Libri & Liberi • 2015 • 4 (1): 85–102 85

UDK 82.0-93
82.09-93:7

Janelle Mathis
University of North Texas – Department of Teacher Education & Administration, USA
[email protected]

The Significance of the Arts in Culture:

Learning through Children’s Literature

Pregledni rad / review paper

Primljeno / received 07.03.2015. Prihvaćeno / accepted 10. 7. 2015.

Cultural studies frequently rely on the arts to reveal traditions, history,

ideologies, and other aspects of a particular group. However, at what
point and how are child readers asked to consider the significance of
the arts to individuals’ cultural lives? This paper shares an inquiry that
addresses how children’s literature, outside being a distinctive art form
in itself, can offer stories that place the arts inseparably at the heart of
one’s life experiences – defining culture, traditions, family history, and
personal identity. The inquiry shared here focuses on a text set of 12
children’s picturebooks in which characters connect to some form of
the arts in very specific and purposeful ways – facing a life challenge
as a result of his or her passion for the arts or a challenge for which the
arts hold resolution. Through the lens of New Historicism supported
by social semiotics, a critical content analysis of these books reveals
their potential for powerful, authentic insights into the role of the arts
in one’s personal culture.
Keywords: critical content analysis, identity, historicism, picturebook,
art

Introduction
Cultural studies frequently rely on the arts to reveal traditions, history,
ideologies, and other identifying aspects of a particular group, thus going beyond
the notion of the arts as mainly entertainment. As used in this study, the arts (broadly
conceived) include the many crafted or shaped forms of image, language, music,
and movement (such as sports and dance) carried out in skilled and creative ways.
86 J. Mathis: The Significance of the Arts in Culture: Learning...

Artists, through the application of technique and skill “achieve expressiveness

through the ways in which form has been crafted or shaped” and inform through
the sensory side of human experience what often cannot be seen directly (Eisner
2008: 8). In formal ways, cultural studies address the impact of the arts from
social science perspectives. The notion that the meaning of an artistic artefact is
historically contextualized is an accepted belief in many venues (Malpas 2013).
Recently, researchers have recognized the significance of the arts in qualitative
research methodologies (Leavy 2015) and, at times, suggest that the arts as method
parallel the requirements of qualitative research (Knowles & Cole 2008). This is
not to say that those artists whose lives are framed by their field and passion have
not always recognized the importance of the arts beyond their aesthetic appeal, but
as the complexities of qualitative research extend the methodological approach,
insights from the arts are given greater recognition.
In classrooms today, children are frequently introduced to other cultures
through music, drama, or the visual arts − tangible means to identify the unique
backgrounds of varied groups. In some situations these approaches are used to
reflect similarities as well as differences in life experiences; in other situations,
the focus is on the unique aspects of the arts that set cultures apart. As young
learners are introduced to the concept of culture very early in life, these visual
symbols of culture are meaningful for young children to begin to establish a sense
of the diversity surrounding them at a time when the visual is a key means to
their understanding of the world around them. However, at what point and in what
ways are children invited to consider the significance of the arts to an individual’s
cultural identity, life experiences, and lived passions? This question echoes Elliot
Eisner who asked, “Are the arts merely ornamental aspects of human production
and experience or do they have a more significant role to play in enlarging human
understanding?” (2008: 3).
In attempting to respond to the question of how to invite children into deeper
understandings of the arts in an individual’s life, one can turn to children’s literature.
Advocates of this literature are quick to acknowledge the depth of understanding
and response that results from young readers’ connections to discerningly chosen
and strategically shared books. Children’s literature, a distinctive art form in itself,
offers stories that place the arts inseparably at the heart of one’s life experiences.
The exploratory inquiry shared here examined 12 books wherein some form of the
arts was intrinsic to the theme of each. Seven of the twelve books are biographical
fiction, based on fact but still offering a fictional experience. Three titles are
historical fiction and two blend realistic and historical fiction. Through the lens of
New Historicism supported by social semiotics, a critical content analysis of these
Libri & Liberi • 2015 • 4 (1): 85–102 87

books revealed their potential for powerful, authentic insights into the significance
of the arts in one’s personal culture and identity.

