ART & ART HISTORY

For sheer visual stimulation, the sites below are most rewarding. If you encounter some baffling terminology try the ArtLex art dictionary.

Metropolitan Museum of Art


EXPLORING AMERICANS' CONSUMPTION OF
AND ATTITUDES TOWARD THE VISUAL ARTS

How receptive is the American public is to such wondrous images? In its 1993 General Social Survey, NORC included the following questions (with percentages responding to each category):

PERCENT VISITING ART MUSEUM OR GALLERY
BY EDUCATION AND AGE

18-34 35-44 45-64  65+  TOTAL
0-11 YRS 27 14 11 8 14%
HS GRAD 31 33 29 20 29%
SOME POST-
SECONDARY
46 45 56 41 48%
4+ YRS
COLLEGE
64 70 73 57 68%
TOTAL 44% 45% 43% 24% 41%

As can be seen from the right-most column, those with the most education are nearly five times more likely to have visited an art gallery or museum in the past year. From the bottom row, observe that viewership is relatively constant across the adult years until the age of 65. Education appears to have the strongest influence in viewership among those 45 to 64 years of age.

PERCENT AGREEING "MODERN PAINTING IS JUST SLAPPED ON:
A CHILD COULD DO IT" BY EDUCATION AND AGE

18-34 35-44 45-64  65+  TOTAL
0-11 YRS 56 47 55 53 53%
HS GRAD 48 34 46 65 47%
SOME POST-
SECONDARY
35 39 41 39 38%
4+ YRS
COLLEGE
29 22 21 46 27%
TOTAL 40% 33% 40% 54% 39%

Appreciation of modern art is, not surprisingly, also strongly influenced by education. However, among those of 65, respect appears relatively low across all educational levels.

PERCENT AGREEING "ONLY A FEW PEOPLE HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE
AND ABILITY TO JUDGE EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS"

18-34 35-44 45-64  65+  TOTAL
0-11 YRS 57 67 60 76 65%
HS GRAD 51 40 57 67 53%
SOME POST-
SECONDARY
41 50 49 54 47%
4+ YRS
COLLEGE
36 33 29 61 36%
TOTAL 45% 43% 48% 67% 49%


Deference to experts' assessment of excellence in the arts decreases with education, particularly for the middle aged.

So what difference does whether or not one personally had visited an art museum or gallery have on how Americans responded to variables MODPAINT and JUDGART?


% AGREEING MODERN
JUST SLAPPED ON;
KIDS COULD DO IT
% AGREEING ONLY FEW
HAVE KNOWLEDGE & ABILITY
TO JUDGE EXCELLENCE
VISIT ART
GALLERY?
YES NO YES NO
0-11 YEARS 39% 56% 57% 67%
HS GRAD 39 50 46 56
SOME POST-
SECONDARY
37 40 45 50
4+ YEARS
COLLEGE
25 31 32 43
TOTAL 32% 47% 41% 55%

From the total row on the bottom observe that those who had visited an art museum or gallery in the past year are 15 percentage points less likely to see modern art being "just slapped on" kids stuff and 14 percentage points less likely to agree that artistic excellence can only be ascertained by experts. In general, these two differences increase with decreasing education.


ARCHITECTURE

Society of Architectural Historians: Homepage
Great Buildings Online
Walk Through Historic Buildings with the National Park Service
From the University of Washington libraries, Cities and Buildings Database
Yahoo! links to Frank Lloyd (1867-1959)
Le Corbusier Site
Hearst Monument Foundation


POLITICAL ART

Mark Sensen's Homepage: 19TH & 20TH CENTURY FLAGS
The Russian Avant-Garde Book 1910-1934
Powers of Persuasion Exhibit


FOLK ART

International Quilt Study Center


PHOTOGRAPHS


AUDITORY ARTS


ONLINE EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTER FOR STUDENTS

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