Abstract:
This-~-case study used ethnographic-methodo-logy. --The
research project was an introductory study of one adult's
present and past experiences with the visual arts,
exploring, in particular, the causes and processes that were
related to the individual's changes of mind in order to
develop an understanding of why that individual had changed
her mind about what was significant in the visual arts. The
individual who provided the data was a solid supporter of
art galleries: female, middle-aged, graduate of university
and college, married with two children, and living in an
urban community. The data were collected from two informal
conversational interviews and from a written description of
one change experience selected by the participant. The
individual had positive experiences with art during early
childhood, in elementary and secondary school, during
university, in avocational drawing and painting studio
courses, and in aesthetic experiences. All of these
experiences have had individual effects and, together, they
have had a cumulative effect on the development of the
participant's opinions and ideas about the visual arts. The
experiences which had the most effect on the development of
the individual's perspectives on the visual arts were handson
studio, educational, and aesthetic experiences. Further
research is suggested to investigate why some adults change
their minds about the visual arts.
