Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Protecting Iraq's Antique's

How do we go about protecting artifacts from being looted and destroyed in Iraq. I think the answer to that question has many possible solutions. First I think it starts with education. If no one knows what is happening to artifacts and ancient sites then we can't really hold anyone responsible. For us to being the education process, it needs to start from the ground up. Why is it that we wait until people are in college to teach the history of art. From the time kids are in first grade until high school, we teach American and World History. What about the history of art? It all ties in together. The second step is to teach the appreciation of art. Not everyone will see things from the artists point of view but it's possible to teach a sort of respect for the artwork and the ones who made it. Of course, it's not easy to teach someone to respect and care about something they may not care about. Another way to solve the destruction and looting is to crack down on the "Black Market" Let's face it, art isn't the only thing being bought or sold there. If the black market is a world wide problem then the FBI shouldn't be the only ones handling it. Maybe the United Nations should have some part in it, or maybe each country needs to be responsible fore their own stuff. Perhaps, the artifacts from Iraq could be stored in a safer place until things settle down, but who is to say they won't get worse again? It might be possible for there to be some sort of Art Preserving Unit or something. If there was a group of experts who could keep track of things a little better, then things like the looting in Iraq wouldn't go unnoticed. They might be able to even keep track of things a little easier. What ever the solution is, it's going to have to be a group effort. Who knows, there may never be a way to stop people from destroying anceint grounds and artifacts. However, a solution has to be found before it's too late. If we let things continue to happen, who's to say it happens on our turf. How do we teach the children of the future about our history without the art to tell the story?

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