Dr. Terry Barrett
- Professor
- Webpage
- barrett.8@osu.edu
Biography:
Dr. Barrett is Professor of Art Education at The Ohio State University, where he is the recipient of a distinguished teaching award for his courses in art criticism and aesthetics for teachers. He is the honored educator of the Society for Photographic Education, Midwest Region, 2001. He serves as an Art Critic-in-education for the Ohio Arts Council, a consultant to arts agencies and art museums, and visiting critic to universities in which capacities he engages learners of all ages in thinking and writing about art.
Research Interests:
Dr. Barrett is dedicated to increasing understanding and appreciation of
art, especially contemporary art, controversial art, and items of visual
culture, through philosophical and critical inquiry. He writes books for
college students and for teachers. His most recent is
WHY IS THAT ART? AESTHETICS AND CRITICISM OF CONTEMPORARY ART (Oxford University Press 2007), which is in the voices of philosophers from Plato to Derrida, contemporary art critics, and artists whose work is shown and discussed in the book.
INTERPRETING ART: REFLECTING,
WONDERING AND RESPONDING (McGraw-Hill, 2003), is a book that shows everyone
how to engage in art interpretation rather than leaving meaning-making to
the experts. Currently he is writing MAKING ART: FORM & MEANING, an
introduction to making art for college students (McGraw-Hill). His other
books are CRITICIZING ART: UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEMPORARY (McGraw-Hill,
2nd ed., 2000); CRITICIZING PHOTOGRAPHS: AN INTRODUCTION TO UNDERSTANDING
IMAGES (McGraw-Hill, 3rd ed., 2000); and TALKING ABOUT STUDENT ART (Davis,
1997), a book especially for art teachers. He edited the anthology
LESSONS FOR TEACHING ART CRITICISM (U of Indiana, ERIC, 1997), and has published
many articles in journals, and chapters in books edited by others about art and education.
He is former senior editor of STUDIES IN ART EDUCATION and serves on many
editorial boards.