EVENTS & MOVEMENTS

International Congress of Popular Art
In 1928, the League of Nations hosts the International Congress of Popular Art in Prague. About 1,000 American art educators attend, demonstrating the progress of art teachers in the U.S. American work is, “admired for its freshness and spontaneity rather than its skillful representation” (Wygant, 56). This is perhaps a consequence of the increasing emphasis on individual creativity and self-expression that developed in the 1920s.

Progressive Education Movement
Founded in 1919, the Progressive Education Association focuses on education for everyday life, and encompasses child-centered experiential learning. Although John Dewey is the most recognizable figure involved in the progressive movement, others include: Margaret Naumburg, Jane Addams, William Kilpatrick, and Francis Parker contribute. The Progressive Education Association (PEA) challenges the system and researches and experiments with new methods of instruction. This movement also marks the beginning of empirical research within the educational system. In the next chapter, two very important studies emerge, both of which positively affect art education: The Eight Year Study and The Owatonna Art Project.

Walden School
Believing that Dewey’s approach is not focused enough on the individual, Margaret Naumburg opens the Walden School in 1915. She emphasizes self-expression and creativity through art education. Her sister, Florence Cane, also teaches there, and both go through psychoanalysis. Art to Naumburg and Cane is the means to integrate an individual’s personality into constructive social relations. Naumburg later takes her psychological and educational backgrounds to spearhead the field of art therapy.

The Picture Study Movement
Prompted by the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, the Picture Study Movement promotes art appreciation and also aims to develop the ability to discern what is tasteful. Henry Turner Bailey publishes many books dedicated to picture study. He writes poetic responses to works of art, extolling the beauty of nature as it is depicted.