Author: Sayles, Rebecca A.

Publication Year: 1992

Media Type: Report

Summary:

Abstract:

Rebecca A. Sayles describes the arts programs that were established in settlement houses in the Lower East Side of New York at the turn of the century and their subsequent history. Originally funded by private philanthropy, such programs advanced 'cultural assimilation' for immigrant populations, fostering multi-cultural respect, discipline, and self-esteem among those who took advantage of them. One can see all later developments in public arts policy as grounded in the principles upon which such arts programs have been based. (p. 3)

Formal education universally attempts to store and expand the culture of a society and to impart necessary information to its people through institutionalized instruction. Knowledge is also transmitted informally through daily experiences of family and community life. As opposed to the more frequently cited informal social conditioners (the family, school, mass media, religious institutions, and peer groups), community based educational programs are important in bringing diverse members of a single community together and in shaping their goals. Includes references [bibliography].

Arts & Intersections: Immigration

Categories: Cultural Diversity