Art and Education in Dewey: Accomplishing Unity, Bringing Newness to the Fore

Abstract:The aim of this paper is to discuss the role of art in Deweyan thought, making a case for the relationship among art, experience, and education. I will do so by drawing on both Deweyan works—primarily Art as Experience and chapter nine of Experience and Nature—and scholarly literature devoted to the issue. Based on those precedents, I wish to argue that art plays a central function in Deweyan thought. Dewey conceived of art as (a) the very basis on which to deepen, enlarge, and make sense of experience; (b) the place where humans search for meaning and unity find its fulfillment; and (c) the means by which we may enact the primary task of education, namely, bringing newness to the fore by emancipating and enlarging experience.