Unit 15: Non-Western Art, Spirituality, and Museum Field Study

Final Course Administration and Project Requirements

  • Unit 15 Overview: This lecture serves as preparation for the final non-classic museum reports and provides guidance on selecting museums outside the Western tradition.

  • Art Project Presentations:     - Students completing an art project must schedule a Zoom session for a final presentation.     - The presentation is intended to be an informal conversation about the work, the student's goals, and their inspirations.     - Professor White will send invitations to "GMU student email accounts" once two or three suitable times are emailed by the student.

  • Research Paper Submission:     - Papers must include a bibliography on a separate page.     - Even if a student has already presented on Zoom, the written paper must still be posted.     - Students who do not receive full credit should check instructor notes for required tweaks to resubmit for full credit.     - Students may use any citation format they are comfortable with, including "MLA, APA, Chicago," or others.

  • Grading and Syllabus Policies:     - Grades are calculated based on point totals, not percentages. Students should cross-reference their total points with the syllabus.     - Students should click on individual assignments in the "Grades" section to identify missing components or opportunities for resubmission.     - Completion of all required discussion forums is mandatory.

Final Q&A Session

  • Drama and Spirituality:     - Question: Does the emphasis on drama "wipe out" spirituality?     - Response: The term "wipe out" is too extreme. There is a distinction between spirituality and ministry. Liturgical dramas in the Catholic West were designed as ministry and a tool for reinforcing community identity. While drama is a distinct form of expression from traditional prayer or piety, it remains "spiritually adjacent."

  • Western Musical Scales:     - Question: Why are Western-style scales more popular today?     - Response: This is primarily a matter of "sheer osmosis" for those living in the West. Other regions—such as the Middle East, Persia (Iran), Afghanistan, India, China, and Japan—have their own distinct musical cultures and systems. The Western style is characterized as a "well-tempered, piano-key, mathematically proper style." Some practitioners avoid Western scales for spiritual purposes, viewing them as a "straitjacket."

  • Negative Judgments of Art:     - Question: Why do we still judge each other's artwork negatively?     - Response: Negative perceptions often stem from a lack of experience or misunderstanding of context. For example, individuals from the Islamic tradition may not initially understand the function of "Orthodox iconography" or statues. These functional objects in a Christian environment serve as a "call to prayer."

  • Traditional and Modern Dance:     - Question: How do traditional dances respond to modern types?     - Response: Some traditions remain "rock solid," requiring exact adherence to centuries-old methods. Others are fluid, allowing for individual expression. Examples include "buko," a modern Japanese dance form, and the dance company "Sankajuku," which utilizes the slow-moving, spiritual feel of "no" (Noh) theater in a general, non-Shinto way. The influence is often reciprocal between sacred and secular modern dance.

  • Evolution of Dance Traditions:     - Question: Were changes in dance the result of social/political pressure, theology, or both?     - Response: This depends on the specific form. Each tradition has its own individual history. Changes can occur within the basic framework of a school's principles. Pressures vary: for instance, in "communist China," there is a tendency to suppress certain spiritual expressions. Market pressures and local community demands also play roles.

  • Secularization and Subjectivity:     - Question: Who decides when a dance becomes too secular?     - Response: This is highly subjective and depends on the observer’s background, expectations, and spiritual interests. A form may seem too "pop" or popular to some while remaining sacred to others.

  • Public Performance vs. Spiritual Meaning:     - Question: Do sacred dances lose meaning when seen in public?     - Response: These performances often transition from prayer to acts of ministry, celebration, or commemoration. While distinct from an act of literal prayer, they maintain spiritual value by reinforcing community values.

  • Dance Usage Across Traditions:     - Question: How is dance used across spiritual traditions?     - Response: Usage varies even within single traditions. In Islam, the "Sufi" represent a specific genre of sacred movement, which exists alongside the formal gestures used in "five time a day or three time a day prayers."

  • Community Connections:     - Question: How do these dances connect communities to spirituality?     - Response: Even if an outsider cannot articulate the goal, the dance exists for a "very good reason," and members of the spiritual community participate because they find it "tremendously positive."

