本文不在細究過去一世紀我國藝術教育發生了什麼事，而是嘗試理解發生的這二事。環境與文化是影響臺灣百年來中小學藝術教育的主因。它的作用會在課程標準、師資培育、以及教室裡的實際課程的發展與事實。我國百年來在藝術教育的課程名稱下除了從圖畫、手工、幾何、到美勞、美術以及視覺藝術的演變外，也包含課程內容、教學材料、教學對象、學習成就的標準，以至於師資的培育都是交互影響的結果。然而教師本身是這個教育實務的牛軛。因此教學的文化、藝術發展的文化、政經文化等等都成為決定下一步發展的關鍵。

It is not the intention to explore what we have had in the field of art education of last century but try to understand what happened. The enterprise of art education impacted, influenced, and determined critically by the contexts of historical development of Taiwan such as social, political, ethnic, and economic position or status. Those powers work as various voices appear on the works of curriculum standards and the development of curricula and its practice in classrooms. The name of art curriculum changed from time to time from graphic, to handcraft, geometry, art-craft, fine art, and visual arts. The content of curriculum, teaching material, learner, rubrics of learning achievement, and teacher training are changed too. However, art teacher is the crucial factor. What we have learned from the past is the future of art education accounts on the culture of teaching, development of art word, and social culture.