Contemporary Art and Multicultural Education

Book excerpt: Contemporary art and multicultural education is the first book of its kind to address the role of art within today's multicultural education. Co-published with the New Museum of Contemporary Art, this beautifully illustrated book provides both theoretical foundations and practical resources for art educators and students, combining exquisite color reproductions, statements from contemporary artists and interviews with notable educators. Absent from multicultural art education is an approach which connects everyday experience, social critique and creative expression with classroom learning; for students from widely-varied backgrounds and differing levels of English comprehension, art becomes a vital means of reflecting upon the nature of society and social existence. To this end, this volume features both works of art and artists' personal statements in English and Spanish with lesson plans which explore topics that connect what students learn in school to what life experiences might reveal.