Holiday Art Teaching Trends

After reading chapter 4 of "Roots oft Art Education", I decided that one art teaching trend I am SO ready to say goodbye to is the one-size fits all arts and crafts aspect of artwork centered around the holidays that lacks content. For example, the whole hand-turkey thing.

Break Up Letter

Dear Contentless Craft Garbage,

I am tired. So tired. I am tired of the art that is made being pointless, driven by nothing expect for a cute Christmas tree or an ugly hand turkey to be put on a wall and taken down a week later. All your stupid little arts and crafts are DONE making their way into the classroom. These symbols…hallmark symbols…have just become decoration and lack any sort of content and meaning (p 74). Let the children make a turkey if they feel connected to the turkey, but I am so over seeing these stupid coloring pages of your damn crappy turkey with the pilgrim hat on.

Oh, what’s that? You’re trying to tell me that “holiday art is a manifestation of the desire to beautify daily life” (p 68)? NO. Its TACKY. Like I said, there’s no content, no connection, and a third of these kids don’t even celebrate Christmas. We need personal connections to beautify daily life, not this crap.

I mean seriously, you said it yourself the other day. You texted me that “School art emerged as a series of simplified projects, often lacking in content” (p81), so what did you think was going to happen? Of course we are done. I am going to encourage content and connection in my classroom, and beautification will ALWAYS have meaning.

Good riddance,

Vivian

Flag Book Visual Response:

Me, in the endless hallway of hand turkeys displayed for "beautification".

Me strangling the turkey.