A beaded ceremonial bowl used for peyote – a banned substance in the United States – is featured in the latest Tarble Arts Center exhibit “Beadwork Across Cultures.”

The exhibit, which showcases beadwork from Native American, African, Caribbean and Mexican cultures, is for the Fall Fifth Grade Enrichment Program taught by students. It is open to students and the public until Jan. 7, 2007.

“We do exhibitions that should appeal to several audiences,” said Kit Morice, co-curator of the exhibit and curator of education for Tarble.

When walking through the exhibit on Wednesday, students expressed concern about teaching the children about peyote, a hallucinogen from the flower of a cactus.

Both Morice and Patricia Belleville explained to the students that for the cultures, it is a ceremonial substance used for seeing visions.

“It’s used by these cultures not as recreation,” Morice said.

Both Morice and Belleville knew from doing the exhibition programs for a while that children know more than people would think.

Belleville, an associate professor for art education and the professor of the art 3400 and art 3405 classes will be teaching the exhibit. “Some ten-year-olds already know (about peyote),” said

Katie Fleming, a junior art education major, will be giving fifth-graders a tour of the exhibit and at first was unsure about talking to the fifth-graders about peyote.

After discussing it with Belleville and Morice, the topic is more comfortable, she said.

Nick Ippolito, a senior art education, will also be giving tours to the children and realizes the concern of discussing the ceremonial substance.

“As long as we go about explaining it in the right way it should be fine,” he said.

A beaded purse with swastikas also appears in the exhibit. But has nothing to do with Nazis.

At the time it was still known as a good luck symbol, especially in Tibet, Morice said.

The swastika represents the direction North, East, South and West as well as the wind in the North American Cultures.

With images of swastikas and objects used for peyote, Morice said that informing children and giving them the background is best.

“We are teaching them about cultures outside of our own,” she said.

Besides purses and bowls are not the only items in the exhibit. There are also moccasins, belts, flags and masks that all show a connection to the natural world.

Animals like birds and deer are often depicted in the art, as well as plants, Morice said.

The items are on loan from The University Museum at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and from a few area private collections.

However, it was the beaded crocodile that caught the eye of Kelly Coon, a senior art education who will be teaching the fifth graders an art project.

The crocodile would have been hung in the healer’s house as a powerful symbol that would ward of evil spirits, she said.

The bright colors, tiny beads and intricate designs within the art are what Coon thinks the children will like about the exhibit.

“It will be a little overwhelming for them,” she said. “It’s very lively and fun to see all the different works.”

An overwhelming feature is how old the objects on display are.

Children will be able to see all these items that are over 100 years old, Belleville said.

Morice agreed adding that the students will be able to see it and not just read and look at pictures about the art.

“It’s a field trip,” she said.

Coon and others will help the fifth graders make their own beaded bowl with the use of colorful beads and wax.

It was fun to experiment with the project and the objects especially since the wax used is for installing toilets, she said.

The use of wax to make bowls is a traditional style of the Huichol group in New Mexico. They lined the bowl with beeswax and placed the seed beads in one by one. “It’s an old form,” Morice said.

Eastern students who are teaching the fifth-graders about the beadwork and how to create the art project will also be teaching area teachers today.

“We have to make sure our lessons are age appropriate,” said Andrea Blaser, a junior art education major.

Blaser will be leading the tour of the artwork.

Fleming is glad to be teaching the teachers especially since it is before they have to with the children.

“When you teach the teachers you might get a little more feedback,” she said.

The fifth graders will be coming to Tarble on days from Oct. 11 throughout Nov. 15.