Theoretical frame
Children’s literature has assumed many roles and responsibilities for young
readers in the past few decades. Besides being a source of enjoyment, imagination,
and exposure to a variety of places, people, and experiences, researchers are
exploring this literature as a resource for critically considering social issues (Lehr
2001, Singer 2006, Crisp & Hiller 2011, Leland, Lewison & Harste 2012, Short
2012a), understanding culture (Cai 1997, Hade 1997, Harris 1997, Bishop 2007),
and developing a sense of community, both local and global (Short 2012b, Choo
2013). Ultimately, many believe that using literature with children strategically
from a critical stance has the potential to impact children’s identity, agency, and
their ability to take other perspectives (Harste 2014, Mathis 2015). Authenticity
within the story told, therefore, has become a focus for many scholars and its
complexity is acknowledged (Fox & Short 2003). In this search for authenticity
and for issues that might promote stereotypes, critical content analyses have been
conducted to examine closely the contents of books (Bothelo & Rudman 2009,
Bradford 2009, Johnson, Mathis & Short 2016). The literature shared here focuses
on the use of story within picturebooks to enhance readers’ understandings of the
past, present, and future. Stories are how people make sense of their worlds and the
worlds of others (Short 2011, Siu-Runyan 2007) and can support readers’ insights
in very natural frameworks as readers relate the stories of others to the stories that
shape their own lives. The literature within this study reflects the power of story to
share culture, value, and identity.
While chapter books were also read in light of the topic at hand, the significance
of the arts in culture, picturebooks are the focus of this particular inquiry. Besides
being an artistic form within itself, this “intricate dance between words and visual
images” (Sipe 2011: 238) is rich with sociological and ideological implications:
“There is no such thing as value-free art, whether it is purely literary art or the
combination of visual and verbal art that constitutes the picturebook” (244). Sipe
continues in his discussion to share the potential of picturebooks to be a catalyst for
shifts in readers’ thinking as they invite thinking into culture, identity and ideology.
He also shares with others the concern that the arts in general receive little attention
in many schools, and that picturebooks can serve to nurture an aesthetic appreciation
in these classrooms (Dewey 1934/1980, Sipe & Beach 2001, Nikolajeva 2005,
Gadsden 2008). Through the aesthetics of these books, sociocultural implications
abound that can potentially speak to the role of the arts in one’s personal culture.
88 J. Mathis: The Significance of the Arts in Culture: Learning...

Examining art itself or the role of art within narratives, contemporary scholars
turn to a uniquely defined lens that helps to articulate the significance of the arts
for both aesthetic purposes as well as the arts as knowledge. This knowledge
includes communicating ideologies, both personal and social, and documenting
contemporary and historical events. The theoretical lens of New Historicism helps
to frame the belief about the arts that undergirds the analysis described here as it
views the arts as integral to understanding and contextualizing historical events
and the cultural implications of particular eras. New Historicism is framed on the
interdependence of the arts and culture. Art and literature are shaped by the beliefs
and desires of society and actively sustain and challenge them as sites of power
and resistance (Gillespie 2010, Malpas 2013). Therefore, artistic forms can be
considered documentary texts providing insight into cultural events or historical
eras (Mathis 2016).
Within the current inquiry that examines children’s books with demonstrations
of characters engaged in the arts, New Historicism provides support in considering
art forms as integral to everyday life as they weave throughout social contexts
and include power relations of particular eras. Of particular interest is the New
Historicist focus on the work of Michel Foucault in questioning the production and
potential change of social order. Foucault claims that “history is discontinuous; a
given period is better understood as a site of conflict between competing interests
and discourses than as a unified whole; and the role and function of power is
redefined” (Malpas 2013: 67). As this inquiry reveals, the notion of power is evident
in books for children.
Aligned with New Historicism and another theoretical lens to be mentioned
later, social semiotics provides yet another lens to frame this study and clarify its
findings. Semiotics involves a focus on how individuals use various sign systems,
such as language, music, visual arts, movement, such as dance or the aesthetic
aspects of sports, and others to communicate and represent. Social semiotics,
aligned with other theoretical lenses, focuses on how people use sign systems
within particular historical and cultural social settings (Van Leeuwen 2005).
According to Marjorie Siegel and Deborah W. Rowe, “This implies a dynamic,
reflexive relationship between text and context in which individuals acting with
text shape and are shaped by their participation in activities” (2011: 206). Social
semiotics supports an understanding of the integral role of the arts in everyday life:
“Becoming aware of our capacity to feel is a way of discovering our humanity. Art
helps us connect with personal, subjective emotions, and through such a process, it
enables us to discover our own interior landscape” (Eisner 2008: 11).
Libri & Liberi • 2015 • 4 (1): 85–102 89

