Art isn't something that one can teach or one can learn. However, a person can study, investigate and explore the many art forms and expressions that are available in our world whether defined by a culture, industry or personal preferences.
Art, at least creative art, is a realm so vast, infinite and filled with unlimited potential that it cannot be approached, with any true authority, through academic institutions. In fact, I find it humorous that we even make the attempt. However, it is valuable as participants in a society to have a common language and reference base as a means of communicating and connecting with each other on a particular subject. It would be wonderful if this was the context in which art education was approached. A person could use the opportunity to study, examine and possibly even experience the various aspects of popular philosophies, techniques, disciplines and artistic movements, but this would always be kept in the context of the subject’s relativity. Too often these areas of focus are presented as absolutes, especially to our youth. Worse, they are used as a means of judging or deterring what is, ironically, in it's purest form, an expression of an individual's journey into the realms of creativity.
