Cultural connections. (Editor's Comments).

One of the perks of being the editor of SchoolArts is having access to the 100 volumes published since 1901. Of particular interest to me is the way the articles chronicle classroom practices related to the diversity of our cultural backgrounds--not necessarily ethnic heritage, but more generally addressing our cultural status resulting from social and economic situations.

Distinctions between art programs for city and rural schools are evident, with the implication being that city life is more cultured and tasteful than rural. For example, in the 1920s and 30s, one can find examples of lessons in which wood, metal, fiber, and textile projects are being taught primarily as a way to beautify one's home--to make everyone's home environment more alike, more tasteful, and presumably more "American."

I recall, in particular, a 1920s lesson on the craft of tie-dye, offered as a means to make table covers to beautify one's home. It made an impression because, from my childhood, I remember such a tie-dye table cover in our home. I think my mother had made it in a home arts course in the mid-1920s. The fringed velvet cloth, which covered a small lamp table in our living room, appeared rich with the mottled pattern of dark, deep ambers. Neither for my mother nor for me, was there ever any association with African or Asian artistic traditions. For my mother, I'm sure, the purpose was to make her rural home "better," or maybe more like the homes of what she thought was a more acceptable social class.

In the 1940s we can find lessons for tie-dyeing headscarves as part of the war effort. In the 1960s, tie-dye was offered as an alternative to mass production, and as a means to express one's individuality as part of a counter-culture movement, presumably recognizing cultural pluralism in a modified way. In the 1970s, tie-dye products were suggested in ethnic centered programs as a means to instill pride in one's African heritage, to maintain identity, and to preserve ethnic traditions. Such goals are generally associated with insular pluralism. More recently, tie-dye has been associated with ecology, natural fibers and colorants, and less with ethnic pride and cultural origins, perhaps indications of a move toward the concept of an open society where ethnicity no longer matters and profiling no longer exists.

I share this example to illustrate how the same activity and process can persist, without substantial change, through decades of art education practice, while accommodating shifts in ideology and stated aims. Certainly it is possible to teach entirely different concepts using the same materials. But, to use a tie-dye metaphor, one hopes that these are not just the same old dyes in new vats.

When it comes to making cultural connections, I'm skeptical about the relationship between our stated aims and what is actually taught. Except for the early picture study movement, which included works of art especially selected for their strong moral messages and value laden content, attention to the artistic accomplishments of any cultural group has generally centered on the formal elements and principles of design. This, of course, is at the expense of cultural context and meaning.

In the melting pot, holiday art flourished, and we learned how to follow directions. With the civil rights movement, attention was directed toward making use of the works by artists of marginalized groups, but often in connection with lessons based on the elements and principles of design. What seems to be missing is an understanding of the potential of the art experience to deliver meaningful messages. Perhaps along the way we need to always ask ourselves: Why do we do what we do?

We are confident that the authors of the articles in this issue have done just that as they aim to make meaningful cultural connections.