The art teacher as censor.

A culture can be remembered and studied by the artwork it leaves behind. The artwork gives us more than a pictorial or historical record of that culture. It also reveals the cultural practices and beliefs that form the accepted boundaries for the expression of culture. These boundaries are aesthetics.

It is human nature to sometimes challenge these boundaries. These challenges produce stimulation and learning. When a culture censors new ideas, it creates an environment in which advancement of knowledge is impeded. Artists, scientists, philosophers, and theologians have traditionally challenged the prevailing thought, or pushed the envelope of accepted human behavior.

Censorship in Art

Western civilization has a long history of forcing cultural aesthetics onto its own and other populations. Cardinals in Rome objected to the nude figures in Michelangelo's Last Judgment altarpiece and had other artists paint loincloths on the figures. In 1190, during the Inquisition, the Talmud and The Guide for the Perplexed written by the Jewish philosopher Maimonides were burned. The charge was blasphemy and immorality.

Western civilization continues to create fences to artistic freedom. In a well-known 1990 court case, Dennis Barrie and the Contemporary Arts Center of Cincinnati fought an obscenity charge for showing the photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe. In 1991, a school in Eugene, Oregon refused to show Channel One educational TV because it carried a story about vandalism on Michelangelo's David. School officials objected because the video depicted one of the most famous sculptures in the world in all its naked glory. This case is especially ironic because the attack on the statue was, in effect, a personal statement of aesthetics by the attacker. Why was this particular piece chosen? Did it reflect some ideal that the attacker objected to? Did the statue represent some aspect of Western civilization that offended?

As late as 1999, the world focused on censorship of "Sensation," an art exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. The mayor of New York objected to a portrait of the Virgin Mary partially made from elephant dung and cutouts from pornographic photos. The mayor ordered the show closed and tried to stop funding to the museum. Courts ruled the action unconstitutional and the publicity resulted in record attendance at the show.

Living in an Age of Suspicion

As America emerges from the terror of the September 11, 2001, attacks, we find ourselves in a different world. Our fear of more attacks has prompted stricter government regulations. In this atmosphere, the populace is asked to watch its neighbors and report suspicious activity. Businesses and schools have become more restrictive and conservative. Americans are caught between the ideals that define the country--equality, opportunity, and trust--and the belief that it must defend and fend off those that would take all this away.

The Challenge of Art Education

How has this affected art education? Should teachers be more sensitive to the political and social climate when preparing lessons and deciding what to put on public display?

Art, by its very nature, provokes responses in thought and emotion. Art creates visceral and spontaneous reactions as well as thoughtful contemplative study. Art is meant to bring people closer to their feelings and perhaps question their true nature. The study of art requires the questioning of the nature of art and aesthetics, and all art teachers must address this with their students of they risk becoming instructors of technique. It is the responsibility of all art teachers to widen the vistas of their students and make them understand that art can be good, whether or not it ends up on the refrigerator at home or matches the color scheme of the furniture.

Art education presents a balancing act. Art educators must walk the fence between teaching lessons that push the envelope in art and implementing restrictions to prevent unwanted criticism. Criticism from the community and administration can harm a program or even put a teacher's job in jeopardy, but an art program does not have to be saccharin or bland to prevent negative responses. A well-thought-out program will enable students to cross that tricky fence and to better appreciate and understand their world.

Art teacher must practice this philosophy. Teachers who are fortunate enough to work in progressive districts that support the arts can always encourage students to not fear "the edge." They can confidently show student work that may be unusual of conceptual. Conceptual art communicates. It provides a platform for discussion and is not merely a decorative process. It is an important tool for learning.

Freedom with Responsibility

Students must learn to communicate and understand that others will view their work at many intellectual levels. An "anything goes" attitude toward artwork is risky. Establishing a rigid set of boundaries can help. This is not as contradictory as it sounds. The first educational objective is validity. Students are free to create within the constructs of the lesson. If a lesson calls for observation, then the idea of provocative imagery is a moot point. A teacher doesn't need to give questionable subject matter in a life drawing assignment. In this day and age, depictions of violent acts will most likely place students in jeopardy of administrative intervention. This is understandable and must be acknowledged.

Another consideration is developmental level. It is the responsibility of the teacher to make reasonable decisions about the age-appropriateness of the images studied by students. Not all young students are prepared to handle nudity, but older students could be exposed to classical sculpture with the understanding that their maturity level would allow them to get beyond the image and see the art.

Despite controls, students occasionally create works that are controversial. An artwork's merits must be weighed against the greater good of the program. Community levels of tolerance, administrative support, and educational value must be considered before a work is placed on even limited public view. The spectrum of considerations has broadened with the present national climate. Depictions that question religious and patriotic lines put forth by the present government may be more likely to come under scrutiny and force teachers to defend their decisions to display certain work.

Art teachers need not be timid and afraid to put the thoughtful work of their students out where it may be viewed. Art teachers merely need to be more judicious in deciding the time and place of viewing. Something that may offend a more conservative group can be placed in a less-traveled area. Gaining support of administration prior to showing controversial work and pleading a case for display based on free speech and the educational objective will help share the burden of complaints and acquire needed support. Art teachers need to lead by example in showing student work that may not be populist, just as artists throughout history have contributed to the development of human knowledge by pushing the envelope of accepted norms.

WEB LINK

www.ncac.org/issues/freeex911.html

David A. Petit is an art teacher at Eagle Hill Middle School in Manlius, New York.