A middle ground between two rival visions of art education is explored. One side views the major purpose for education in the arts to be the aesthetic experiences they offer, while a rival position identifies the mission of art education to be the exploration and analysis of visual culture, to help students discern social contextual influences affecting their lives, with primary attention given to popular culture. The middle position emphasizes the discursive practices found in the fine arts community and in the criticism of popular culture. The procedures and criteria they use for the critical understanding and judgment of artworks should include the discussion of aesthetic elements as well as discussion of the social context represented in such works. The study of these discourses is to contribute to the freedom of cultural life. (Contains 14 footnotes.)