Separating art from the artist

Teachers must avoid assigning works that are written by racists or anti-Semites.

By RICHARD L. CURWIN
Author Alice Walker 370 (photo credit: REUTERS/Kimberly White)
Author Alice Walker 370
(photo credit: REUTERS/Kimberly White)
Past and ongoing Israeli events have raised the question of whether or not art can be separated from the artist in its evaluation. Examples include the ongoing Richard Wagner case, Alice Walker's recent confession that she refuses to allow her books to be translated into Hebrew, and the release of Peter Beinart’s book, The Crisis of Zionism.
As an educator, my interest is in whether the behaviors, values, and beliefs of artists should affect the selection of materials taught in schools.
Now, an Op Ed is an opinion piece so I thought that it would be rather simple to write a straightforward analysis of the issue and simply share my opinions. Was I ever wrong. This question is far from simple and has tentacles that reach far into the Israeli soul.           First, I must explore two related questions: Can art be separated from the artist? And should curriculum decisions ever be based on the artist?         I have a wonderful sister, Joyce, who introduced me to the arts at a very young age. Joyce taught me that artists must be separated from their art. Once an artist publicizes their art, they no longer own it. After publication, art is subject to endless public interpretation and analysis. Art is independent. It stands on its own regardless of the public's attitudes towards the artist.
I mostly agree with my sister.
For example, I once gave a lecture in Oxford, Mississippi and had a close relative of William Faulkner in my audience. In college, I loved Light in August, one of Faulkner's most illustrious works. Faulkner’s relative and I talked extensively after my lecture and I learned that the famed author was a town drunk and beggar. Faulkner's treatment of the women who came to congratulate him after winning the Nobel Prize is not fit for this newspaper. However, this information does not affect my love for Faulkner's writing and has nothing to do with my feelings about his art. The list of famous writers and artists who were scoundrels, drug abusers, womanizers, or drunks is interminable. The personal vices of these artist's should not discount their art.
But where do we draw the line? When should an artist's personality affect the analysis or distribution of their art? Now, I personally draw the line at artists who are hateful, racist, or anti-Semitic. Racists are people who darken the sun and make the world black with hatred. In the Middle East, racists resist peace and cause death.
If one definition of racism is to indiscriminately punish an entire group rather than the specific, responsible individuals due to race, then Alice Walker’s decision to block publication of her work in Hebrew is a clear example of racism. My book, Discipline with Dignity, was translated into Arabic and sold in several countries that call for the annihilation of Israel. Yet, I am proud of these publications. True artists want everyone to benefit from their art.        Now, I am not for the censorship or banning of art in any form. Consumers should have the freedom to choose whatever they want in the open market of ideas.
In school settings, teachers must decide which books will intellectually benefit their students the most.  My three criteria usually are:
1. Which books are appropriate for the child’s skill level and educational needs?
2. Which books will not distract the student from the lesson due to a clash in values or culture?
3. When given a choice, which book does the teacher love?  If a teacher does not like a work of art, so will most of their students.         Going back to artists and art, the question might be asked whether or not a teacher who preaches against alcohol abuse should teach artists who were known alcoholics. In my opinion, if the art doesn’t support alcoholism, there is no reason to exclude it. In fact, many, if not most artists, were tortured by demons that led to violence, the abuse of drugs and alcohol, or mental and emotional instability. Some believe that the source of genius is grounded in pain. I believe that artists translate real pain for those who haven’t felt it themselves.         How do I distinguish deviant, abusive artists from racist writers? Alice Walker is just one example. When she supported the IHH  (a Turkish charity that was one of the main planners of the flotilla) with her participation the flotilla incident, Walker broke international law and crossed the line of acceptability. The goal of the flotilla was actually an attempt to help Hamas obtain weapons. There are also clear racial overtones when Walker says that Israel is more of an apartheid state than South Africa was. Richard Wagner is also different because of how offensive his music is to Holocaust survivors.        Peter Beinart is not in the same league as the above examples. I strongly disagree with him, but I do not believe he is anti-Semitic, racist, or hateful. Beinart's work can be studied in context and his ideas can be examined rationally.        When it comes to teachers selecting curriculum materials, I suggest the rule of Curwin’s iPpod. My iPod has 5000 songs. I erase all artists who refuse to come to Israel for political reasons like Elvis Costello or Carlos Santana. I love their music, but with 5000 songs I really don’t miss them very much.         That is my suggestion for teachers when choosing books, videos, music, drama or art for their students. There are so many wonderful choices and so many options; students won’t miss works from racists and anti-Semites.    The writer, a doctor, is the author of Discipline with Dignity: New Challenges: New solutions and Rediscovering Hope: Our Greatest Teaching Strategy, and a professor at David Yellin College in Jerusalem.