Theresa Aidikonis
Dr. Stewart
Art 211
February 13, 2008
Kerry Freedman
Kerry Freedman is a phenomenal professor of art and education, at Northern Illinois University. Correspondingly, her background has reflected the astounding achievements she has made and respected woman she has become. Freedman received her B.F.A and M.A. from University of Illinois, PhD from University of Wisconsin, and has been an educator since. She worked in the Department of Curriculum and Instructionat the University of Minnesota for fifteen years after her own schooling. Since then Freedman has taught at Northern Illinois University, along with many other seminars and work shops.She has over fifty publications and has done over one hundred national and international presentations.
On that note, the book, “TEACHING VISUAL CULTURE: Curriculum, Aesthetics and the Social Life of Art,” written by Kerry Freedman is one major example of her intelligently, influential personality. The book really showed where she stood in art education. Freedman has been and still is a strong advocate for pushing the modern arts we live around into our classrooms. One quote I found that truly showed her and her fellow art educator, Patricia Stuhr’s stand was, “Anyone who travels, watches rock videos, sits on a piece of furniture, enters a building, surfs a [sic] web, or does a number of other things is experiencing the visual arts.” As a future art educator myself, I absolutely love this view. It is our job to keep changing with the modern technology and social aspects. Many of the students we will be teaching won’t grow up to become artists. Likewise, they won’t ever see the old art styles/techniques that used to be taught year after year. Yes, those aspects are important to teach, however we must also teach our students how to visually see, take in, and appreciate the art that surrounds them in this very tech savvy and modern world we live in.
All in all, Kerry Freedman is beyond doubt a magnificent woman and art educator containing promising views. She has been a step in a new direction for education in the visual arts. After researching Kerry Freedman, I look forward to reading and studying more of her work.
References
Freedman, Kerry. Northern Illinois University College of Visual and Performing Arts. 2005. February 10, 2008. http://www.niu.edu/art/arted/art-edweb/NIUArtEdFacKFreedman.htm
Freedman, Kerry. Leading Creativity: Responding to Policy in Art Education. 2003. February 10, 2008. http://portal.unesco.org/culture/fr/files/30187/11415088311winfried_kneip.pdf/winfried%2Bkneip.pdf
Freedman, K. Teaching Visual Culture: Curriculum, Aesthetics, and the Social Life of Art. New York: Teachers College Press.
Freedman, K & Stuhr, P. (2004). Curriculum change for the 21st century: Visual culture in art education. In E. Eisner & M. Day, (Eds.), Handbook on art education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum