Heroes to the Rescue by Mary Erickson Ph.D. and Arizona art teacher, Laurie Eldridge, Ph.D. Mark Newport, detail from “Zack’s Bedcover”

A hero or heroine is someone who takes action to make things better for others. Who is a hero to you? Is your hero a real person? Or, is your hero a legend or fantasy?

Some heroes are mythological, like the Greek warrior, Odysseus. Homer was just the first writer of many to tell of Odysseus and his many adventures on his ten-year voyage home to Greece after the Trojan War. In one adventure, Odysseus used a trick to save his crew from a man-eating, one- eyed, giant Cyclops.

Sir Galahad was one of the knights of King Arthur’s Round Table. By pulling a sword from a stone, as King Arthur had done earlier, he proved he was worthy to search for the mysterious Holy Grail. Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote these words for Sir Galahad: “My strength is as the strength of ten, because my heart is true.”

Spider Woman, was the holy person who taught the Navajo people to weave. She chose Spider Rock in Canyon De Chelly, Arizona as her home. Legend says that one day Spider Woman let down a silken cord to rescue a young Navajo youth from enemies who were chasing him.

Cultures all around the world are inspired by their own heroes and heroines. Just a couple of examples include: African King, Kukuyu, who brought knowledge of agriculture to his people. The Chinese maiden warrior, Mulan, who took her aged father’s place in the Army and, dressed as a male soldier and fought for 12 years.

You may know about some famous historical American heroes, like George Washington, commander of the Revolutionary forces and first president of the United States.

Sacagewea, the Shoshoni woman who served as interpreter and guide for Lewis and Clark’s expedition across the great plains, over rivers and mountains, all the way to the Pacific Ocean…

Martin Luther King, the civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, who organized peaceful protest marches first in the south and later in the north. He famously delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech” in Washington, D.C. This image is from the 1979 U.S. postage stamp honoring King.

Cesar Chavez, who was born in Yuma, Arizona, who picked crops as a migrant farmer worker in California, and, together with Delores Huerta, co-founded the the National Farm Workers union. What other American hero do you know? What did she or he do to be admired as a hero? This image is from the 2003 U.S. postage stamp honoring Chavez.

Some people have jobs that require heroic action for the sake of others, like lifeguards and nurses… Photographs courtesy of Tempe History Museum.

… or members of police and fire departments. Photographs courtesy of Tempe History Museum.

Care 7 is a special fire department team that is trained and ready to help people after an emergency crisis.

Sometimes small actions can mean a lot. You don’t have to have a heroic job to act heroically. Standing up to a bully, volunteering to help someone in need, and donating money or time to others in difficult situations are small, everyday acts of heroism. Who has acted like a hero for you when you needed one? What small act of heroism might you do for someone else? Fireman rescues a cat. Photograph courtesy of Tempe History Museum.

From ancient times to the present, artists and writers have celebrated mythical, historical and everyday heroes in words and images. Some artists and writers have imagined extraordinary heroes, with incredible powers and secret identities, who can save the day when no one else can. What superheroes can you name? What are their special powers? How do they protect their secret identities?

You are invited to visit the American Pop exhibition at the Tempe Center for the Arts to see the arts and sciences behind some of America’s favorite science fiction movies and comic book heroes. Lunar images from ASU. Artwork from Ryan Huna Smith