Cultural and Spiritual Variations in Food Traditions

  • Every society possesses unique tastes and perceptions of food as sacred or profane.

  • Restrictions: Some traditions avoid "bottom feeders like catfish or shellfish."

  • Preparation: Many traditions require specific methods for killing an animal and draining the blood to ensure the meat is "clean."

  • Jainism (The Gold Standard): In the "Jain" tradition,ither the plant nor the animal is to be harmed. Adherents do not eat animals and only consume plant products that do not require uprooting the plant.

Guidelines for the Non-Classic Museum Visit Report

  • Objective: Visit a "non-European" or "non-classic" museum and select one specific piece of art for an in-depth report.

  • Selection Criteria:     - The piece should ideally be rooted in a sacred tradition.     - It can be a secular piece with spiritual roots or one that speaks to a "spiritual longing" (e.g., the music of "Prince" or "DMZ").     - Focus on a single piece rather than the whole museum.

  • Research Focused Questions:     - What is the spiritual context and the beliefs of the culture behind the work?     - How does the piece relate to specific narratives, concepts, or holy figures within a complex tradition?     - What are the materials used? Consider the limitations of the medium (e.g., a thin branch making a sculpture look "tall and thin").

  • Terminology and Class Distinctions:     - Professor White critiques the Western term "folk art" as an "artificial distinction" against "high art."     - Spiritual expression does not require a university degree to be beautiful or valid.     - Avoid assuming works with gold, silver, or jewels are inherently better.

  • Professional Engagement: Students are encouraged to talk to museum staff about their personal favorite pieces and to mention they are part of a "religion and art" course.

  • Censorship Awareness: Students should ask staff if any items have been recently removed due to changes in administration and increased restrictions on exhibitions.

Suggested Museum Locations

  • National Museum of the American Indian:     - Located on the National Mall.     - Focuses on practical and spiritual traditions.     - The Cafeteria: Features food indigenous to the Americas. Note the symbolic "four different basic colors" of corn ears.     - Totem Poles: Native to the "American Northwest" (US and Canada), arranged in a specific hierarchy with spiritual content.     - Entrance: Features a dancing space where the "Day of the Dead" dance is performed.

  • National Museum of African American History and Culture:     - Explores arts developed in "relative isolation" from European owners and the white community due to historical segregation.     - Features a unique aesthetic and history of artistic expression, particularly in music.

  • National Museum of Asian Art (Freer and Sackler Galleries):     - The Freer Gallery: One of the oldest halls for Asian spiritual art; features a permanent collection where many rooms remain the same forever.     - The Sackler Gallery / National Gallery of Asian Art: Located underground behind the Freer (facing "Independence Avenue"). Focuses on temporary exhibitions, films, and theatrical performances.

  • Museum of African Art:     - Part of the same complex as the Freer.     - Focuses on indigenous African arts from hundreds or thousands of unique ethnic groups.

  • Dumbarton Oaks Museum and Gardens (Georgetown):     - Located on "Wisconsin Avenue" and "R Street."     - Byzantine Art: Focuses on the Greek Orthodox community in "Constantinople" (modern-day "Istanbul") during the "Eastern Roman Empire."     - Pre-Columbian Art: Refers to traditions of Central and South America (e.g., "Aztec" and "Inca" empires) before and after "Columbus's voyage" and the Spanish conquest.     - Local Logistics: Nearby food options include "Fresh Baguette" (French bakery), a Turkish place, and a French restaurant named "East Olympic."

External Resources and Current Issues

  • The Poseidon Statue Incident: In Mexico, elites tried to erect a statue of the Greek god "Poseidon." Indigenous groups opposed this as they already had a sea god and viewed the foreign statue as a challenge to their traditions.

  • Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington:     - Facilitates events for people of all faiths.     - Organizes a "unity walk" in early September along "Massachusetts Avenue" and "Embassy Row" in northwest "Washington, D.C."