Great Western Art Centers

Tour Hosts Review  by Sheri Leigh

As a nation, with a lot of European stock, America has always found it comfortable to look across the Atlantic for its influence, but with the demographic shift, Internet age, mass travel and other exposure to larger portions of the world, I would hope the curious would be venturing past the familiar to more exotic fare.

This issue was meant to do just that. Inspire the reader to a wider vision of art introducing the less known Asian, Latin American and African centers, but alas, Europe and to a lesser extent America, dominated the submissions.

So from Great Art Centers, we shift focus to Western Art Centers in deference to the travel opportunities available. While a few of our Hosts, go beyond the village boundary and offer new ideas and opportunities, Japan, India and the Middle East for example, most included in this issue are closer to the western heart.

Please don't misunderstand me. European art has always been a major influence in my life, especially the Italian Renaissance. I am a Europhile from start to finish. It is in the blood and in the learning. Western Civilization, the main stay of the American educational system, is based on a Euro-centric point-of-view. The great "Masters" Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Turner, Gainsborough, Monet and 100's I can't even name as well as the authors and composers celebrated as Culturally influential, are all European.

So why the disappointment? Simply the fact that I always want to provide a well rounded International perspective for our issues. Encouraging the reader to probe beyond the familiar by providing an educational experience rather than just an entertaining one. Perhaps if we all knew, and cared, more about what makes the "other" tick, we'd have a happier, safer world today.

This month's tour hosts review: