For students: We hope this guide will help sharpen your reading skills and deepen your understanding of this issue’s articles.

For teachers: We encourage reproduction and adaptation of these ideas, freely and without further permission from Saudi Aramco World, by teachers at any level, whether working in a classroom or through home study.

— THE EDITORS

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Jump to McRel Standards

Activities

This edition of Saudi Aramco World includes several articles about the arts—from the works of Arab artists collected and exhibited in galleries and museums, to the traditional Afghan music of a group of expatriates, to the paintings by ‘Asiri women that once decorated the walls of their homes and now fill large canvases. All of the activities in this Classroom Guide, including the Visual Analysis activity, revolve around one theme: Defining Art.

Theme: Defining Art

1. How do different people define art?
Although lots of people make art and talk about art and show art, if you asked three of them what art is, you’d probably get three different answers. “Big deal,” you might think. “Why does that matter?” After all, as the old saying goes, “I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like.” If you like it, who cares whether you call it art or something else? But it can matter a lot. As you’ll see, how different people define art reflects what they value, and shapes what they do and why they do it. In these activities, you’re going to look closely at how three different women think about art, what they do with it, and why.

Take out three pieces of paper. At the top of each, write the name of one of these three women: Ustad Farida Mahwash, Rose Issa, or Um Abdullah. As you work through the following questions about each woman, make notes on the appropriate piece of paper. This will help you organize the relevant points from the articles as well as your thoughts about them.

In “Voices of Afghanistan,” vocalist Ustad Farida Mahwash states very clearly her definition of art. She says, “Art generally, and singing especially: it’s all love.” Write her words on your Mahwash page. Then think about what she means. To be sure, she is a little less direct in explaining that, but both she and writer Banning Eyre make statements from which you can infer her meaning. Read the article, and make notes on your page to help you clarify what Mahwash means about art being love.

Next, read “The Catalyst.” Rose Issa, the woman interviewed in that article, doesn’t create art, but she “represents” it—specifically the work of young Arab artists. That means that she shows their work, and encourages galleries and museums in the West to collect and exhibit it. You can get a sense of how she might define art by reading between the lines of her story. Here are a few questions to help you. What was the theme of Issa’s first film festival? What inspired her to put it together? What does her reference to “loophole language” reveal about how she thinks of art’s purpose? When you put together the answers to these questions, how do you think Issa would define art? You can also gain insight into how Issa defines art by looking at her actions. What does she do and expect others to do with the artwork she represents? What do those actions reveal about how she defines art? How does she explain the importance of the work she has done during her career? What value do you see in the work she does, and in the art she represents?

“The Majlis Painters” presents yet another view of what constitutes art. It describes the traditional designs that women of ‘Asir painted on the walls in their homes. Um Abdullah, who used to watch her mother paint, decided to revive this type of painting. The following questions will help you tease out how Um Abdullah might define art, based on the type of painting she’s reviving. Why did her predecessors paint? On what type of surface did they paint? Why did they do so? What did their painting express? Who are the majlis painters today? Why are they painting the traditional designs? On what types of surfaces are they painting them? Why are they painting on those surfaces? How do you think women in the past would have defined their art? How do you think Um Abdullah and her peers today would define it?

Visual Analysis Imagine someone reading Saudi Aramco World, and that reader gets to page 38. She looks at the top image and notes to herself, “There’s a photograph of a polo match. The photo gives me some information about what polo playing looks like.” She then looks at the image below it and thinks, “Here’s a work of art. I wonder if it’s an accurate depiction of a polo match. Polo must be pretty interesting to look at if artists make paintings of it.” Thinking about what you’ve read about Rose Issa and the majlis painters, write a response to that reader. Here are a few questions to get you started: Do you agree with how she has identified the two images? If so, why? If not, how would you identify them? Cite evidence from each of the two articles you read to support your response.

2. Analyze similarities and differences in how different people define art.
Ustad Farida Mahwash, Rose Issa and Um Abdullah are dedicated to the arts from their native lands. Now that you’ve read and thought about the artwork that each of the three women is committed to, think about what they have in common and how they differ. Divide the class into groups of three for a role-play activity. Have one person in each trio take the role of Rose Issa, while the others take on the roles of Um Abdullah and Ustad Farida Mahwash. Use the notes you have made about the woman you will represent to have a conversation among the three women. Start by having each woman explain to the others the type of creative work that interests her, and why. Go on to discuss the ways in which these artistic works are similar to each other and how they differ. What do you imagine Rose Issa would think about the ‘Asiri paintings? What makes you think so? What do you imagine Um Abdullah would think about the work in Issa’s gallery? What makes you think so? What would each think about Mahwash’s music? And what might she think about the art they create or champion? In a similar vein, talk about how each woman wants to share the work, with whom, and why and how she wants to do so. In what ways are their aims similar? In what ways are they different? See if the women have suggestions for each other.

