Defining Art – A Philosophical Enquiry

An Art Start Art Activity

Activity objective: to encourage creative thinking about how art is defined and valued in different contexts and by different individuals

Teacher Notes

This is a group discussion activity. Begin the activity with a collection of unlabelled art and non-art images, asking students to identify which ones they believe to be art and which ones are not art. This discussion should include a consideration of the points listed below.

Classroom Discussion

• What criteria or information might be important or useful in judging if something is art or not?
• Is it possible for something to be considered art in one place and time and not another?
• Are some people more qualified than others to judge what art is and what is not, or what is good art and what is not? Is making judgements about art different to making judgements about other areas of human activity and learning?