Exploring Art

Dona Schlesier taught for 27 years at Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa, where she is now professor emerita. Her drawings and multimedia have been exhibited nationally and internationally. Margaret Lazzari is a professor of drawing and painting at the University of Southern California. An active writer and artist, Margaret's drawings and paintings have been exhibited extensively throughout the United States. She is half of the Lazzari Evans Public Art Design Team.

Letter to Students: Why Study Art?
Part I: INTRODUCTION TO ART.
1. Art and Art Making.
2. The Language of Art and Architecture.
3. Media.
4. Deriving Meaning.
Part II: WHY DO WE MAKE ART?
Section 1. Survival and Beyond.
5. Food and Shelter.
6. Reproduction and Sexuality.
Section 2. Religion.
7. Deities and Places of Worship.
8. Mortality and Immortality.
Section 3. The State.
9. Power, Politics, and Glory.
10. Social Protest/Affirmation.
Section 4. Self and Society.
11. Mind and Body.
12. Race, Gender, Clan, and Class.
13. Nature, Knowledge, and Technology.
14. Entertainment and Visual Culture.
15. Art in Your Life.