This book is a source book for the art educator for the teaching of art appreciation at all levels.

Written to engage and inspire students with little or no previous experience in studio art or art history, Approaches to Art: A Journey in Art Appreciation builds the case for art's meaning and value. The book presents all the essential parts of an introductory art history course --visual elements, principles of design, style, media, and art history--in a compelling format that invites critical thinking and teaches multicultural visual literacy. Students will not only learn the parts of art, they will develop, step by step, a deeper understanding of art's power to communicate on multiple levels--universal, cultural, and personal. Each chapter includes an art history exercise, a studio exercise, and discussion questions. The assignments can easily be customized to focus on art history or studio art, as appropriate for specific courses and modalities. Approaches to Art empowers students to approach any work of art with the ability to see and appreciate far more than they could before. Developed and class-tested over a period of years, it is an ideal textbook for general education courses in introductory art history and art appreciation. Ferdinanda Florence holds an M.F.A. in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute, and an M.A. in art history from the University of Maryland, College Park. She is a professor of art appreciation and art history at Solano Community College in Fairfield, California. A professional artist, she is represented by the Andrea Schwartz Gallery in San Francisco.

Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning offers a deep insight and comprehension of the world of Art. Contents: What is Art? The Structure of Art Significance of Materials Used in Art Describing Art - Formal Analysis, Types, and Styles of Art Meaning in Art - Socio-Cultural Contexts, Symbolism, and Iconography Connecting Art to Our Lives Form in Architecture Art and Identity Art and Power Art and Ritual Life - Symbolism of Space and Ritual Objects, Mortality, and Immortality Art and Ethics

Why are certain objects important? This question serves as the gateway through which students enter Readings in Art Appreciation, an anthology dedicated to exploring the history and value of the visual arts. The carefully curated readings explore art created over the past 20,000 years in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North and South America. The selections take readers on a chronological tour beginning with the earliest creative pursuits of humankind and ending with modernity and post-modernity. While learning about architectural art in Egypt, the aesthetic sensibility of the Middle Ages, or the oldest sculpture at Tenochtitlan, readers become familiar with the values of a time and place as manifested in objects, and how this impacts and informs our lives today. The revised first edition contains a new chapter written by the author on the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript that contains the first four chapters of the New Testament and was produced by monks in Ireland in the early 8th century. Readings in Art Appreciation is ideal for survey courses in art history, art appreciation, and cultural studies.

Creative Art: Methods and Materials educates readers about a variety of art methods and the ways different civilizations have used them in artistic expression. Each of the fourteen chapters is designed around a specific art method and material, and includes examples of art works and the artists who created them. Students learn about bronze casting, stone carving, clay sculpture, woodcuts and posters, glass work, and installation art. Each method is matched to artists both ancient and modern. Rather than adhering to a standard approach that focuses on white, male, European artists, the book broadens the student's perspective by including often overlooked female artists. Global in approach and comprehensive in coverage of arts forms, representations, and styles throughout history, Creative Art has been developed for sixteen-week courses in art appreciation, or introductory survey courses in art history.

"An Art Appreciation Primer: Elements and Principles of Design helps students develop a thorough understanding of how the elements and principles of design can be applied to the understanding of composition. Students will then be able to apply this knowledge to unfamiliar works of art, beyond those typically presented in standard textbooks. Principles covered in this primer include visual elements such as line and pattern, shape and mass, light and color. Students will also enhance their ability to appreciate and interpret space, time and motion, and texture. The book helps students recognize and value how balance, rhythm, repetition, contrast, scale, and proportion are used in the visual arts. Each chapter includes activities and project ideas that allow students to immediately apply what they have learned. An Art Appreciation Primer: Elements and Principles of Design takes learning beyond textbooks and makes it possible for students to use their knowledge and skills to analyze and appreciate art in non-classroom contexts. The book is an excellent companion to standard textbooks for courses in art appreciation and introductory art history. It is also a great resource for high school art teachers. Jennifer Snyder earned her Ed.D. in art education at Florida State University, Tallahassee. She is an assistant professor at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, where she also works with the London Study Abroad Program. Dr. Snyder is an active conference participant, most recently at the Society for Education through Art International Conference in Melbourne, Australia. In addition to her work with the university she serves as the high school arts coordinator for the Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council. Dr. Snyder is a member of the National Art Education Association and the public arts committee for the city of Clarksville."