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Article: Wood spirits: African American folk art roots. (art education)
- Article from:
- School Arts
- Article date:
- February 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Davis Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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I teach at a historically Black University. As I work with African American art education students, I am constantly reminded of the need to bring about awareness of their cultural heritage.
Creating Meaning
First, one must address the need to develop a sense of cultural heritage. The African American traces her or his roots to the African Continent, where traditional imagery was based on the abstracting of forms to express ideals, rather than on the realistic portrayal of things.
Second, the American experience of Blacks has been, until recent times, to gain acceptance as artists by mimicking the mainstream "white" majority. Historically, ...