An Analysis of Art Appreciation Education in Free Waldorf Schools:

Focusing on the Practice in the Kyotanabe Steiner School

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify characteristics of art appreciation at a Free Waldorf schools. Using Rudolf Steinerʼs concept of the “sense of sight” being the mediator concerning the surface of external matter, I examined aspects of the classroom environment such as bulletin boards and blackboards, observed art classes, and interviewed teachers at Kyotanabe Waldorf school in Japan. I found that the characteristics of art appreciation at this school emphasized “pure experience” and going back and forth between expression and appreciation for harmonious human development. These results suggest that the ideal manner to formulate art education and curriculum design emphasizes human development.