3. What is necessary to create art?
At the end of her interview with Rose Issa, Juliet Highet asks, “If you had three wishes for the future of Arab art, what would they be?” Issa answers with four wishes, which really express what she believes is necessary in order for art to exist. Add the four wishes to your Issa page. Then have the person playing Issa in the conversation explain to the other two women how each wish contributes to the future development and preservation of art. For the two people playing the other two women: You have learned a fair amount about what the woman you represent thinks about art. Based on what you know, how do you think she would respond to Issa’s four wishes? Which, if any, would she agree with? Why? Which, if any, would she disagree with or de-emphasize? Why? What might she add? How would her addition reflect her own values and beliefs about art? Share your thinking in the role play.

4. What do you like?
Finally, think about the examples of art associated with each woman, including the forms of that art and the ways in which it is shared with others. Does one art form move you more than the others? Do you feel more connected to one? If so, why? If, on your next vacation, you could visit Rose Issa’s gallery, or Abha, or hear Voices of Afghanistan perform—only one of the three—which would you choose and why? (Of course, you can always see/hear the other on a later holiday!) Write your thoughts in a journal entry.

IF YOU ONLY HAVE 15 MINUTES... Read “The Catalyst,” an interview with Rose Issa, whom interviewer Juliet Highet describes as the “doyenne of the London and global Arab contemporary arts scene.” In it, Issa explains how she began her career and some of its high points. Write a résumé for Rose Issa, following these steps. First, list Issa’s professional activities and achievements, in chronological order as much as possible. Then study the list. What themes or patterns emerge? Use those themes as the organizing categories for the résumé. Under each theme, list the achievements or activities that show what Issa has done. When you’ve done that, step back. Write a headline for Rose Issa—a phrase or sentence to put under her name that sums up for a reader what makes her unique. Here’s an example of what a journalist’s résumé might say at the top: “Path-breaking, prize-winning reporter, writer, and editor with more than 20 years’ experience; author of five best-selling books.” Compare your résumé and headline with other students’ work.

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MA13 Standards Alignment
McRel Standards

Reweaving Culture’s Threads in the Balkans, Byte by Byte

Geography

Standard 6. Understands that culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions

Standard 10. Understands the nature and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics

Standard 13. Understands the forces of cooperation and conflict that shape the divisions of Earth's surface

World History

Standard 43. Understands how post-World War II reconstruction occurred, new international power relations took shape, and colonial empires broke up

Standard 44. Understands the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world

Standard 45. Understands major global trends since World War II

The Catalyst

Visual Arts

Standard 4. Understands the visual arts in relation to history and cultures

Geography

Standard 6. Understands that culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions

Standard 10. Understands the nature and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics

Interpreter of Treasures, Part 4

World History

Standard 25. Understands major global trends from 1000 to 1500 CE

Standard 31. Understands major global trends from 1450 to 1770

Geography

Standard 10. Understands the nature and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics

The Majlis Painters

Visual Arts

Standard 4. Understands the visual arts in relation to history and cultures

Geography

Standard 10. Understands the nature and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics

Standard 17. Understands how geography is used to interpret the past

Voices of Afghanistan

Music

Standard 7. Understands the relationship between music and history and culture

Geography

Standard 9. Understands the nature, distribution and migration of human populations on Earth's surface

Standard 10. Understands the nature and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics

Standard 17. Understands how geography is used to interpret the past

Polo: Game of Kings

Geography

Standard 10. Understands the nature and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics

World History

Standard 11. Understands major global trends from 1000 BCE to 300 CE

Standard 19. Understands the maturation of an interregional system of communication, trade, and cultural exchange during a period of Chinese economic power and Islamic expansion

Standard 28. Understands how large territorial empires dominated much of Eurasia between the 16th and 18th centuries

Standard 35. Understands patterns of nationalism, state-building, and social reform in Europe and the Americas from 1830 to 1914

Common Core Standards for English Language Arts

These standards are correlated to activities in the Classroom Guide, rather than to articles in the magazine, because they emphasize skills, rather than content.

Theme: Defining Art
Common Core: College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

RL/RI.1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

RL/RI.7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

RL/RI.9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

W.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

W.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening

SL.1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

If you only have 15 minutes:
Common Core: College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

RL/RI.1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

RL/RI.2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

RL/RI.7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

W.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

W.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Julie Weiss (julie.w1@comcast.net) is an education consultant based in Eliot, Maine. She holds a Ph.D. in American studies. Her company, Unlimited Horizons, develops social studies, media literacy, and English as a Second Language curricula, and produces textbook materials.