Cuba’s Primary Schools in the Mirror of Art Education

Jorge Milanes

HAVANA TIMES — Not long ago, a friend of mine went to pick her kid up at his primary school and I tagged along. In the hallway, I saw the collages that are always hung on the hallways or at the back of the classrooms in these schools.

Only one of them was more or less acceptable (it was more organized and less visually aggressive than the others). The rest displayed tasteless information and decorations.

These rather tasteless collages are seen by children as an aesthetic standard for their art and craft work (unless they are part of a new art critique program). I wonder: where are the art instructors who teach and supervise these art courses?

On occasion, we don’t realize the impact that such “vulgar” details have on the budding personality of the child and, when they grow up, we often don’t know where their bad taste, misbehavior and impoliteness come from.
The values needed to ensure a child develops in a positive manner are sustained by the family, schools, teachers, friends, love, respect, sincerity, solidarity and the aesthetic judgment that affords someone the ability to comprehend, value and achieve a balance of these factors.

Acknowledging why our values are being distorted is the first step towards remedying this situation.