This document examines some of the currents, figures, and moments in U.S. art education. The text is organized in 12 chapters: (1) "The Beginnings of Education in the Visual Arts in America"; (2) "The Dismissal of Walter Smith: Historiographic Explanation, the American Art Scene, and Visual Arts Education in the Late Nineteenth Century"; (3) "Germanic Influences"; (4) "Franz Cizek and the Elusiveness of Historical Knowledge"; (5) "American Attempts to Democratize Art: Picture Study"; (6) "American Women in Visual Arts Education: Outstanding Leaders and the Interaction between Gender Bias and Art's Status"; (7) "A Charismatic American"; (8) "Gender and the History of Visual Arts Education: Survival and Disappearance"; (9) "Of Women and Art Education: Roles of Importance"; (10) "A Colossus of Sorts"; (11) "The Post-Lowenfeld Era: Radical Dissent and Thoughtful Revisionism"; (12) "From Aesthetic Education to Discipline-Based Art Education: Intellectualizations and Confusions." Contains approximately 20 pages of references and an index. (MM)