Anthropology 101 2002 CSN Essentials of Cultural Anthropology Chapter 15

Identify the location of the earliest known example of human artistic expression.

Africa, South Africa

Identify the anthropological definition of art

All ideas, techniques, and strategies that humans employ to express themselves creatively and to communicate their creativity and inspiration to others

_______________explores the production, circulation, and consumption of visual images, focusing on the power of visual representation to influence culture. In an age of globalization, this field studies the _______________, which helps enable communication across boundaries.

Visual Anthropology Global Mediascape

Imagine that you are a West African trader trying to sell a piece of African art to a Western art collector who is visiting Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Which item would you likely be able to sell at the highest price?

a wooden carved figure that, though dirty and imperfect, seems authentic to Western buyers

Place the descriptions of art on the timeline in the order of when they first appeared.

decorated bones and stone tools found in Africa painter's workshop at Blombos Cave, South Africa cave paintings in France and Spain

Identify the term anthropologists use for the study of music in cultural context.

ethnomusicology

Authenticity is an important component in the international art trade, and to how art is viewed in general. What does the author mean by authenticity?

the perception of an object's antiquity, uniqueness, and originality within a local culture

Western traditions make a distinction between fine art and popular art. Identify the images as examples of fine art or popular art.

Black male singing Popular Art Art displayed on white walls Fine Art Popular Art boxes that look like Brazilian Favela Spider Fine Art set in a gallery

In a globalized world, locally produced art takes on new meaning and contexts, often accomplishing unexpected goals. Identify whether or not these statements accurately describe local art.

Describes Local Art Local art challenges ideas about the universal art aesthetic. Local art challenges social structures. Local art provides a means of economic growth. Does Not Describe Local Art Local art challenges a community's cultural identity.

When analyzing art and culture, anthropologists discuss different types of gazes, or ways of viewing and thinking about artwork. Identify which of these statements describe the idea of the universal gaze and which describe the photographic gaze.

Describes Universal Gaze an intrinsic way of perceiving art that informs whether people think something is art or not embodies an idea with which anthropologists disagree Describes Photographic Gaze the presumed neutral viewpoint of the camera that in fact projects the perspective of the person behind the camera studied by anthropologists Lutz and Collins in National Geographic photographs

Identify the following purposes of ethnographic film as distinctive to contemporary ethnographic film or characteristic of both classic and contemporary ethnographic film.

Distinctive Purpose of Contemporary Ethnographic Film to show local communities in global contexts to portray a web of relationships between humans, environments, and globalization Characteristic of Both Contemporary and Ethnographic Film mastering available visual technologies for use in ethnographic research to demonstrate how images can be useful for ethnographic analysis

Many West African art traders have migrated to the United States, particularly New York City, in order to sell West African art of "wood" (carved statues and masks) and "mud" (clay figurines). The hub is a building in New York City called The Warehouse, shown in the image, where thousands of West African objects are stored before they are distributed across the city and country. Identify whether or not these are effects of this long-distance trade.

Effect of West African Art Trade in U.S. Western cultural ideas about art and beauty have changed. West African art traders improve their economic circumstances West African production of art has changed. Not an Effect of West African Art Trade in U.S. Western ideas about authenticity have changed.

Identify the examples of indigenous media.

Example of Indigenous Media a film created by a small village in China to share a local festival with villagers living abroad A group of people use film to generate global attention to the political disruption they have experienced. Not an Example of Indigenous Media photographs taken by National Geographic photographers showing traditional indigenous festivals worldwide the ethnographic film Nanook of the North focusing on the Inuit people of Canada

Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, many organizations in the United States began arranging Middle Eastern art exhibits or events in an attempt to increase cross-cultural understanding to counter anti-Muslim rhetoric. Identify whether or not these are types of Middle Eastern art that U.S. art events and exhibits usually displayed.

Example of Middle Eastern Art Usually Displayed in U.S. music and rituals of Sufiism art created by Middle Eastern women historical art focusing on Islam's past achievements Not an Example of Middle Eastern Art Usually Displayed in U.S. political cartoons critical of the United States or Israel graphic art from contemporary Islamic publications

National Geographic magazine has consistently displayed a neutral viewpoint about key historical events in human history in an attempt to show that all people are the same, no matter their cultural background.

False

Anthropologist Jessica Winegar analyzed the way in which Middle Eastern art is normally presented in art galleries and events in the United States, with only certain types of "good" Middle Eastern art selected for exhibition. Identify the image that shows this type of art.

Partial image of a woman's face

Anthropologist Kyra Gaunt explored the enculturation process of schoolyard play through black girls' songs and games. What is the term that Gaunt uses for the activity shown in the image?

kinetic orality

Anthropologists take a unique approach to studying art and culture. Identify whether or not these are ways anthropologists study art.

Way Anthropologists Study Art Anthropologists study the way art connects to social norms and values. Anthropologists study the history behind pieces of art. Not a Way Anthropologists Study Art Anthropologists study the individual genius of fine artists. Anthropologists study art for its intrinsic value.

Identify whether or not these are statements that a contemporary anthropologist would be likely to make about art.

Anthropological View on Art Art is present in everyday life. Art can both challenge and reinforce dominant ways of thinking. Art is created and received. Not an Anthropological View on Art Art has intrinsic value across cultures.

