Abstract
In Japan, MoMA's Visual Thinking Curriculum (VTC), an educational program introduced in the late 90's by Amelia Arenas, has garnered much interest amongst art educators. In this paper, I refer to the VTC-based practices used in Japan as "Dialogical Appreciation". This study aims to clarify the aestheic background of Dialogical Appreciation, and discusses a reexamination of art education through communication. Specifically, I consider the theories described in "The Open Work" (Umberto Eco), "Relational Aesthetics" (Nicolas Bourriaud), and "Antagonism and Relational Aesthetics" (Claire Bishop) to be aesthetic theories of Dialogical Appreciation. Utilizing this theoretical background I describe the idea of "Half-Openness" as a way of contributing to current understandings of VTC in Japan. "Half-Openness" is a dialectic between text / context and agreement / antagonism, that occurs at various levels of communication from individuals to communities. I conclude that "Half-Openness" forms the base of Dialogical Appreciation, and propose its potential for wide application in art education.
