greek civilization to art programs within k-12 and higher ed. institutions...at least until the 80s. It wasn't necessarily a lot of what I needed for my own research, but brought up points about art that I had never been exposed to (I'm a doc. student in education, not art) such as how/why art transformed as reactions to major events such as wars (maybe everyone else knows this and I'm just unaware?) and how/why including the arts shifted in schools. Sadly, in 2019, I still think the same debates over whether to include art activities based on expression rather than skill are still taking place, which prevents more arts within curriculum.
Side note: I can't believe there was actually a "Drawing Act of 1870" in Massachusetts that basically tried to impose drawing as a skill on all students!

[Tali · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh Efland…he really did try to write a comprehensive history of art education. But unfortunately he failed in my opinion because his perspective was extremely Eurocentric and he didn’t take into account contexts such as racial discrimination, segregation, and gender inequality which had major effects on art education throughout history. This book is a good (if very boring) starting point if you want an introduction to Art Ed History, but I highly recommend checking out Spring’s historical text for a more comprehensive, diverse, and inclusive view on historical art education developments.

[Antonina Korepanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book describes the bumpy ride of art education over the last 2000 years - with valuable insights into ancient Greek culture and education system of the time. The second half of the book is US-centered, but it's not a downside.

[Ersoy Yılmaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good source...

[Laura Scherbing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been getting my Masters in art education and this was a very helpful book.

[Amanda Johnson Caucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough but very dry. History of art education from its European inception to modern uses.