The aim of this research was to understand the social representations of two distinct groups on the meanings assigned to art, art teaching and the relationship between art and society. The groups investigated include 71 students of the degree in Music Education and Visual Arts Education, and 161 teachers without specifi c training in art, teaching early grades of elementary school in fi ve Brazilian cities. Information was collected through a questionnaire with open questions and responses processed by content analysis, using the software ALCESTE. The set of information analyzed is structured around three social representations: pretext, art used for; enjoyment, linked to the senses and the exercise of sensitivity; and artistic knowledge, related to everyday life and the social context. Pretext is linked to the lay teachers, enjoyment is articulated with the content of information from the two groups, and knowledge is linked to subjects included in the academic fi eld, the latter reinforcing the importance of specifi c training for defi ning the concepts and objectives of Art teaching at school.