Jo Miles Schuman\u27s text is designed to help students develop an appreciation for one another\u27s cultural heritage and to expand their knowledge of art. Both objectives are accomplished with considerable grace in this beautifully executed and illustrated celebration of craftsmanship. The author clearly values the creativity of a wide variety of peoples and the potential of art as a language of intercultural understanding

Abbott, Linda M. C.

English

VCU Scholars Compass

tionate representation is presented as a system atic skewing unlikely to 
be redressed in the near future .  The conserv ative position that dis­
contented individ uals  have the option of relocation or  protest is presented 
with relativ ely little consideration of  the necess ary resource base for the 
exercise of these options .  
This  absence of evaluative comment  constitutes a sign ificant weakness 
in an otherwise us eful  general text on the city . As an im portant arena 
wherein each generation can " take control of its destiny , "  city politics 
highlight the tendencies of the culture at large. The ascendency of the 
neoconservative priv ate city im age in the 1 9 70s and 1 980s,  the changing 
dem ographic composition of the city ,  and the general mobility of the 
A m erican popul ation add to the ch allenge of this undertaking. An 
a c a d e m i c  d e s cri ption o f  u n c ertai n ty can cl arify the  o p ti o n s ,  but  
ultim ately choices  must be exercised by private citiz ens .  These choices 
will be better informed as a result of Schultze 's  theoretical efforts . 
- Linda M .  C .  Abbott 
C alifornia School o f  Professional Psychology ,  Fresno 
J o  Miles S c hum an. A rt from Many Hands: Multicultural A rt 
Projects for Home and School. ( E nglewood C l i ffs: P r e ntice­
Hall,  1 98 1 )  x v ,  2 5 1  pp. , $ 1 0.95 p ap er. 
Jo Miles Schuman's  text i s  designed to help students develop an 
appreciation for one another ' s  cultural h eritage and to expand their 
knowl edge of art .  B oth obj ectives are accomplished with considerable 
grace in this beautifuly executed and illustrated celebration of crafts man­
ship .  The author clearly v alues the creativity of a wide v ariety of peoples 
and the potential of art  as a l anguage of intercultural understanding.  
The text is  inclusive of a wide range of artistic traditions ,  with the 
intent  of raising students '  awareness  o f  their inheritance a s  world 
citiz ens .  A second,  pedagogically sound principle incorporated i n  this 
bro ad-based approach has  to do with the potential  role of contemporary 
students in advancing v arious cultural traditions .  By coming to u n d er­
stand something of the range of pos sible solutions to speci fi c  design 
problems,  students are enabled to develop or regain a level  o f  confidence 
in their own ability to create obj ects of beauty by hand.  
The transition fro m  the presentation of exquisite art  obj ects to the  
directions for s imple  adaptation s  is  accomplished with great c are .  An 
Exp lo rations in Sights and Sounds No. 6 (Summer 1 986) 71 
emphasis is placed upon the importance of exposing students to the real 
thing-to actual examples of traditional and contemporary arts of a 
particular culture. As Schuman states,  this is considerable magic for the 
children: "You hear their breath draw in, see their eyes widen, sense 
their respect and wonder . . . .  " This chapter on teaching methods offers a 
wealth of suggestions for discovering these items ,  even in moderate-sized 
American cities. Age-graded materials and procedures are then presented 
to aid the teacher in directing the students toward their personal 
expression and interpretation of this experience. 
The bulk of the book is devoted to the artwork of particular geographic 
regions:  West Africa, the Middle E ast, Europe, Asia, M exico, Central 
and South America,  the Caribbean and to the Native populations of the 
United States and Canada. Schuman briefly describes the art forms of 
the regions,  with some history as well as a commentary on the purpose 
and technique of production of the form in its cultural context. Clear, 
well-illustrated directions are given in some detail for the adaptation of 
inexpensive, readily available materials for the classroom production of 
reasonable facsimiles of each art form. With attention given to the 
thought that went into the original production of the artwork, a lively , 
personal, and valid creation is likely to be the outcome for a very wide 
range of ages and situations .  A child, knowing something of the age and 
gender and cultural role of the original artist, can begin to understand 
the art work in an authentic way and interpret the experience in a way 
that gives validity to his or her own use of the technique. Illustrations of 
the technical steps in production of the artwork are included which 
feature children of different ages and ethnic backgrounds,  often in 
interaction with adult artists of varied ethnic backgrounds.  Such 
attention to details assists in carrying to fruition the creative energies 
aroused by the beautiful photographs of original work . 
Regional chapters are followed by an appendix detailing some common 
procedures in classroom artistic endeavors and an index for ready access 
to specific information.  As a teacher's manual, the book functions 
extrem ely well and its ch apter bi bliographies provide s u ffi cient 
additional information to design an entire course around the topic. Some 
suggestions for developing special interdisciplinary arts presentations 
are incorporated, widening the book' s potential audience. Overall, both 
for the teacher and for the art enthusiast, this is a most enlightening and 
inspiring work. 
72 
- Linda M. C .  Abbott 
California School of Professional Psychology , Fresno 
Explorations in Sights and Sounds No.6 (Summer 1 986) 


