Elliot Wayne Eisner
March 10, 1933-Jan. 10, 2014
Stanford, California
Professor Elliot W. Eisner passed away peacefully in his home in Stanford, California, on January 10, due to complications related to Parkinson's disease.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 10, 1933, to Louis and Eva Eisner, immigrants from Eastern Europe, Eisner was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and world renowned scholar in the field of art education, educational criticism, curriculum development, qualitative research methodologies, school reform and connoisseurship. Eisner was the Lee Jacks Emeritus Professor of Education and Emeritus Professor of Art at Stanford University, where he had taught for 42 years.
Elliot Eisner graduated from Chicago?s John Marshall High School and Roosevelt University. He received a master's degree in Art from the Illinois Institute of Technology and later earned his master's degree and Ph.D. in education from the University of Chicago. Eisner came to Stanford University as an Associate Professor of Education and Art in 1965.
Eisner was widely recognized as an exceptional teacher and prolific scholar. As a teacher, he was insightful, accessible, humorous and genuinely invested in his students.
As a scholar, he was passionate and iconoclastic, frequently challenging conventional notions of education and curriculum design. Whether teaching a class, engaging in conversation or penning an idea, Eisner approached the use of language as an art form. He authored seventeen books and hundreds of other written works, including articles, book chapters, reports and presentations.
As a leader in the fields of art and education, Eisner served as president of four professional organizations: National Art Education Association, American Educational Research Association, International Society for Education through Art, and the John Dewey Society. The Elliot Eisner Doctoral Research Award is given by the National Art Education Association to support a leading graduate student in the field.
Eisner's honors included six honorary doctorates from institutions in the United States and abroad. He was recognized internationally with memberships in the Royal Society of Arts in the United Kingdom and the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences, and the Sir Herbert Read Award in Scotland. Eisner also received numerous awards in the United States, such as a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Senior Fulbright Scholar Award, the Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award, a Spencer Foundation Fellowship and the Grawmeyer Award.
Elliot Eisner was a man of great vitality and moxie. His wonderful smile and sense of humor exemplified his zest for life. He loved his family and friends, art museums and galleries, the symphony, good food, sports cars, and flea markets. Elliot 's passion for life took many forms, whether it was displayed in being a sharp dresser, relishing the engagement derived from a good debate, or in the joy he experienced in laughing at his own jokes.
Elliot's aesthetic sensibilities enabled him to see artistic qualities that others often missed. Exploring and appreciating those qualities in a painting, an African sculpture, a pasta dish or a well-made suit were a daily occurrence for this man who made his life in the arts.
Elliot W. Eisner is survived by his wife of 57 years, Ellie, son Steve Eisner and grandson Ari of Menlo Park, daughter Linda Eislund, son-in-law Eric Eislund and grandsons Seth and Drew of San Francisco.
Tags: arts/media, teacher/educator
