Art All Around: A Children’s Guide to What Makes Art and Where to Find It

From the self to the stars, art is all around us!

Art is not just the paintings and sculptures we see in museums, but also things that surround us every day--family photos, decorations used during holidays or celebrations, even quilts and furniture that inhabit our homes. Throughout human history, people have created all kinds of objects to express who they are and what’s important to them. Art All Around introduces young readers to some of the most vibrant and compelling art and artifacts from around the world.

Increasingly, art historians are moving beyond a linear, chronological approach to teaching that has prioritized the Western canon and limited artworks to paintings and sculpture. Instead, they are exploring how objects across different mediums, cultures, and time periods produce ＂conversations＂ and connections within a broader web of global art.

Art All Around includes thoughtfully chosen works from a variety of mediums, including photography, metalwork, pottery, textiles, furniture, and architecture, in addition to traditional paintings and sculpture. Each chapter features art objects from across different cultures and time periods to emphasize their thematic, stylistic, or functional commonalities within a wider web of global art production and ends with an activity page that enables readers to engage with the themes and objects more directly.

Xiao Situ, PhD, is an independent scholar. Trained in art history and theology, she researches and writes about art, religion, and domestic culture. As an educator, she teaches art history at community colleges.