BSA Art

My mom has often told me that at a young age she and my dad realized that I was into art. Her friends told her that if I was into art that she needed to get me into scouting. I do attribute a decent amount of my development and interest in arts to Boy Scouts, but not in the institutional structure. I liked walking around campgrounds and councils, alone; discovering animals; watching sunsets; fantasizing about ghosts, monsters, psychopaths, and ufo's in the dark; and finding odd natural and man-made stuff (trash, dams, trees growing around nails and fences, odd seeds, etc). I was also obsessed with the (quasi-military) insignia and iconography. I collected (and still own) as many pins and patches as I could. I was interested in what those characterized images symbolized, and the beautiful aesthetic that went with them. They stood for so much, not just some requirements that were fulfilled, but a set of moral and social codes - most of them were often romantic in their yearning for a more simple and righteous time. I never made it to the rank of Eagle (I only finished the rank of Star, two short of Eagle) because that wasn't important to me. I wanted to explore and create the world, and not file my ideas into another pre-determined system.

Some of the things I did in the BSA seem interesting to look at now. Least to investigate the problematic Leatherwork and Indian Lore merit badges, below are the 2011 requirements to get the Boy Scouts of America's Art Merit Badge. (And it's still crazy how easy Basketry is compared to other badges.) I don't understand how this represents how art is currently practiced or taught at all.

1. Tell a story with a picture or pictures or using a 3-D rendering.
2. Do ONE of the following.
   1. Design something useful. Make a sketch or model of your design and get your counselor's approval before you proceed. Then create a promotional piece for the item using a picture or pictures.
   2. Design a logo. Share your design with your counselor and explain the significance of your logo. Then, with your parent's permission and your counselor's approval, put your logo on Scout equipment, furniture, ceramics, or fabric.
3. Render a subject of your choice in FOUR of these ways:
   1. Pen and ink,
   2. Watercolors,
   3. Pencil,
   4. Pastels,
   5. Oil paints,
   6. Tempera,
   7. Acrylics,
   8. Charcoal
   9. Computer drawing or painting
4. With your parent's permission and your counselor's approval, visit a museum, art exhibit, art gallery, artists' co-op, or artist's workshop. Find out about the art displayed or created there. Discuss what you learn with your counselor.
5. Find out about three career opportunities in art. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.

These investigations often lead me to consider what things could be making/doing now if I had gone to a progressive school in a city - or even an after school program like Gallery 37 or Spiral Workshop. (Even-though I did attend the art summer camp at Eastern Illinois University for two years in high school - even in its flaws I am very grateful for it.) In the end, it seems like I should not focus on what I could have been or done if I had had a better early arts education, but what I can do with what I have.

 a gate I made for our campground at a summer camp in Kentucky, 1996