The Mythology of Art Education

Abstract

There are seven myths that seem to pervade a good deal of thought about art education. In this paper I will try to identify each of these seven myths, try to state the rationale for each as forcefully and as clearly as I can, and proceed to examine it critically. Then I will indicate what I think the rejection of each myth implies for educational practice in the field of art education. In examining these myths, indeed even in identifying them, I am of course employing my own values and beliefs concerning art education. These values and beliefs, too, are susceptible to examination. It is through tough-minded analysis of existing beliefs, including one's own, that we can become clearer about what we are up to professionally.