Investigating the nature of art and the uses of art in society, EXPERIENCING ART AROUND US teaches students how to understand, critically judge, and experience art. This mainstream art appreciation text discusses the visual elements of art, such as line, light, color, and space, and the principles of design that all artists use; examines not only the traditional visual media of painting, sculpture, and architecture, but also more recent areas such as urban design and preservation, photography and film; and probes the cultural institutions that affect contemporary artistic activity. Integrating Western and non-Western art, EXPERIENCING ART AROUND US exposes students to a wide variety of artistic works from around the world, yet emphasizes works in public collections that students can see, featuring a diverse array of female, African American, and Latino artists, as well as up-to-date coverage of the contemporary art scene. Analyzing a single work from four different points of view teaching critical thinking skills, this text offers students a wider variety of study aids than any other text on the market.