Stankewictz Reading reaction

Holidays are extremely important in our western culture.  Multiple holidays are celebrated by multiple cultures for multiple reasons. How would an art teacher, principal or school board decide which holidays we are supposed to celebrate in schools and which we are not?  In the multicultural, postmodern world that we live in today, the topic is quite controversial. However, in the chapter four reading it didn’t seem to be such a controversy, instead, it was a celebrated, exciting way to integrate arts into the classroom. By bringing holidays and celebrations into the classroom curriculum, arts could easily be integrated into everyday school curriculum.
Was art only about decoration in these schools? While reading, I found that the schools described had a desire to ornament their environments. Whether or not the ornamentation created was true “art” or just “craft”, the lessons in art education were not pushing students to learn about anything more than the creation of art. Some lessons could possibly bring lessons of multiculturalism, art history and so on, but it didn’t seem like these things were truly a part of the reason for the creation of such art.
The quote that found me the most intriguing in the article stated, “By making art pleasurable, simple enough to be taught by a teacher without specialized art training, and practical for classes whose time was limited, holiday art epitomized school art” (75).  This worried me because there was no appreciation for art as a subject, or something that needed to be taught correctly or thoroughly. Art, in this sense is just something that can be created in fifteen minutes and thrown up on the wall to decorate the classroom.
There is no reason for a specific art educator when a general education teacher could just make Easter flowers, jack-o-lanterns or holly leaves in each season. As soon as the schools needed to be beautified in order to produce a classroom where children would “naturally exhibit order and virtue”, it was then that art educators could be used adequately. Educated artists and art teachers were given the leadership roles in which they could make the environment, community and school more beautiful. Within the context of the beautification campaigns, art teachers became the art directors, set designers, costume designers and leaders of all things creative. Even though these things are great, I never read anything about an art teacher truly teaching the important things that art is comprised of. Things like color, line, texture, materials, techniques and so on were not important in this reading. Art educators were just the extra hands on deck in a classroom that just needed to be prettier.
This article took place in a modernist setting, so I understand that the historical context was not faced with issues of multiculturalism and other postmodernist values. I do know that art education in some places is still viewed as a way to simply make the world a more beautiful place. Art does make the world beautiful, but it can also help students to explore new ideas, learn about history, think critically and solve problems.