Fine and Practical Arts

Fine art is generally thought of as artwork that is created for an aesthetic purpose with an emphasis on beauty and meaning.  Included in this category are painting, drawing, and sculpture.  With advances over the years and the introduction of new media, there has been an inclusion of additional genres, i.e. printmaking and photography.  The performing arts, music, dance, and theater, are generally included in this category.

Practical or applied art refers to the arts where items are created for a useful purpose.  Crafts, woodworking, computer technology, etc. where the product has a specific practical intent, are included in this category.  Career and technical education courses fall into this category.

Dependent upon the purpose of the creator, these two arts areas often overlap.  Typical fine art genres may also create items with a practical purpose and vice versa.
