1. 1 McGraw-Hill © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. O v e r v i e w The Arts This chapter introduces students to the anthropological study of art. It shows how the appreciation, creation, transmission, and use of art are embedded in culture and are learned.

2. McGraw-Hill © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2 What Is Art? Art is very difficult to define, but it generally refers to the manifestations of human creativity through which people express themselves in dance, music, song, painting, sculpture, pottery, cloth, storytelling, verse, prose, drama, and comedy.

3. McGraw-Hill © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 3 Art and Religion Definitions of both art and religion focus on the more than ordinary aspects of each with regard to how they are different from the ordinary and profane/secular. A lot of Western and non-Western art has been done in association with religion, but it is important to remember that not all non-Western art has ritual or religious importance. Art and religion both have formal (museums and churches, temples) and informal (parks, homes, and regular gathering places) venues of expression. –State-level societies have permanent structures for religion and art. –Non-state-level societies lack permanent structures for religion and art.

4. McGraw-Hill © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 4 Locating Art In states, art is housed in special buildings like museums, concert halls, and theaters. In nonstates, artistic expression takes place in public spaces that have been set aside for art. In states, critics, judges, and experts determine what is art and what is not. The Kalabari example demonstrates that not all sculpture is art because wooden carvings are manufactured exclusively for religious reasons.

5. McGraw-Hill © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 5 Art and Individuality Some anthropologists have criticized that the study of non-Western art ignores the individual and focuses too much on the group. However, in many non-Western societies, there is more collective production of art than in Western cultures. Bohannan argued that among the Tiv, the emphasis should be on the critics rather than the artists because the Tiv do not recognize the same connection between artists and their art. The degree to which artists can be separated from their work varies cross-culturally.

6. McGraw-Hill © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 6 The Work of Art In all societies art is work. –In nonstate societies, artists cannot work on their art all of the time as they still must hunt, gather, fish, herd, or farm to eat. –In states, artists are full-time specialists whose career is their work. Artistic completeness or mastery is determined and maintained by both formal and informal standards.

7. McGraw-Hill © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 7 Art, Society, and Culture Art is usually a public phenomenon that is exhibited, performed, evaluated, and appreciated in society. Ethnomusicology is the comparative study of the musics of the world and of music as an aspect of culture and society. Folk art, music, and lore refer to the expressive culture of ordinary people. Art is a form of social communication.

8. McGraw-Hill © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 8 The Cultural Transmission of the Arts Art is a part of culture, and as a result, appreciation for the arts is internalized during enculturation. The appreciation of different art forms varies cross-culturally. In nonindustrialized societies, artistic traditions are generally transmitted through families and kin groups. The art of storytelling plays a critical role in the transmission, preservation, and expression of cultural traditions.

9. McGraw-Hill © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 9 The Artistic Career In many non-Western societies children born into certain lineages are destined for a particular artistic career (e.g., leather working, wood carving, and making pottery). Full craft specialists find support through their kin ties in non-Western societies or through patrons in Western societies. The arts rely on individual talent that is shaped through socially approved directions.

10. McGraw-Hill © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 10 Continuity and Change The arts are always changing. The arts incorporate a wide variety of media.