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, early anthropologists helped set up ethnographic museums displaying indigenous art and cultural artifacts. During this time, modernist European artists also began incorporating indigenous themes into their work. Identify whether or not these are problematic ways that indigenous art was represented in museums in the early twentieth century.

Problematic Art and objects were displayed in museums as examples of "primitive" art. Museums tended to display art from other cultures without reference to its original context or meaning. Art and objects displayed in ethnographic museums were acquired during colonial encounters. Not Problematic Indigenous artwork was only displayed in fine art museums.

Jessica Winegar's concept of "The Humanity Game" refers to the ways in which art curators and funders' selections inadvertently reinforce stereotypes and existing power relations.

True

Compare and contrast the differences or similarities between fine art and popular art by placing each description in the correct place on the diagram.

Unique to Fine Art Mainly found in museums, theaters and galleries Associated with cultural elites Common to both Fine and Popular Art Influences Cultures Type of creative expression and communication Unique to Popular Art Mainly found on the street or radio, and in movie theaters Associated with the general population

In Reading National Geographic (1993), anthropologists Catherine Lutz and Jane Collins analyzed the photographic gaze of the famous and influential U.S. magazine between the years 1950 and 1986. Identify whether or not these are views of the world that the magazine provided to its mainly white, middle-class readers.

View of the World Shown by National Geographic All people and cultures are similar despite seemingly outward differences. The world is fundamentally doing well. National Geographic readers and their country help the world. Not a View of the World Shown by National Geographic All people worldwide struggle against power structures.

According to Gaunt's study, ------- invent songs that are appropriated by -------. The inventing group is sharing a process of -------, whereas the appropriating group is hoping for ------

Young Black Girls Black Male Artist Socialization Profit

The global availability of a multitude of communication methods has enabled the use of media in new ways that can benefit indigenous communities. Identify the definition of indigenous media.

the use of media by people who have experienced economic, political, and geographic disruption to build alternative strategies for communication, survival, and empowerment

In his ethnography African Art in Transit (1994), anthropologist Christopher Steiner traces the social life of African art such as wood carvings and clay figurines as they pass through various hands from creators to consumers through Abidjan, the main port city of Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa. Place each group in the correct position in the chain of manufacture, distribution, and consumption.

Artisan Workshop Art Traders Street Hawkers Western Tourist Fine Art Galleries

The archaeological record reveals a relatively insignificant connection between humans and art that reaches back just 10,000 years.

False

In her ethnography The Games Black Girls Play (2006), ethnomusicologist Kyra Gaunt analyzes the schoolyard songs and games created and performed by young black girls. Identify whether or not the following are conclusions she reached.

Gaunt's Conclusion Girls' games create kinetic orality. Black girls' games are an important part of enculturation and identity formation for young black girls. Not Gaunt's Conclusion Commercial hip-hop invents songs and vocal patterns, and girls imitate them. The unique movement and rhythm in black girls' games is due to genetic sharing across generations.

According to Christopher Steiner's fieldwork findings, which action would increase the value of these elephants in the eyes of Western tourists and art dealers?

Make them scratched and stained, so they seem more "primitive" and "authentic."

Identify the following descriptions of artwork as more or less likely to be displayed in a museum in the United States, based on Jessica Winegar's fieldwork.

More Likely to Be Displayed in a Museum a mural portraying Islam's past achievements a photograph of Sufi rituals a painting of a female face Less Likely to Be Displayed in a Museum an abstract painting made by a Middle Eastern artist that has no explicit reference to Islam or the Middle East a mural portraying contemporary orthodox Islam a sculpture made by a Middle Eastern man

Which subject of a painting would be most likely to be displayed in an exhibition of Middle Eastern art in the United States, according to Jessica Winegar's fieldwork findings?

Sufis in white robes, dancing in a circular pattern

Although archaeologists are not sure about the exact use or meaning of Paleolithic cave paintings in France and Spain, or in the painter's workshop found in Blombos Cave, South Africa, these finds are still very important to our understanding of human history and art. Why are these early forms of art important?

They show elaborate social life and advanced cognitive development.

Imagine that you are a curator of a prestigious fine art gallery who believes in the idea of a universal art aesthetic and the universal gaze. Identify whether or not these are ways that you would likely choose to display works of art in the gallery.

Way to Display Art in Gallery Pieces of art would be accompanied by title, date, and name of artist. Pieces of art would be displayed on white bare walls. Not a Way to Display Art in Gallery Pieces of art would be displayed along with an explanation of the artist's background. Pieces of art would correspond to audio listening guides where the history of the time during the piece's creation would be discussed in detail.

Anthropologists of art examine existing art forms and their interactions with society, but also how particular Western concepts shape what many people consider to be art. Identify whether or not these are the traditional Western assumptions about art that anthropologists challenge in their work.

Western Assumptions About Art that Anthropologists Challenge the distinction between fine art and popular art the idea of a universal art aesthetic the qualitative differences between Western art and "primitive" art Not Western Assumptions About Art that Anthropologists Challenge the analysis of art within each cultural context

Globalization has enabled the growth of new forms, uses, and ways of studying different types of art and media worldwide. Match the media terms to their definitions.

new forms of communication based on computer- and Internet-based technologies that enable social engagement: social media global cultural flows of media and visual images that enable linkages and communication across boundaries global mediascape an ethnographic and theoretical approach to media studies that focuses on the tensions that may exist when visual worlds collide in the context of contemporary globalization media worlds