As Social Commentary Throughout history, artists have been social documenters, visionaries and commentators on issues of importance to all humankind. In kindergarten to grade 12 Arts Education, students are introduced to dancers, musicians, dramatic artists and visual artists who respond to social and global concerns through their work. The following are sample activities for dance, drama, music and visual art. Suggested projects are intended to help students come to a deeper understanding of the arts as social commentary within a global perspective.
Citations appear in full in the bibliography, alphabetized by title.
Ask students to describe the types of communication systems that would be familiar to T.S. Eliot in 1948. Ask students to summarize some of the major changes in global communications since that time. Familiarize students with some of McLuhan's ideas regarding the rapid movement of the world into the electronic age and the formation of the global village. He points out that during the last century, the cultural mainstream in North America has been dominated by people of European descent, but that recent international migration has resulted in dramatic new vistas of cultural diversity in North America and throughout the world. Explore the implications of White's observations for both artists and audiences.