Method
Critical content analysis
Content analysis is a frequently used approach to analyzing, describing, and
interpreting literature. Since it is a highly adaptable method, it has been applied for
a variety of purposes utilizing a variety of theoretical lenses. The present inquiry is
developed within the field of education where there is a concerted interest in a critical
analysis of text that emerges from current classroom issues. Therefore, the origin
of the research questions and the implications of the research are intimately tied to
the classroom and to children as readers (Johnson, Mathis & Short 2016). While
content analysis serves to inform some aspects of this study, the notion of critical
content analysis is also important within the current educational interest in critical
literacy. As a result of the nature of the book choices for this study and the specific
interest and questions of the researcher, the notion of critical that points to locating
power in social practices as well as uncovering conditions of inequality, became a
natural focus in the data collection. “Critical content analysis provides important
insights on specific books that are significant within classrooms, particularly as
related to issues of cultural authenticity and representation, all issues of increasing
interest” (Johnson, Mathis & Short 2016).
Data collection and analysis
This inquiry began with an interest in the arts as portrayed by children’s
literature, especially literature that reflects global scenarios. A list of books was
created over time from award lists in the United States as well as personal reading
and exploration of children’s and adolescent literature. The books that were most
intriguing became those historical and personal stories in which characters engaged
with some form of the arts in very specific and purposeful ways − biographical
fiction and historical fiction. In many of these life stories, the characters were facing
life challenges as a result of their passion for the arts or challenges for which the
arts held resolution. These books initiated questions regarding whether children
are invited to consider the significance of the arts to life rather than just being
introduced to the arts as an aesthetic opportunity.
Thus, the research question guiding this study became: How does children’s
literature demonstrate the significance of the arts in cultural aspects, such as identity
formation, historical insight, and sociocultural issues?
Of the many books identified over the preceding ten year period that revealed
the arts being used in significant ways, a representative text set of 12 books was
selected wherein the characters’ personal connections to some artistic form were
tightly woven into sociocultural issues that presented the arts as a challenge or as a
90 J. Mathis: The Significance of the Arts in Culture: Learning...

means of resolution. The representative books identified here are picturebooks that
reflect the strong demonstrations consistently identified over time in the overall
ongoing list of books, although chapter books are also in the ongoing list. As each
book was read and reread, questions were asked that evolved from the focus of the
inquiry and the critical content analysis stance of the researcher. These questions
began with the following, but each was expanded as further questions developed:
• Is the art form positioned as identity, a passion, a challenge, or resolution
of an issue?
• What is the specific role of the arts as challenge or resolution?
• Is the challenge an issue of power? Inequity?
• Whose perspective is told and/or whose voice is missing?
• What historical or cultural contexts situate the story’s artistic focus? What
is missing?
These questions formed the various categories that entitled the columns of an
inquiry chart used to record data and provide a frame to support the identification of
themes during analysis. Once each book had been examined in light of the critical
questions asked above, the answers were recorded as data on the chart (see Table
1). Examining data across the titles through an adaptation of a constant comparative
method provided insight into themes that were prevalent. These themes respond to
the research question above that asks: How does children’s literature demonstrate
the significance of the arts in cultural aspects, such as identity formation, historical
insight, and sociocultural issues?
The following sections elaborate on these themes using specific examples
from the text set of books and support from theoretical and scholarly perspectives.
While each theme is discussed using one or two exemplary titles, the themes can
also be found weaving throughout all titles as together they create a tapestry that
supports the potential significance of the arts in one’s culture.

Discussion
Examining the categories of the data chart revealed themes that support
children’s literature as a resource for insight into the role of the arts in personal
culture and identity. These themes are shared here through specific titles, but they
are themes that can be identified in a variety of books where the arts are integral to
its narrative.
The arts persevere despite the challenges of inequity and disabilities
The arts have often been a strong source of identity, so much so that even
when faced with challenges, the artist, driven by his or her passion, perseveres.
Libri & Liberi • 2015 • 4 (1): 85–102 91

One source of challenge is that of the injustice that lies at the core of inequity.
Sociocultural issues of power and the hierarchy of social constructs can undergird
a narrative and create a context that exposes inequity.
In Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story (Yoo & Lee 2005),
Sammy, of Korean-American ethnicity, was intrigued with the art of diving. As
a twelve-year-old in 1932, he could only dream about becoming proficient since
all people of color in Los Angeles were limited to using the public pool one day
a week. He also became aware of the Olympics and his desire to be a champion
diver grew. When he was eighteen, one man noticed him and became his coach,
even though Sammy often had to practice in a specially created sand pit. With
the onset of World War II and his father’s death, he decided to follow his father’s
wishes and became a highly respected doctor while still dwelling on his love of the
physical art of diving. This continued focus resulted in his winning a gold medal at
the Olympics when he was twenty-eight despite the challenges of discrimination
he faced along the way. His success was fed by his passion and talent for the art of
diving; even in a successful medical position the artist in him never was still.
A Place Where Sunflowers Grow (Lee-Tai & Hoshino 2006) is yet another book
that reflects the role of the arts in facing challenges of inequity. The perseverance
of the Japanese-Americans is shown here through one family who strives to make
the best of their living in an internment camp where they were taken during WWII.
The mother, an artist, plants sunflowers, one of the few plants to live in the desert
sun, and worries about her daughter Mari who is withdrawn as she misses her
home. While in school, Mari discovers that drawing creates a “sense of purpose and
peace” as she creates images of her mother’s sunflowers. In this book, the use of
art in the Japanese-taught schools provides a traditional means for children to cope
with the sudden change in lifestyle and loss of personal possessions and freedom.
In both of these scenarios, issues of power emerge as obstacles in the lives
of these very different individuals and yet, artistic endeavors are the source of
inspiration that propel Sammy to Olympic victory and Mari into drawing which
serves as comfort in a challenging time. The notion that “power is everywhere
[…] a complex strategical situation in a particular society” (Foucault 1984: 93) is
evidenced in many children’s books reflective of different stories of power creating
social injustices during World War II and other historical eras.
Disabilities also provide challenges to engaging in the arts and pursuing
one’s passion. Yet these challenges can be met with a determination and passion
to continue. In fact, many authentic narratives reveal the arts as providing both the
goal and the impetus to overcome the limitations of the disability and go beyond
what might be possible otherwise. One such book is A Splash of Red; the Life and
92 J. Mathis: The Significance of the Arts in Culture: Learning...

