National Art Education Association

Growing in AppreciationAuthor(s): Pat VilleneuveSource: Art Education, Vol. 54, No. 4, Growing in Appreciation (Jul., 2001), pp. 4-5Published by: National Art Education AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3193896 .

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Growing in Appreciation In early February I traveled to the Hopi lands in

northern Arizona to witness the beginning of spring. I went with a young anthropologist to see

katsinas, the Hopi spirits, return to the village at dawn for Powamu. The lengthy ceremony included a bean dance and the initiation of small children into Hopi society. At 4 a.m., we checked the thermometer, layered on clothing until our limbs could barely bend, and drove 45 miles through utter darkness to Third Mesa. We arrived at Hoatvela well before the sun and waited discreetly in the car as the village came to life. Unable to find an obvious ceremonial site, we decided to follow a handful of villagers up a small hill. The footing was treacherous on the rutted

Crow Mother Katsina by Von Manongye, Hopi. Collection of the Heard Museum.

ice; I walked, head down, concentrating intensely. Suddenly my new friend grabbed my arm and pulled me back. 'That's Crow Mother," she gasped. A solitary figure rocked in front of me, silhouetted in a whisper of light. I could barely make out a large, feathered headpiece; later, as the sky brightened, I could see newly sprouted beans draped across Crow Mother's outstretched arms. I watched, transfixed, as villagers approached the katsina. Each murmured a prayer while scattering corn pollen across the young plants. An uprooted sprout retrieved from the Crow Mother ensured good crops in the upcoming season.

Crow Mother moved slowly through the windswept village, not reaching the kivas until full light. With the ethereal sound of bells, dozens of other katsinas appeared on top of the ceremonial structures. Small groups of beautifully costumed figures came down into the crowd and made their way through the community. Some katsinas bore gifts, while the clowns entertained, and ogres growled ominously at the children (to encourage good behavior). Through all of it, I kept my eye on one kiva. The village men there, clad only in loincloths, descended the ladder countless times to seek the blessings of Crow Mother and other katsinas waiting below on the snow.

I recognize that I went to Hoatvela with too little knowl- edge of the Hopi people or the ceremony I was viewing. I found myself in turns swept away with the experience and contemplating it. The visuals were breathtaking, but it was a rich, multisensory experience. I pondered how I could possibly share this with others. Photographic documenta- tion was out of the question. How could I convey the imagery as well as the feel of it all, from the children's excited faces, to the villagers' respect for Crow Mother, to the bitter cold that didn't faze the barefooted Hopi men? What did it mean? How could outsiders appreciate it in appropriate ways? What more did we need to know, and where could we find answers? More practically, how could we teach responsibly about this vibrant culture? And couldn't we do better than "kachinas" made from toilet paper tubes?

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ART EDUCATION / JULY 2001

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The July Art Education begins by addressing multi- cultural issues and then moves to stories in art and art appreciation. Although the topics may sound disparate, I think the articles flow from one to the next, as the topics overlap and then change. Christine Ballengee-Morris and Patricia Stuhr discuss the school reform movement that deals with multicultural concerns, and Lucy Andrus describes the culturally competent art educator. Based on interviews with the artist, Olive Jensen Theisen writes about the last two murals of John Biggers, and Bay Hallowell's Instructional Resource presents the works of four African-American artists. Alice Wexler discusses the complementarity of image and language, using a multi- cultural example. Julie Alsip Bucknam examines the role of personal stories in art education and art appreciation classes. Betty Oliver Seabolt charts the history of art appreciation courses and addresses definitions, philosophies, and practices.

There is a lot of food for thought in this issue, as well as examples of practice. Like my trip to Hoatvela, it may raise more questions than it answers, but that is a significant step. As individuals and a field, what will cause us to ask questions about our beliefs and practices-and how will we pursue our answers?

In Appreciation Five members of the Art Education editorial

board and review panel completed theirterms

at the NAEA conference in New York City.

Along with my predecessors, for whom they also worked, I would like to acknowledge

Stephen Carpenter, Bay Hallowell, Don Krug, Robert Sabol, and Virginia Stephen for their

service to this journal. I also want to welcome

the new reviewers: Jean Detlefsen, sec-

ondary: Susanne Floyd Gunter, secondary; Sallie Keith, elementary and middle; Barbara

Laws, supervision; James M. Liotta, supervi-

sion; Ralph Raunft, higher education; Ann

Rowson Love, museum; Pamela G. Taylor,

higher education; Barbra Wardle, higher edu-

cation. For the next 4 years, they will help determine which articles appear in Art

Education.

PatVilleneuve Editor

Pat Villeneuve is Curator ofEducation at the Spencer Museum of Art and Associate Professor of Visual Art Education and Art Museum Education at the University of Kansas and faculty associate atArizona State University. She has been a member of the Museum Education Division for 16 years. Direct comments about the editorial or journal to the address in the masthead orsend e-mail to patv@falcon.cc. ukans. edu.

JULY 2001 / ART EDUCATION

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