Conversations with Works of Art
Situating oneself in the aesthetic space of a work of art makes transactions between the viewer and the work of art possible. In this conversation space, we can share with each other works of art we have come to know, and deepen our relationship with works of art we do not yet know. Please submit topics for conversations about works of art here, and together, let us discover new pathways to new worlds.
"One of the most pleasurable experiences I have had as a thirty-year veteran teaching artist was taking students on guided tours through many of the great art museums in New York City. I guided students in viewing works of art and used a method MaxineGreene calls aesthetic education.
According to Greene, an aesthetic experience can be identified as finding meaning by piecing together, from multiple vantage points, separate elements in a work of art that combine to form a new whole. In aesthetic education, asking carefully constructed questions is a strategy designed to guide students to see new relationships within an artwork that they might not readily find."
- John Toth, from The Virtual Teaching Artist: An Aesthetic Approach to Designing a Museum Podcast. 2001. TEACHING ARTIST JOURNAL 9(4), 213–225
The Amigos at PS 211X
"Works of art can invite us to think in new ways about old things. At Briarwood Family Shelter in NYC, students from St. John's University partnered with children at Briarwood to re-imagine Ophelia's life path, post-Elsinore. Dark castles, leaps of faith. Jean Taylor's Wild Hair performance about these things was met with great enthusiasm by all."
- teaching artist/educator Heidi Upton reports on work at Briarwood Family Shelter, Fall 2013
Greene Works
Greene Encounters At the core of aesthetic education are the encounters with works of art and the "releasing of imagination" that those encounters engender. This space has been created to share those experiences with others.
January 20, 2015
Encounters with works of art
We invite you to join the conversation by adding your comments observations, questions and interpretations of this photo by Gordan Parks entitled "Emma Watson and her Grandchildren" (1934).
August 27, 2014
aesthetic space, aesthetic experience
We are concerned, as members of The Maxine Greene Institute with having aesthetic experiences, inhabiting aesthetic spaces. The excerpt here, from Variations on a Blue Guitar, reminds us how to approach the world aesthetically, and of the value of works of art created for this kind of noticing.
View all 'Greene Works' conversations.
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