Table 1. Data obtained from the sample analysis.

Tablica 1. Podatci dobiveni analizom odabranoga uzorka.

Title, author, year Genre Culture/country/era Art form Role of the arts:
published Historical context situating Passion Challenge
the artistic focus Resolution
Resiliency
Sweethearts of Rhythm Historical fiction (in US Music/swing Passion
(Nelson & Pinkney 2009) poetry format) WW II Resolution
Resiliency

Memories of Survival Biographical Germany/US Needlework Resolution

(Krinitz & Steinhardt 2005) fiction − WW II/Holocaust
autobiography

Show Way (Woodson & Biographical US, from about 1800 to Quilting Passion
Talbott 2005) fiction − present; focus on culture Writing Challenge
autobiography of slaves as enacted by this Resolution
family through contemporary Resiliency
times

Jose! Born to Dance Biographical fiction Mexico and US Dance Passion

(Reich & Colón 2005) (historical) 20th C Challenge

Dave the Potter: Artist, Biographical fiction US Pottery Passion

Poet, Slave (Hill & Collier (historical) 17th C Resolution (adding
2010) poetry to pottery)

A Song for Ba (Yee & Wang Realistic fiction Canada Chinese opera Passion
2004) (some historical Chinese-Canadian Challenge
reference)

Silent Music (Rumford 2008) Realistic fiction Baghdad Calligraphy Passion

(some historical Resiliency
reference)

Sixteen Years in Sixteen Biographical fiction US Olympic diving Passion

Seconds (Yoo & Lee 2005) (historical) 20th C Challenge

Henry and the Kite Dragon Historical fiction US/New York Kite making/ Passion
(Hall & Low 2004) Early 20th C pigeon training Challenge
Resolution

A Splash of Red: The Life Biographical fiction US Painting Passion

and Art of Horace Pippin (historical) 20th C Challenge
(Bryant & Sweet 2013)
Django (Christensen 2009) Biographical fiction Belgium Music Music was part of early
(historical) Gypsy/Roma camp & Jazz guitarist cultural experiences
beyond as book progresses & guitar became his
Early 1900s identity
A Place Where Sunflowers Historical fiction US Drawing Art was part of
Grow (Lee-Tai & Hoshino Japanese- American Painting schooling in internment
2006) WW II camp
Libri & Liberi • 2015 • 4 (1): 85–102 93

Role of the arts as related Unique aspect/ Issues of power or Voices/perspectives Other
to identity of character(s) significance of the arts equity Heard – or not heard challenges faced
revealed in book

