In this study, art making emerged as a way of learning in two important ways. First, children were found to be engaging in ways of thinking that are needed when learning is a process of creating new knowledge, finding innovative solutions to problems, and continuing to learn beyond the classroom. Second, artmaking was an activity in which children negotiated between the culture of school and the adult art world, and in the process developed a practice in which they acted as full participants. In the art room, they shaped the art making practice and transformed it into an activity that was both meaningful and a way for them to make meaning.