We've touched on this before - the issue of making things that are
considered sacred in other cultures, or have origins as such. I have a
vague memory of an ArtsEdNet contributor writing a very well thought out
argument for not making these artworks.
This was my experience:
For several years I have admired the elaborate God's Eye hanging in the
room of a reading teacher colleague. This year I asked if I could borrow
her God's Eye to see if I could make one like it and then have students
make one. She is a Jehovah's Witness and became alarmed when I called it
a God's Eye. She wanted to know more about the background and said she
night not want it in her room anymore. I sent her a
description/definition that I got off the internet. After I was through
with it and had a student return it, she threw it in the trash.
I thought about the other artworks that we make - like the Huichol yarn
paintings. And I'm sure we do more, of which we don't even realize the
origin.