Integration of 3 art Civil rights issues Voices of women and

forms; music shown as woven throughout; Jim minorities heard through
bringing people together Crow laws music/swing
in challenging times
Provided a way to tell Needle work is a One family/girl’s One victim’s voice Moving from
her story, leave story for personal art form; experience fleeing speaking for family and place to place as
others, through art and text extensive time required; from Hitler and death; neighbors as well a child
family heirloom with power over Jews
significance to history
Linking generations & Symbolism within Slavery; injustice Voices of slaves heard
handing down a strong quilting is handed down during civil rights era through quilts at a time
sense of self and family; to generations as each when they had no voice
assuming the role of “show finds their own show and were denied literacy;
way”; identity through way; Woodson is writing Woodson’s writing gives
family art her story her voice in contemporary
times
Jose hears rhythms all Drive of the artist to Cultural conflict Jose’s artistic “voices” of Situating himself
around from childhood; pursue dream; movement because of rhythm shared throughout in the art form
seeks way to share his art from one art form to socioeconomics as an book most appropriate
another to communicate immigrant; leaving
to others (audience) family to pursue dream
Unique glimpse of many Talent in the trade he Slavery Voice found in the art of
aspects of art of this slave; was assigned; using pottery for which he was
identity through voice of lyrical verse to claim the known and in lyrics he
lyrics pottery as his own engraved on pottery at a
time when slaves were
not allowed to learn to
read or write
Hopes of pursuing a role in Conflict of old and new; Not necessarily power Changing culture
opera to follow father and traditional opera form vs or equity; economics with less demand
grandfather new culture an issue as opera for performances
becomes less popular
Ancient culture of Arts/war in ancient and Not power in Voice found in
calligraphy is hobby of modern times; continuity immediate focus but calligraphy
boy; sustains in times of of traditions bombing points to
conflict power issues in setting
Determination despite Artistic satisfaction Racism kept Lee from Voice in perseverance to Desire of father
injustice and success as found in Olympic sports practicing in public achieve dream despite for Lee to be a
physician pools obstacles and success as doctor
physician
Each group followed Conflict due to artistic Effort made towards Both groups’ voices heard
cultural artistic endeavors; interests but art helped to equality in resolution
kite making handed down resolve conflict
by elderly
Painting was his joy and Perseverance overcomes Not focus Voice through painting to Disability caused
later his way to proclaim even disability include messages about by war injury
his message conflict/war
From Gypsy/Roma camps Artist desire so Not focus but Voice through music/ Disability caused
to Paris, became famous; compelling that he economic situation, guitar by fire
overcame disability caused developed a new sound perhaps, resulted
by fire in fire
Painting was her escape Art even within Japanese internment
from the injustice imposed “unartistic during WW II
on her family for being environments” creates
Japanese American solace
94 J. Mathis: The Significance of the Arts in Culture: Learning...

Art of Horace Pippin (Bryant & Sweet 2013). This award-winning title relates the
story of self-taught artist Horace Pippin, an African American born in 1888, who
revealed his talent for drawing as a young child. He quit school to take care of his
family when his father left home, and eventually Horace fought in World War I.
His honorable service in the army was a turning point in his life as he was injured,
and the implications were that he would not be able to draw again. However, with
determination he returned to painting, creating images of the everyday world
around him but also of his memories of the war. His work is now highly regarded
in major museums in the USA. The author’s note in the book speaks to the topic
here as Bryant says, “Through his art, he transcended personal loss, injury, poverty,
violence, and racism” (2013: np). The illustrations by Melissa Sweet also speak
to the voice Pippin gained through his art. A quote in Publishers Weekly Review
column (2013) states, “Quotations from Pippin about the psychological scars of
war and his artistic process are hand-drawn into Sweet’s images, underscoring how
art was not only a joyful outlet for Pippin, but also a vital means of interpreting the
world.” Art as “a vital means of interpreting the world” is a concept that weaves as
well through the other themes identified here.
Django (Christensen 2009) is the story of a well known jazz guitarist that
begins in a “Gypsy” or Roma camp in Belgium in 1910, where he grew up around
music and taught himself to play the guitar. Moving to Paris, he played on street
corners and sometimes in concerts until he was badly burned in a home fire and
told he would no longer play. Determined, however, he overcame this disability
and continued into a career that was world renowned. His innate talent and passion
for guitar music knew no boundaries and when his burned left hand required him
to create a different way to play, the result was a unique sound that led him to
continued fame.
The arts bring people together
While we can learn of other cultures through artistic means, young readers
can also realize the potential of the arts in crossing cultural borders. Henry and the
Kite Dragon (Hall & Low 2004) relates this concept as two groups of children are
brought together through a misunderstanding of the artistic hobbies of each other.
In the 1920s many different ethnic groups were living in New York City and as an
immigrant population, they brought with them many different cultural traditions.
This story is about two groups of children from China and Italy whose favorite
pastimes, making and flying kites for one group and training homing pigeons for
the other, interfere with each other in problematic ways. Just as cultural differences
can present tension or conflict, so people must learn to overcome these tensions to
create better ways to live together. Such is the case with the young men in this story.
Libri & Liberi • 2015 • 4 (1): 85–102 95

