Children’s Ethno-Aesthetic Responses to a Turkish Carpet: a Cross-Cultural Study in Three Cultures

Through exploratory art criticism, children learn to focus their vision, develop new viewpoints, and exchange ideas. I encouraged children in Turkey, Japan, and on the Navajo Reservation in Northeastern Arizona, United States to explore dimensions of my Turkish carpet. I discovered similarities and differences in their ethnoaesthetic responses, a group’s beliefs and ideas on art and how and why they respond the way they do. The exercise in art criticism began with description, analysis and interpretation questions that served as a springboard for sharing technical information, symbolism, and cultural stories. The paper ends with generated insights not generalised conclusions about changing ethno-aesthetic meanings and values in traditional cultures.