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A Realist Account of Critical Agency in Art Criticism in Art and Design Education
Author(s) -
Maras Karen
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
international journal of art and design education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.312
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1476-8070
pISSN - 1476-8062
DOI - 10.1111/jade.12206
Subject(s) - agency (philosophy) , criticism , critical realism (philosophy of perception) , interpretation (philosophy) , epistemology , sociology , meaning (existential) , art criticism , realism , critical pedagogy , structure and agency , critical theory , visual arts education , pedagogy , critical practice , social science , political science , philosophy , the arts , law , art , linguistics , performance art , art history
This article draws on Searle's philosophical realism to explore how critical agency is grounded in critical reasoning and supports the construction of art criticism as an institutional practice in art and design education. Examples of critical exchanges between a teacher and her students reveal how intentional beliefs inherent in the teacher's pedagogical choices implicate students in taking critical agency when constructing a collaborative interpretation of the meaning of a contemporary artwork. The article concludes with some reflections on the implications of a realist account of critical agency for teacher pedagogy and student learning.