Object Lessons: Thinking about Material Culture

Abstract

In addition to movies, magazines, websites, and other forms of visual culture, we also experience countless material forms—such as beds, breakfasts, cars, clothing, sidewalks, and doorknobs. Because we experience these material forms every day, the ways in which they convey ideas and influence our movements and lives does not usually register in our consciousness and often goes without notice (Graves-Brown, 2000a). How might we think about all of these objects and environments that surround us? This article describes why art educators might consider studying material forms from everyday life, presents suggestions for exploring them in an art classroom, and includes an example to illustrate teaching about an object of material culture.