(Re)Thinking "Art"

(Re)Thinking "Art": A Guide for Beginners is a primer that considers the term "art," what it means and why it matters. Rather than being about any particular sort of art —visual or otherwise— the book addresses the idea of "art" in all, in all its messy complexity, and offers meaningful access to the vast array of human products to which it refers.

• Written by an award-winning teacher as a response to students’ ongoing challenge, "What is 'art', anyway, and why should I care?"
• Aims to bring readers into a meaningful relationship with art and teaches them to think critically and creatively about it - and by extension, about anything else
• Provides an ideal introduction to the field for students and anyone interested in art today
• Offers a jargon-free, common-sense basis from which to approach the theories that dominate the art world today, for readers who may wish to pursue them further

List of Illustrations.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

Introduction: What’s The Big Idea?.

1. Being Human.

2. The History of 'Art'.

3. The 'History of Art'.

4. 'Art,' Lately.

5. 'Art' and Language.

6. (Re)Thinking 'Art'.

7. Pragmatics.

8. Or, Maybe . ..

Bibliography.

Index.

"(Re)Thinking 'Art' is a wonderful little book, mostly accessible and often funny, that offers a way forward to critical thinking about art. I would recommend it without hesitation for lower-level undergraduate courses." (Teachers College Record, December 2008)

"In-depth examination of art told in plain, lively language ... [which] will allow seasoned art thinkers to reevaluate and, hopefully, reaffirm their love of art." (Art Blog by Bob)

Steve Shipps is Associate Professor in the Department of Visual and Media Studies at Emerson College. He is an arts educator concerned primarily with the nature and history of "art" as a Western cultural institution. An award-winning teacher, he has been a Fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities and of the Getty Center for Education in the Arts. How does this term "art" work, and why does it matter? Written by an award-winning teacher as a response to the challenge increasingly voiced by many of his students, "What is 'art,' anyway, and why should I care?" this book is a welcome response that aims to bring readers into meaningful relationships with art. In the process, it teaches them to think, both critically and creatively, not only about "art" but about anything at all.

(Re)Thinking "Art": A Guide for Beginners is a wonderful read for both students and all those would-be art mavens who find themselves wondering what to make of art today.