Based on a true experience, the story of these young men reflects the authentic
artistic activities that comprise the plot.
The arts are an active, visible demonstration of individual identity and voice
Sweethearts of Rhythm: The Story of the Greatest All-Girl Swing Band in the
World by Marilyn Nelson and Jerry Pinkney (2009), another story set in the mid-
twentieth century, is a powerful example of this theme. During World War II swing
was a popular form of music for listening and dancing even though the men who
usually comprised swing bands were away fighting in the war. In a small school
created to teach a trade to young people of color from low economic means, a
group of young female students formed a band and set out to entertain a nation and
help provide resilience during wartime. Told from the voices of instruments in a
New Orleans pawn shop, writer Marilyn Nelson and illustrator Jerry Pinkney have
created a story in poetry and art that not only describes and honors these young
women but also gives readers a sense of the sociocultural environment during the
time of the Jim Crow Laws. Thus, their sense of identity and agency through their
music surpassed the challenges of cultural injustice and the struggle for human
rights, discussed previously as a theme of this inquiry, as they traveled nationally
and internationally. Music became a form of resiliency during World War II, and
this book reveals that it was not limited to the predominant ethnic or gender group.
In Jose! Born to Dance (Reich & Colón 2005), a young artist struggles to
share his soul with the world. As a young child in Mexico, Jose Limon heard music
in all that was around him. When the Mexican Revolution of 1910 erupted, his
family left the familiar surroundings and began the journey to the United States.
He worked with and for his family once they arrived in their new homeland, all the
while showing great talent in painting. After his mother died, he made the decision
to go to New York City to become a great painter; however, he felt uninspired and
yearned for a way to give to others. Once he experienced a dance performance,
he realized his love of music and art could be combined in this form. Jose Limon
ultimately became a renowned choreographer. Dance was part of his being and his
struggles to find a place to grow in this art is described simply but effectively. While
based on fact, fictionalized musical allusions help young readers realize the music
that is around them daily.
The arts are a source of comfort and strength in trying times
Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad (Rumford 2008) provides a more
contemporary story of Ali, a fictional but typical boy who loves playing soccer
with his friends and music. He loves to practice calligraphy and is inspired by Yakut
96 J. Mathis: The Significance of the Arts in Culture: Learning...

who lived in Baghdad 800 years before Ali was born. Just as traditional stories
tell of Yakut going to his tower and using calligraphy to comfort himself in times
of conflict, so Ali does the same when Baghdad is bombed. This traditional art is
described through both a modern-day boy and a historical figure whose work is still
remembered in this part of the world. Both use calligraphy to cope with the tensions
and uncertainties of war. A closing metaphor of the difficulty in writing the word
“peace” versus writing the word “war” sends a strong message about the necessary
effort to achieve peace.
The previously mentioned, A Place Where Sunflowers Grow, is another
example of the arts as a source of comfort during challenging times. Mari doesn’t
understand why she is sent from her home to the internment camp, but drawing
becomes a joy to look forward to in her daily life.
As a cultural bridge, the arts connect generations
Times are changing, and living in a “New World” adds to the difficulty of
keeping one’s own culture alive. In A Song for Ba (Yee & Wang 2004), Wei Lim
wants to follow his father and grandfather in being part of the Chinese opera.
However, Ba, his father, is troubled by the lack of public interest in the opera.
Additionally, his fleeting opportunities to play the larger and more demanding male
roles have delegated him to take female parts even though his voice struggles to
do this. Wei Lim’s grandfather has secretly taught him how to sing these parts,
and it is Wei that comes to his father’s rescue in assisting his performance as well
as reflecting on the ongoing effort to maintain this cultural aspect of their lives.
Realizing that historical and cultural contexts differ from generation to generation
is pivotal for readers to potentially recognize, later on, the need to redefine “the
ways in which art and literature were produced, experienced and valued” (Malpas
2013: 69) during a given historical period. Also, when one generation realizes what
is culturally important to a previous generation, a strong lesson in why history
matters has occurred.
The arts provide a venue for telling one’s story
One way of connecting generations as shared above is that of telling one’s life
story, so it is never forgotten. In Memories of Survival (Krinitz & Steinhardt 2005)
Esther Krinitz survived the Holocaust, but her stories remind readers and viewers
of the horrific events that millions experienced. At the age of 50, she decided to tell
her life story in embroidered panels that included some description of her own. She
created a visual reminder of the horrific events and her daughter decided to place
this in a book to share with readers. The actual panels are in a museum, but the
reproductions in the book capture the details and emotions of Krinitz as a young
Libri & Liberi • 2015 • 4 (1): 85–102 97

girl. Her art was a way of telling her story but also a way of preserving this historic
event “lest it be forgotten.”
In Show Way, Jacqueline Woodson (Woodson & Talbott 2005) shares her own
heritage as she traces stories of her ancestry from the early days of slavery in the
United States to present times through the traditional art of quilt making. Of course,
quilt making served also as informational tools with hidden messages sewn within
for slaves to follow in their escape to freedom prior to and during the Civil War, so
the role of the arts in this book has layers of significance in the lives of those within
the narrative. Woodson shares in carefully created dialect the “show way” art of her
ancestors that continues in her own writing as a “show way” to readers. The notion of
quilts as symbolic messages is acknowledged by Helen Ball, who states (2008: 365):
In some cases quilts are used as subversive acts – as a medium for the expression
of resistance, rage, grief, and the celebration. The irony is that while these stories
were created, not a word needed to be said. For many, quilts are merely beautiful
presentations of colors and patterns, but to those who know how to read them, they
contain complex stories and meanings.

