Dana Katz

ARTE 344
November 7, 2016
Freedman Facilitation Chapter 2
Title: Finding Meaning in Aesthetics
Author(s): Kerry Freedman
Source/Date:
Freedman, K. J. (2003). Teaching visual culture: Curriculum, aesthetics, and the social life of
art. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Main Idea/Purpose (2-3 sentences):
In chapter two, Freedman (2003) discussed the idea of applying aesthetics to art and
finding meaning in both visual culture and fine art pieces. Though this idea was not always
utilized (p. 23), she discusses how learning about more than just form and media, as well as art
as a whole rather than separating out fine art and visual culture can turn students and adults into
critical thinkers when it comes to the world around them.
Short Overview (Including at least 2-3 important quotes):
Early on, art education paid particular attention to aesthetics. Though it is now thought of
as a two-sided coin which concentrates on both beauty and weakness, focus was originally given
to just the appealing side of artwork, focusing on form and media used to create something so
intriguing. However, as stated by Freedman, the same aesthetics that can uplift can lead us to
believe what we see. Aesthetics can seduce us into adopting stereotypes, convince us to accept
unrealistic body images, and persuade us to buy products without critical reflection (p. 24). In
order to overcome this influence that visual culture has on us, students need to be given the tools
to break it down and understand its impact. In order to do so though, we must first look at the
past, and see how art was previously taught.
When looking at a modernist point of view on aesthetics, a separation of theoretical
knowledge, practical reason and aesthetic judgement was made. As discussed in Chapter 2, the
separation helped to establish the idea that aesthetic judgements were made outside of cognition
(p. 25). The idea was that people first have an enlightened experience with something beautiful.
After increasing their depth of knowledge in art, people can gain a richer aesthetic experience
and develop an understanding of art. This led to the idea of formalism, which had students look
at visual culture as different objects rather than having a social meaning. People and artists
started to reject the idea of symbolism arguing that art should just exist and not try to convey
literary or moral ideas. In turn, students were no longer taught to pull meanings from or take a
critical look at art.
However, the emergence of the advertising industry brought out a new type of art.
Though often regarded as a lower form of art completely separate and unique from fine art,
visual culture played a huge role in the development of imagination in individuals, as well as
influencing peoples interest. While the images used for advertising looked simple, each one had
a larger meaning to it created to influence a behavior. This brought about the idea that not only

did the beauty of form need to be looked at, but also the viewer response and influence the image
had. When looking particularly at contemporary art, the idea that individual audience members
each construct their own meaning became key to breaking down each piece.
Today, Freedman discusses how there should not be a separation between fine art and visual
culture in terms of what true art is, but also when looking at visual culture, individual cultures
should also not be looked at as completely separate either. In order to truly assess aesthetic
experience in art, different models should be used depending on the individuals being taught.
Critical Response: Reflections and/or relevance to personal art educational experiences/or
teaching experience
This chapter is a great tool to use in a classroom to support a curriculum that includes
visual culture. People are surrounded by visual culture images and art daily, but many do not
understand the effect that it has on them. For me, visual culture always created an unachievable
ideal of how I wanted to look. Though the images I was surrounded with were altered to make
them more appealing, I was always sold by the idea of beauty and for a long period in my life, I
felt the need to match the images presented to me in order to feel beautiful. The closer I got, the
better I felt, but I was never able to fully get where I wanted to be, so I was never fully happy
with myself. Altering the way students see visual culture can help them avoid the endless cycle I
found myself in when I was growing up. As discussed by Freedman in the chapter, teaching
children to finding meaning in aesthetics can help give them a tool to become critical thinkers of
the world around them (p. 23). They then can break down images and understand the influence
and power these images might have over them and others. From there, students can make their
own choices about what they want to believe and follow when it comes to their daily lives rather
than let visual culture make that choice for them.
Also, by providing students with a curriculum that makes meaning out of art, students are
gaining more from their experiences. Rather than just focusing on the technical aspects of a piece
and whether it looks good or not, students can start to make pieces that they have a personal
connection with and further understand why they connect with certain pieces of art more than
others.