Continuing his exploration of the substance of a basic education, Mortimer J. Adler examines the inherent values of various art forms and considers their significance within a well-rounded curriculum. He maintains that imaginative literature and works of science, philosophy, theology, and history act upon our intellects and stimulate the discussion of ideas. The non-verbal arts, which act directly and powerfully on our emotions and sentiments without the intermediation of thought, are to be valued for their beauty, their workmanship, and the pleasure they give rather than their contributions to a body of ideas. Elucidating his ideas through the discussion of specific works, Adler concludes that an appreciation of all the human arts is essential to the development of a fully cultivated and well-educated person.

Do musical compositions, paintings, or ballets have anything at all to say about the great ideas? This latest contribution by prolific philospher Mortimer J. Adler traces the historical permutations of pivotal words like art, idea, and significance. Readers ultimately discover how the great ideas are related to the arts.

Seventy years ago, Mortimer Adler sat down at a manual typewriter. By his side was a list of authors, a pyramid of books and 102 great ideas—the 102 objects of thought that have collectively defined Western thought for more than 2,500 years. He began writing in alphabetical order beginning with "Angel" and ending with "World." The essays, originally published in the Syntopicon, were and remain the centerpiece of Encyclopaedia Britannica's Great Books of the Western World. These essays, never before available except as part of the Great Books, are, according to Clifton Fadiman, Adler's finest work. Each essay—"War and Peace," "Love," "God," "Truth"—treats each idea as if the original authors—from Homer to Freud, from Marcus Aurelius to Virginia Woolf—whose writings the ideas are drawn from, were sitting around a table, deep in conversation. His purely descriptive synthesis presents the key points of view on almost 3,000 questions without endorsing or favoring any one of them. More than a thousand pages, containing more than half a million words on more than two millennia of Western thought, The Great Ideas is a fitting capstone to the career of Mortimer J. Adler. The actual writing of the essays took 26 months, seven days a week and no vacations or recesses... Writing the 102 essays was like writing 102 books. I think it was the most arduous and demanding stint of writing I have ever undertaken. —Mortimer J. Adler

“There are more than 50 creative prompts for the artist (or artist at heart) to explore. Take the title of this book as affirmation, and get started.” —Fast Company More than 50 assignments, ideas, and prompts to expand your world and help you make outstanding new things to put into it Curator Sarah Urist Green left her office in the basement of an art museum to travel and visit a diverse range of artists, asking them to share prompts that relate to their own ways of working. The result is You Are an Artist, a journey of creation through which you'll invent imaginary friends, sort books, declare a cause, construct a landscape, find your band, and become someone else (or at least try). Your challenge is to filter these assignments through the lens of your own experience and make art that reflects the world as you see it. You don't have to know how to draw well, stretch a canvas, or mix a paint color that perfectly matches that of a mountain stream. This book is for anyone who wants to make art, regardless of experience level. The only materials you'll need are what you already have on hand or can source for free. Full of insights, techniques, and inspiration from art history, this book opens up the processes and practices of artists and proves that you, too, have what it takes to call yourself one. You Are an Artist brings together more than 50 assignments gathered from some of the most innovative creators working today, including Sonya Clark, Michelle Grabner, The Guerrilla Girls, Fritz Haeg, Pablo Helguera, Nina Katchadourian, Toyin Ojih Odutola, J. Morgan Puett, Dread Scott, Alec Soth, Gillian Wearing, and many others.

"With its gentle affirmations, inspirational quotes, fill-in-the-blank lists and tasks — write yourself a thank-you letter, describe yourself at 80, for example — The Artist’s Way proposes an egalitarian view of creativity: Everyone’s got it."—The New York Times "Morning Pages have become a household name, a shorthand for unlocking your creative potential"—Vogue Over four million copies sold! Since its first publication, The Artist's Way phenomena has inspired the genius of Elizabeth Gilbert and millions of readers to embark on a creative journey and find a deeper connection to process and purpose. Julia Cameron's novel approach guides readers in uncovering problems areas and pressure points that may be restricting their creative flow and offers techniques to free up any areas where they might be stuck, opening up opportunities for self-growth and self-discovery. The program begins with Cameron’s most vital tools for creative recovery – The Morning Pages, a daily writing ritual of three pages of stream-of-conscious, and The Artist Date, a dedicated block of time to nurture your inner artist. From there, she shares hundreds of exercises, activities, and prompts to help readers thoroughly explore each chapter. She also offers guidance on starting a “Creative Cluster” of fellow artists who will support you in your creative endeavors. A revolutionary program for personal renewal, The Artist's Way will help get you back on track, rediscover your passions, and take the steps you need to change your life.

"ScienceArts" builds upon natural curiosity as children experience and explore basic science concepts as they create over 200 beautiful and amazing art experiments. Projects use common household materials and art supplies. The art activities are open-ended and easy to do with one science-art experiment per page, fully illustrated and kid-tested. The book inclues three indexes and an innovative charted Table of Contents. Suitable for home, school, museum programs, or childcare, all ages. Kids call this the "ooo-ahhh" book. Examples of projects include: - Crystal Bubbles - Dancing Rabbits - Building Beans - Magnetic Rubbing - Stencil Leaves - Magic Cabbage - Marble Sculpture - Immiscibles - Paint Pendulum - Ice Structures - Bottle Optics - Erupting Colors - Chromatography 1993 Benjamin Franklin Gold Award, Education/Teaching/Academic 1993 Benjamin Franklin Silver Award, Interior Design 1993 Benjamin Franklin Silver Award, Book Cover 1993 Washington Press Communicator Award, First Place Winner, Non-Fiction Book

Creative block presents the most crippling—and unfortunately universal—challenge for artists. No longer! This chunky blockbuster of a book is chock-full of solutions for overcoming all manner of artistic impediment. The blogger behind The Jealous Curator interviews 50 successful international artists working in different mediums and mines their insights on how to conquer self-doubt, stay motivated, and get new ideas to flow. Each artist offers a tried-and-true exercise—from road trips to 30-day challenges to cataloging the medicine cabinet— that will kick-start the creative process. Abundantly visual with more than 300 images showcasing these artists' resulting work, Creative Block is a vital ally to students, artists, and creative professionals.