Another book that takes readers to a slavery era is Dave the Potter: Artist,
Poet, Slave (Hill and Collier 2010). The story of Dave, a slave whose task was
that of making large pottery pieces, is told in short lyrical verse and richly created
images that reflect an individual of both extreme strength and warmth. Although
the description here reveals the art of pottery as both a gift and passion, we realize
that while the evidence of Dave’s talent lives on today in the artifacts that remain,
his passion has to be contextualized in the culture and ideology of the times.
Nevertheless, what Laban Carrick Hill brings to the attention of readers about Dave
are the short lyrical lines engraved on the bottom of his work. Although it was
highly unusual at this time for a slave to write, or at least for slaves who could
write to reveal themselves as such, this touch of verbal art imprinted on the clay art
provides another example of the arts as significant to culture. In this case, Dave’s
voice found life beyond his own through his engraved pottery that can still be seen
and read. The author provides examples of Dave’s lyrical lines and where they were
found at the end of the poetic historical account.
The art of lyrics is an ancient one that continues in many forms throughout
history: “Lyric language is often grounded in the particular and has been described
as resonant and embodied” (Neilsen 2008: 95). Neilsen continues to acknowledge
that lyric language is marginalized by some since it is associated with the personal
or imaginative. But she continues by stating a powerful notion by Zwicky that “we
need to recognize that imagination allows us to enter the experience of another
without appropriation, ownership, or reductiveness” (2003: 95). Such a belief can
98 J. Mathis: The Significance of the Arts in Culture: Learning...

be applied to any experience with literature and is of special note in this inquiry
as the books discussed here ask readers to consider the personal connections of
characters to the arts.

Conclusions
Returning to the theoretical lens undergirding this inquiry, New Historicism,
any exploration into historical and social implications of the arts must be prefaced
with the understanding that historical artists are using their talents and creative
imaginations in the context of the social discourses of their cultural eras: “The work
of art is the product of a negotiation between a creator or class of creators, equipped
with a complex, communally shared repertoire of conventions, and the institutions
and practices of society” (Greenblatt 1989: 12). While this concept may be beyond
the developmental parameters of the children reading these stories, educators can
indeed turn to historical contexts for explanations of how and why certain events,
emotions, and dialogue led to the artistic engagement at the heart of such stories.
Maxine Greene describes the arts as public spaces for social transformation.
However, she also recognizes that “of all our cognitive capacities, imagination is
the one that permits us to give credence to alternative realities. It allows us to
break with the taken for granted, to set aside familiar distinctions and definitions”
(2000: 3). Children’s literature can invite readers into situations and events, both
past and present, where their imaginations flourish if such spaces are created by
educators. These spaces need to be supported, however, by insights into historical
contexts that invite the reader to suspend his or her disbelief while imaginatively
contemplating other realities.
Learning about other people, both within one’s local community and the
global community is clearly implied in the selected stories shared here − stories that
represent other cultural narratives that exist across developmental levels of readers
and across genre. Engaging in thoughtful discussions, asking critical questions of
their reading, relating the contents of literature to contemporary people and events,
and finding personal connections to the arts as a cultural medium are possible
outcomes when teachers use such books to empower students. Perceiving the arts
as natural, functional sources for cultural insights, dissemination, and individual
growth becomes a potential goal in classrooms where literature empowers young
readers. The diversity of people and situations serves as demonstrations to readers
that their own cultural identities can flourish within their artistic passions.
While this study was focused on literature accessible within the United States,
the notion of the inseparable relationship between the arts and culture is a universal
belief. One overarching theme arising from this analysis is that engagement in
Libri & Liberi • 2015 • 4 (1): 85–102 99

the arts knows no boundaries − socioeconomic, geographical, race, historical, or

gender. This notion cuts across all books offered to young readers today where the
arts are significant to cultural lives. As these narratives potentially serve to invite
young readers to realize the significance of the arts in their own lives, they can also
realize their significance for others in the global community.
Literature invites readers to immerse themselves into storyworlds to gain
insights about how people live, feel, and think around the world − to develop
emotional connections and empathy as well as knowledge. These connections go
beyond the surface knowledge of food, dance, clothing, folklore and facts about a
country to the values and beliefs that lie at the core of each culture (Short 2011:
130).
As educators everywhere expand the notion of literacy to include the many
ways we understand and communicate with the world around us, insight into the
role of the arts becomes critical in building knowledge of past and present cultures,
and understanding the sociocultural contexts that frame the extent and depth of our
knowledge. Children’s literature can invite young readers into such insights as well
as the realization of the potential of the arts to build personal identity and cultural
expression. While educators of all types entertain the arts for aesthetic enjoyment,
or rather let the arts entertain them, the cultural significance that ensures the
continuation of this entertainment also positions it at the heart of historical events
and personal endeavors of artists.

