ABSTRACT
Should the conceptual processes used in forming visual abstractions in artistic learning
cohere with the forms of intellectual activity addressed in the last chapter, it may be possible to
conceive of a creatively focused school art program that offers some of the same kinds of
intellectual challenges for growth as is offered by other academic areas of the school cur-
riculum. Should such a notion prove supportable, it would also challenge the conventional
wisdom that art is a soft school subject, lacking intellectual rigor with little to offer in the
way of important cognitive growth or for improving the general intellectual development
of school learners. Even if found true, however, it will still require new ways of thinking about
art programs, new teaching strategies, and new ways of evaluating school art instruction.
