本文回顧藝術教育的三大理論：創意自我表達、歷史與文化、以及通俗視覺文化。這些理論無論是作為藝術課程的基礎，或是作為藝術課程的要素，皆廣獲稱頌。此外，不管是單一理論或是組合理論，均公認當代藝術的價值對學生學習極為重要。本文列舉及討論幾位來自全球不同區域的當代藝術家，作為學生學習的範例，並就可能的學生學習，討論當代藝術家的六項典型貢獻。

Three broad rationales for art education are reviewed: Creative self-expression; history and culture, and popular visual culture. All are considered praiseworthy as bases for art curriculum, or as components within art programs. Values of contemporary art are viewed as essential for student learning, regardless of selected rationale or combination of rationales. Several contemporary artists are presented and discussed as exemplars for student learning, including artists from several regions of the world. Six typical contributions of contemporary artists are discussed with reference to potential student learning.