It is highly desirable in the teaching of art that the relationships of principles in the attainment of beauty be established as soon as each is clearly understood. It is not enough that a principle be clearly established and several applications of it made. As soon as this much has been accomplished it is time that problems be used which involve this new principle and at least one of the preceding ones. Such a cumulative teaching plan is essential to make art training function most successfully in the lives of the pupils.
CLASS PROJECTS
Many judgment and creative problems arise in certain group and class projects, providing opportunity for utilizing and showing the relationships of the essential principles of art in their application. They are more often undertaken in connection with home furnishing than with other phases of homemaking. Provision for such projects involving the selection of articles and materials and the arrangement of them to bring about an attractive and harmonious effect can usually be found right in the school. For example, as a class project, the wall finishes, the furnishings, and the accessories may be chosen and arranged for a specific room such as the dining room, bedroom, or living room of the home-economics department if such rooms are available or the rest room for teachers or girls.
In some schools, the separate cottage is used to house the home-economics department. This offers an opportunity for pupils to show what they would do under practical conditions. It is important that the furnishings for such cottages be in keeping with what is possible in the majority of homes in the community. If when the cottage is new the teacher plans with the pupils for only the essential furnishings at first, further problems of selection and arrangement will be reserved for several classes.
In a few schools the home-economics department has cooperated with the trade and industrial department in planning small houses, which were then built by the boys in their carpentry classes. The girls have then selected and arranged the furnishings for such houses as a class project.
When there is no opportunity within the school for such class or group projects, there are other available possibilities to which a teacher of related art should be alert. Better Homes Week is observed in many towns and cities and those in charge are usually glad to turn over the furnishing of one or more rooms for the occasion to the local home-economics department. A center to which so many visitors come affords an excellent opportunity for exemplifying to the community good taste in furnishings at a cost consistent with the income of the average family.
In one school the related art class took over the project of refinishing one of the rooms in the girls' dormitory. It was necessary to use the furniture already provided, which meant the expenditure of a minimum amount of money. There was, therefore, the problem of refinishing some of the furniture to bring it into harmony with the newly planned room. The old dresser was one of the pieces to be remodeled and painted. Figures 9 and 10 show the dresser before and after the class had worked on it.
In a few instances, homemakers have entrusted the furnishing of rooms in their homes to the related art class. Thus it is seen that a variety of opportunities do exist. They should be located and such use made of them as will mean the enrichment and vitalization of the work in related art.