Can art break down barriers among cultures?

This question appears in Chapter 2 of Cynthia Freeland's book, But is it art? One answer is offered by John Dewey, who wrote that art is a universal language because it provides an immediate encounter with other cultures if we take the time to consider it. Freeland expands on Dewey's idea by adding that we must know the external facts before trying to acquire an internal attitude of appreciation for another community's art.

I'm reminded of a discussion we had here months ago when we considered appropriating symbols from other cultures in our own art. I think we all agreed that there's potential for misunderstanding, especially if those symbols are used in a way that might offend the originating culture. More recently, we've seen the anger that's emerged over the use of sacred symbols in our own culture. What the artist intends isn't always clear to the viewer, and can be misunderstood.

So, when Freeland asks if art can break down barriers among cultures, I wonder what those barriers are and how they form. Does art transcend all of those barriers? What does it take on the part of the viewer to openly regard and accept art from another culture or even from our own?

I'll digress from the book to offer my viewpoints on these questions. What are the barriers among and within cultures and how do they form? My personal opinion is that people, by nature, are self-protective. It's a characteristic that has successfully kept our species alive thus far. But, we take this part of our nature too far sometimes, and see danger where there is none. Mental barriers are constructed when we experience something that is different from what we are accustomed to. Will that new thing harm us in some way? Do we need to construct customs or laws to protect us from ever experiencing that again? Translated, this means that exposure to "foreign" art might automatically trigger in us the instinct to reject it. Foreign art challenges our established customs and beliefs, which we hold sacred and protect.

Does art transcend these barriers? Yes and no. I think we all respond to "beauty" as we comprehend it in any work of art. But, "art" doesn't have to be beautiful. It can rely on form and content to be considered a work of art. So, how do people accept unfamiliar form and content embedded in foreign art? I agree with Freeland that art needs to be viewed within the context in which it was created.

Finally, what does it take on the part of the viewer to openly regard and accept art from another culture and even from our own? I've already offered "logic" and "context," but would like to add eliminate fear. Fear blocks our desire to understand.

These are only my opinions, and I'd like to know yours!