Multiculturalism and Art Education

Author: Ann C. S. Kuo(Graduate Institute of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University)

Abstract：

John Dewey stated that a democratic society "must have a type of education which gives individuals a personal interest in social relationships and control and the habits of mind which secure soical changes without in-troducing disorder. Multicultural education can be that type of education" (Dewey, 1916).
The Objectives of Multicultural Education
1.Increase individuals' self-understand ing and understanding of their cultures, and assist them in adapting to the larger environment.
2.Cultivate individuals' acceptance of, and respect for, other cultures.
3.Encourage individuals to freely choose the cultural entities of which they wish to be a part, and to select the lifestyles, values, and beliefs that they see fit. At the same time, multicultural education also stresses that all individuals have a responsibility to preserve the shared culture of their country.
Art Education in a Pluralistic Society
Viewed from a multicultural perspective, art must comprise not only the workds of different peoples, but also the works of different sub-cul-tures. Thus, the study and understanding of works of art must address such diverse considerations as the sex, socialclass, age, politics, and religion of their creators.
Gauguin in Latin America -Precursor of Multiculturalism
Gauguin's experience in Latin America left him with a deep respect for the en-vironment and mythology of the local people and enabled him to bring a greater breadth of vision to his subsequent painting. His depictions of the mythologies and life of the South Sea Islands are not quaint representations of foreign lands; instead, they reflect the actual beliefs and thinking of the local people. To be sure, his contact with Latin America and his Peruvian ancestry equipped him to view "the other" with greater sensitivity, respect, breadth of vision, and care. Nevertheless, his example was an important early catalyst in the development of the pluralistic views that are at the heart of art education today.

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