Rites of passage.

Traditional communities have ceremonies to mark important rites of passage in the lives of members. Some of those rites still survive in ceremonies such as baptisms, bar mitzvahs, initiations, weddings and funerals. When the community does not provide the structure to help young people learn the responsibilities of adulthood, other events take their place. Getting a driver's license, joining a gang, going to the prom, having a baby, graduating high school or getting a job are some of the events that can mark young people's passage into adulthood.

In many cultures for thousands of years, art has played a role in important community ceremonies. Symbolic images can be found in ceremonial places from the temples of india to the mosques of the Middle East. Special objects and clothing are used to indicate one's role or status at important events. The clothes of the Apache girl, the Catholic priest, the bride or the mourner tell those around them who they are and what to expect from each other.

Fee and the Meadow People

Fee and the Meadow People is a story written to help young people understand how art can help them find their place within a community. The story is about a young woman, Fee, from an imaginary culture, who earns her "rite of passage" into the adult world of her community by proving herself in the role of "one who watches over others" when she saves her little brother from a bear attack. Fee is rewarded by initiation into the adult status group of the "Watchers." The community elders paint the Watcher legend on stones and present her with a fur cape.

The detailed description of Fee and the Meadow People provided the motivation for Liza Bergman's seventh grade students as they worked together making murals to illustrate the story. As they developed their plans, the students learned to share ideas and to negotiate. They experienced the development of a sense of community.

Designing a Permanent Mural 

Bergman's honors art students were proud to be selected for painting a mural that would remain a part of their school for years to come. Each began by making drawings of the parts of the story they found most meaningful. Then, they negotiated together, pulling ideas from the drawings, to agree upon the general idea for the 9 x 9' (2.74 x 2.74 m) mural. Small groups took turns working on the mural as the regular art class went on.

As the weeks went by, the students took on a variety of responsibilities within the groups. Natural leaders emerged. Students trained others in border making. When one student began to cause trouble, another student explained the reasoning behind the task and trouble was averted. Another student became Miss Organization seeing that everyone had what they needed and that everything was properly stored after each session. Another student supervised craftsmanship. Students began to recognize that some could do some tasks better than others and valued the contributions of different classmates.

Combining Artistic Ideas

When the students rotated back to the art room, their classmates helped orient them to ongoing projects. As border painting became tedious, the students renegotiated a new look drawn from ideas contributed by several classmates. They began to recognize their own problems and find their own solutions.

As it progressed, the mural developed its own public. Since it is located in the student services area, the students sent to the office for discipline problems became viewers of the process. They wanted to know about every little detail and had their own suggestions to make.

A Great Responsibility

One mural painter observed that this was the first, really serious thing they'd done. it was out there for everyone to see and that was a great responsibility. Another student remarked that this was the first activity where they hadn't had someone to direct them step by step. it was their first "junior high school" experience.

One student began an important discussion when she asked, "Why do we have to do things well? "

The students realized they were comfortable with what they were doing until they saw there was something better.

The mural painters planned a ribbon cutting ceremony on the school's video channel to close the event. The entire school was able to view the ceremony. Teachers, secretaries, custodians, parents, grandparents, friends and administrators attended. Students read the story of Fee and the Meadow People. Others acknowledged contributions made by individuals and pointed out some of the best features of the mural.

A Community Accomplishment

For Bergman, it was important for her students to appreciate not only the aesthetic value of their mural but also to appreciate what they had accomplished together as a community. As they began the project, they spoke of "my part" and "your part." When they finished, they spoke of "our mural." For these honors art students, the challenges of executing this mural depicting an initiation ceremony, in an imaginary place and time long ago, had become their own rite of passage into some of the responsibilities of junior high school.

RELATED ARTICLE: Written Interpretation

A number of teachers asked their students to write about the painting before and after listening to the story. Here are some of the comments: "The story represents womanhood."

* "She's turning into a lady and taking a big step."

* "It means to me the girl is responsible." * "It has a lot of do with proving yourself."

* "I see this not just as a picture, but it shows these people and their culture .... it might help people see their own culture, instead of joining gangs."

* "The mural is teaching in the school in a different way. It's creativve...." * "The people who painted it should be recognized."

Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of articles based on the classroom application of fictional stories written by Erickson to assist students in imagining life in another time and place. Her book, A Story of Art in the World, is expected to be available for teachers next Fall.

Mary Erickson is a professor of art education at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The author wishes to acknowledge the dedication of Liza Bergman to this project. Her students will never forget the experience.