Aesthetic engagement is the central concept of an aesthetic theory that came as an alternative to the aesthetic disinterestedness of traditional aesthetics. It emerged in response to developments in the contemporary arts that emphasized the direct involvement of an active appreciator in the art object, overcoming the customary separation between them. Aesthetic engagement thus rejects the dualism inherent in customary accounts of aesthetic appreciation and epitomized in Kantian aesthetics, which treats aesthetic experience as the subjective appreciation of a beautiful object. Instead, aesthetic engagement emphasizes the holistic, contextual character of aesthetic appreciation, the primacy of sensible experience, and active participation. Aesthetic engagement is a valuable concept not only for understanding and appreciating recent developments in the arts; it can also reinvigorate our experience of the traditional arts.