[Review of] Jo Miles Schuman. Art from Many Hands: Multicultural Art Projects for Home and School

tionate representation is presented as a system atic skewing unlikely to be redressed in the near future .  The conserv ative position that dis­contented individ uals  have the option of relocation or  protest is presented with relativ ely little consideration of  the necess ary resource base for the exercise of these options .  This  absence of evaluative comment  constitutes a sign ificant weakness in an otherwise us eful  general text on the city . As an im portant arena wherein each generation can " take control of its destiny , "  city politics highlight the tendencies of the culture at large. The ascendency of the neoconservative priv ate city im age in the 1 9 70s and 1 980s,  the changing dem ographic composition of the city ,  and the general mobility of the A m erican popul ation add to the ch allenge of this undertaking. An a c a d e m i c  d e s cri ption o f  u n c ertai n ty can cl arify the  o p ti o n s ,  but  ultim ately choices  must be exercised by private citiz ens .  These choices will be better informed as a result of Schultze 's  theoretical efforts . - Linda M .  C .  Abbott C alifornia School o f  Professional Psychology ,  Fresno J o  Miles S c hum an. A rt from Many Hands: Multicultural A rt Projects for Home and School. ( E nglewood C l i ffs: P r e ntice­Hall,  1 98 1 )  x v ,  2 5 1  pp. , $ 1 0.95 p ap er. Jo Miles Schuman's  text i s  designed to help students develop an appreciation for one another ' s  cultural h eritage and to expand their knowl edge of art .  B oth obj ectives are accomplished with considerable grace in this beautifuly executed and illustrated celebration of crafts man­ship .  The author clearly v alues the creativity of a wide v ariety of peoples and the potential of art  as a l anguage of intercultural understanding.  The text is  inclusive of a wide range of artistic traditions ,  with the intent  of raising students '  awareness  o f  their inheritance a s  world citiz ens .  A second,  pedagogically sound principle incorporated i n  this bro ad-based approach has  to do with the potential  role of contemporary students in advancing v arious cultural traditions .  By coming to u n d er­stand something of the range of pos sible solutions to speci fi c  design problems,  students are enabled to develop or regain a level  o f  confidence in their own ability to create obj ects of beauty by hand.  The transition fro m  the presentation of exquisite art  obj ects to the  directions for s imple  adaptation s  is  accomplished with great c are .  An Exp lo rations in Sights and Sounds No. 6 (Summer 1 986) 71 emphasis is placed upon the importance of exposing students to the real thing-to actual examples of traditional and contemporary arts of a particular culture. As Schuman states,  this is considerable magic for the children: "You hear their breath draw in, see their eyes widen, sense their respect and wonder . . . .  " This chapter on teaching methods offers a wealth of suggestions for discovering these items ,  even in moderate-sized American cities. Age-graded materials and procedures are then presented to aid the teacher in directing the students toward their personal expression and interpretation of this experience. The bulk of the book is devoted to the artwork of particular geographic regions:  West Africa, the Middle E ast, Europe, Asia, M exico, Central and South America,  the Caribbean and to the Native populations of the United States and Canada. Schuman briefly describes the art forms of the regions,  with some history as well as a commentary on the purpose and technique of production of the form in its cultural context. Clear, well-illustrated directions are given in some detail for the adaptation of inexpensive, readily available materials for the classroom production of reasonable facsimiles of each art form. With attention given to the thought that went into the original production of the artwork, a lively , personal, and valid creation is likely to be the outcome for a very wide range of ages and situations .  A child, knowing something of the age and gender and cultural role of the original artist, can begin to understand the art work in an authentic way and interpret the experience in a way that gives validity to his or her own use of the technique. Illustrations of the technical steps in production of the artwork are included which feature children of different ages and ethnic backgrounds,  often in interaction with adult artists of varied ethnic backgrounds.  Such attention to details assists in carrying to fruition the creative energies aroused by the beautiful photographs of original work . Regional chapters are followed by an appendix detailing some common procedures in classroom artistic endeavors and an index for ready access to specific information.  As a teacher's manual, the book functions extrem ely well and its ch apter bi bliographies provide s u ffi cient additional information to design an entire course around the topic. Some suggestions for developing special interdisciplinary arts presentations are incorporated, widening the book' s potential audience. Overall, both for the teacher and for the art enthusiast, this is a most enlightening and inspiring work. 72 - Linda M. C .  Abbott California School of Professional Psychology , Fresno Explorations in Sights and Sounds No.6 (Summer 1 986) 

https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1260&amp;context=ess

[Review of] Jo Miles Schuman. Art from Many Hands: Multicultural Art Projects for Home and School

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