The Blame Game
Recently, “Lack of Art Venues Stifles
Students in Montebello” appeared in The Wave, a local newspaper.
There were comments that Montebello did not provide sufficient opportunities
for youth to express themselves through art. In rebuttal, it was pointed
out that Montebello did have art programs, but either a lack of interest,
lack of venues or a lack of usefulness (cannot turn art into a paying
career) was the obstacle.
A teacher pointed out that art was
useful for self-expression. An administrator said that the schools were
doing their share.
Keeping youth occupied in a
constructive activity, be it art or something else, is useful. I do not
know anyone who would disagree with that. So why would there be a problem?
There is more than one culprit, so we all could share in the blame.
For one, available money is
prioritized for an older, voting population in Montebello, that is,
the priorities are paramedics and police. Does that mean that we have
intergenerational conflict? No, but we do have different priorities. (Even
in a community, there are subcultures, identified by age, country of origin,
immediate goals, primary language, abilities and disabilities. Each
subculture has its priorities, which might different from those of another
subculture. As a population grows, the number of subcultures in that
population grows. This is one way to explain the inevitability of diversity
and the inevitability of different priorities.) How does one overcome the
squeeze on money? The solution was mentioned in the December 13, 2006,
E-News: print money. Other communities do it. The only thing holding
Montebello back is a lack of willpower on the part of residents and
merchants.
Here is an example of a subculture
with a different priority. Youth who are going to school prioritize college
or jobs. They are not interested in the community and the community is not
interested in them. But if we think outside the box, can we bridge this
gap? For starters, imagine youth doing art, going to the Montebello Senior
Center, making an informal introduction to seniors, and giving their work as
presents. Also, imagine youth being paid for their art from the money which
Montebello prints.
Another culprit is that youth and their parents do not know how to
articulate their priorities. This obstacle arises directly from the lack of
interaction with the community, and the fault for this lack of interaction
lies with the school curriculum, which is composed to meet the “a through g”
requirements of the University of
California and
California State University. Why? Because
the universities’ “a through g” requirements do not give sufficient value to
interaction with the community, neither does the school curriculum, so youth
and parents do not know how to enlist the community’s support for youth
programs.
“Ask not what your city can do for you; ask what you can do for yourself.”
If you answer the multiple-choice questions
below and e-mail to
lessonanswers@mymontebello.com with “Lesson answers” in the subject
field, you will be credited toward a “certificate of recognition in
community affairs” to be awarded in 2007 by a local nonprofit organization.
1. What keeps Montebello from giving art
higher priority?
(a) Art is not as useful to the majority of
residents as are other municipal services.
(b) The proponents of art do not know how to
persuade their neighbors.
2. By thinking outside the box, we can
provide solutions without asking our city to increase funding for art.
Which solutions?
(a) We can print our own money to support
art activities in Montebello.
(b) We can find ways to make art relevant to
different subcultures in Montebello.
June 28, 2007