Artistic Ways of Knowing Set

Artistic Ways of Knowing by Dr. Joanne Haroutounian

When school funding is slashed, the arts are first things to go. The consensus seems to be that art, in whatever form it appears, is a luxury that children can enjoy only if there is enough time and money. Dr. Joanne Haroutounian ardently disagrees. The arts offer richness and fulfillment to those who can practice them or who view them, and those experiences are enhanced by knowing what one is doing or observing.

Dr. Haroutounian has written a set of three books that will enable teachers and homeschool co-op instructors to offer arts experiences to children of all ages and grades, all ability levels, and any socio/economic bracket. After all, looking at a painting by one of the great masters, listening to a musical composition by a famous musician, watching a ballet performed by accomplished dancers, or witnessing a performance by a practiced theater troupe is something that can bring children enjoyment for a lifetime. And if they can participate in these creative endeavors? So much the better.

The three texts are companion books, although each one can easily stand alone. Together, they offer the elements of theory and practice so that not only can you understand the artistic experience as explained in Artistic Ways of Knowing, you can use Think Like an Artist to help bring it to children who can then also understand it, but on a much deeper level than what is typically taught in many schools today. The third book, Arts Talent ID, offers helpful information and forms to assist in the identification of students who show the promise of talent in a given art form.