It was interesting to see how this art form impacted the economy in Mexico, as well as here in the US during the 1970s popularity of velvet art. I never realized that the principle artists and dealers made a sizable fortune from velvet paintings. I was also shocked to read about the lengths that people would go to in order to make a fortune from this art form. As with many trends, the demand well outweighed the supply forcing artists to work relentless hours to fill orders. The stress and pressure led to substance abuse for many of these artists who felt obligated to fill orders and become rich. It saddened me to see that once the PRI realized how much money the artists were making, they took sizable cuts of the proceeds.
When any cultural aspect is being discussed with students, I feel that it is necessary to point out specific things Americans do that no other countries do in order to stress that every country has unique traditions. Also, being from an Italian family, I specifically would start any discussion of art and culture with pictures of my Great Uncle's house. His house, inside and out, is decorated more like a church than a home. It is adorned with statues of patron saints, each with their own specific relevancy to his life. Also having students list trends that were popular in the recent past, but are now considered "uncool" allows them to see how cultures evolve. Showing a clip from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," or discussing popular trends that came to America from other countries are two additional good ways to prepare kids to share information regarding culture and traditions as well. It is difficult to create an environment of acceptance and understanding with students who are constantly bombarded by American culture via TV, Internet, and instant updates on their cell phones. Encouraging them to move beyond their ethnocentric attitudes is difficult. However, it is essential to create an environment of listening and discussing without judging in the classroom so that cultural aspects can be compared and contrasted to create students that possess knowledge that goes beyond their immediate environment.
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YES!!! I just commented to another person that my Puerto Rican grandmother had many "saintly" velvets in her house. My Italian grandmother did not - but, she did have all of the statues dressed in their saintly "garb," the church calendars everywhere, pictures tacked to the walls from funeral cards, etc. Every time I go to Buca de Beppos I feel like I just walked into Grandma's house!
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