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Reich, Susanna & Raúl Colón. 2005. Jose! Born to Dance. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Rumford, James. 2008. Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
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Janelle Mathis
Odsjek za izobrazbu učitelja, Sveučilište North Texas, SAD
Abteilung für die Lehrerbildung der Universität North Texas, USA

Važnost umjetnosti u kulturi: učenje iz dječje književnosti

Kulturni studiji često se oslanjaju na umjetnost da bi otkrili tradicije, povijest, ideologije i
ostale aspekte određene skupine. Međutim, u kojemu se trenutku i na koji način od djece
traži razmišljanje o važnosti umjetnosti u kulturnome životu pojedinca? Ovaj rad istražuje
kako dječja književnost, osim kao samosvojna umjetnička forma, može ponuditi priče koje
neraskidivo smještaju umjetnost u središte životnoga iskustva neke osobe – definirajući
kulturu, tradiciju, obiteljsku povijest te vlastiti identitet. Istraživanje je usmjereno na
dvanaest slikovnica, dječjih knjiga u kojima se likovi povezuju s nekom umjetnošću na
poseban i svrsishodan način, pri čemu se svaki lik suočava sa životnim izazovom koji je
posljedica strasti za nekom umjetnošću ili s izazovom za koji umjetnost nudi rješenje. S
pomoću novohistorističke književne teorije, dopunjene društvenom semiotikom, kritička
analiza sadržaja ovih knjiga otkriva njihov potencijal za snažan i autentičan uvid u ulogu
umjetnosti u kulturi pojedinca. Dok se u obrazovanju koncept pismenosti proširuje različitim
načinima na koje razumijemo svijet koji nas okružuje i na koje s njime komuniciramo,
uloga umjetnosti postaje presudna u izgradnji znanja o prošlim i sadašnjim kulturama te
za razumijevanje društvenoga i kulturnoga konteksta koji uokviruju opseg i dubinu našega
znanja. „Samo odbijanjem razdvajanja umjetničkoga izraza od drugih formi društvene i
kulturne interakcije, ističu novohistoristi, umjetnost ili književnost mogu postati smislenima
i važnima za sve nas“ (Malpas 2013: 67).
Ključne riječi: kritička analiza sadržaja, identitet, novi historizam, slikovnica, umjetnost

Wichtigkeit der Kunst in der Kultur: Lernen durch Kinderliteratur

Kulturwissenschaften greifen oft nach der Kunst, um die Merkmale der Tradition, der
Geschichte, der Ideologie und sonstiger Aspekte des Zusammenlebens einer Gruppe
festzuhalten. Es stellt sich jedoch die Frage, in welchem Augenblick und auf welche Weise
man von den Kindern verlangt, dass sie über die Wichtigkeit der Kunst im kulturellen Leben
des Einzelnen nachdenken? Im Beitrag wird die Art und Weise untersucht, auf welche die
Kinder- und Jugendliteratur Geschichten anbietet, worin die Kunst zum Mittelpunkt der
Lebenserfahrungen wird, indem sie Kultur, Tradition, Familiengeschichten sowie eigene
Identität bestimmt. Es werden zwölf Bilder- und Kinderbücher besprochen, worin die
Gestalten mit einer der Kunstformen verbunden und zugleich mit Lebensherausforderungen
konfrontiert werden, welche das Ergebnis ihrer Begeisterung mit der Kunst sind oder eine
Herausforderung darstellen, wofür die Kunst eine Lösung anbietet. Anhand der durch die
Theorie der gesellschaftlichen Semiotik unterstützten neuhistoristischen Literaturtheorie
wird der Inhalt dieser Bücher einer kritischen Analyse unterzogen und ihr Potenzial für die
Erlangung von Einblicken in die Rolle der Kunst in der Kultur des Einzelnen festgestellt.
Während im Bildungssystem das Alphabetismuskonzept auf verschiedene Weisen, auf die
wir die umgebende Welt verstehen und mit ihr kommunizieren, erweitert wird, wird die
Kunst zum entscheidenden Faktor im Ausbau der Wissensbestände über die vergangenen
und gegenwärtigen Kulturen sowie für das Verständnis des gesellschaftlichen und kulturellen
Kontextes, welcher den Umfang und die Tiefe unserer Wissens umrahmt. „Nur dadurch,
dass man die Abgliederung des Kunstausdruckes von anderen Formen gesellschaftlicher
und kultureller Interaktion ablehnt, erlangen Kunst oder Literatur nach den Neuhistoristen
für uns Sinn und Wichtigkeit“ (Malpas 2013: 67).
Schlüsselwörter: kritische Inhaltsanalyse, Identität, Neuhistorismus, Bilderbuch, Kunst