The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-11-28

Art i any number 81 thing.
n mas - the mother fearh-
ing her child a nursery song:
or II NAV he a father telling
a story 20 his son.
Al nay be the housewife
planning ne arrangement 81 the
furniture II her home. art nav
b the architects design for the
kitchen o. . new hons. Com
pared = some o. he kitchens
which ne older generation
knows these modern kitchens
are superb works Of art.
The last few wears have
brought a great change in the
American attitude toward art.
Too many people looked upon
art and many stil do as the
merineue on lemon pie. Il was
merely stcy decoration and
not part Of the pie. Now We are
seeing art in the pie when the
meringue Is removed
One of the reasons for the
changed outlook toward art il
the public school. The study
OF art-draWing. painting. mu-
sic, dramas part of the
regular curriculum.
Another great incentive 10
more participation and greater
appreciation Of art is the WPA.
Through the WPA classes dor
mant talent has been awakened
IN thousands Of American citi-
zens Painters. musicians. ac-
tors and poets have been discov-
cred because the federal govern
ment sought 10 provide work for
unemployed artists, musicians
and teachers.
The old fallacy that art makes
us weak has been exploded Art
requires strength OF soul and
spirit. Only the strong have
what if takes 10 become pro-
ficient in art.
Neither II IL true that art
lists are dreamerS. Their work
makes them practical. The
greatest dreamers and fiddlers
with time, and the greatest
blunderers are the practical"
business executives. Note how
some of them are laundering
around with the preparedness
program.
The theory that art is only
for the intellectuals and those
in the upper economic brackets
makes Mrs. Roosevelt very tired.
She thinks that the clerks and
housewives and the men who do
the worlds hard work have the
intellect to appreciate art as
much as any others. She thinks
there is Just as much talent
among them, too. Witness the
Negro ditch digger on a WPA
project who is now conductor of
colored concert company.
Very definite light on what
constitutes art will be found in
a visit to the Tacoma art display
in the Washington building. You
will be surprised to find paint
ings and photographs with the
names of persons you know.
There are beautiful examples of
wood carving, weaving. modelling
in clay; statuary cut from soap:
basketry: Indian weaving. lace
work and examples OF that art
in which so many grandmothers
eXcelled - tatting. Liturgical
robes are an interesting re-
minder that art is not painting
exclusively. And those ship
models-only an artist with the
patience of JOB could produce
them.
While on the subject of art.
it would be appreciated by the
folks who are trying to 90 their
Christmas mailing early If some
thing could be done about the
decorating in the postoffice
lobby. The fumes raised by the
artists who squirt the new gold
paint on not radiators cause
lot OF coughing and sneezing and
general discomfort. Could that
job. BY any chance. be done at
night? Or on Saturday after
noon. when the postoffice doesn't
work and we have to buy our
stamps at a drugstore And IL
the drugstore is sold out, it's