For thousands of years, traditional societies have been coping with the same social challenges of human existence that individuals face today. Until recently, the modern world has tended to ignore the ‘social arts’ possible contributions to our everyday lives, which may offer sustainable community solutions. This exhibition compares and contrasts how ancient and traditional visual arts, which reflect societal values, ideas and beliefs, also inspire contemporary art designs and civil dialogue.
“Visual art can be a tool for seeking truths, questioning the status quo, or of documenting everyday injustices, began to emerge soon after the development of the printing press, heralding the Enlightenment.” (Naidus, B., Arts for Change, 2009, p. 11)
How Traditions Inspire Today’s Artists:
The Cultural Arts Coalition's upcoming ASU West campus exhibition at Fletcher Library is in collaboration with more than 900 South Mountain H.S. Magnet Arts students and local professional artists. They have examined and explored this theme during their regularly scheduled classes through the support of the magnet visual arts teachers and the ongoing cultural arts and community building programming of more than a decade that has been afforded this high school by the Cultural Arts Coalition’s funding and facilitation.
There will be a community and student reception from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Feb. 10, outside of Fletcher Library specifically highlighting the community partner artworks of the South Mountain High School Magnet Arts Program.
The Mission of the Cultural Arts Coalition, Arizona: 501 (c) 3, is a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization in existence since 2005, identifying, promoting, celebrating, and documenting community arts practices that stimulate social awareness and advocacy, honor diverse cultural values, and develop creative and evaluative thinking skills for personal transformation and collective change.
