A look at noteworthy addresses in the Southland.

On Culture and Education “Culture has been defined as the total physical, social, moral and spiritual lifestyle of society. Culture is expressive and reflective of values espoused by society. From the primitive drawings in the caves of Altamira to the most recent Pulitzer Prize composition, the arts chronicle our history and the history of civilizations.

. . For years our country could boast of the most successful education system. There is still reason to be proud of what we do in education. However, in place of developing critical understanding, engaging in student experience, and fostering active and critical citizenship, schools are redefined through a language that emphasizes standardization, competency and very narrowly defined performance skills.

We have to begin to teach our young people to think aesthetically. . . . Years and years of conformative art have resulted in the main streets that we have throughout America. . . . There’s a McDonald’s. There’s a galleria mall. . . . We’ve redefined our cultural boundaries, we’ve discarded the gift of art as if it were disposable. How tragic that we have failed so needlessly in the training and education of our youth with regard to the importance of art in our lives.”

On Art in Society “Creative people are compelled . . . to push into a forest where there is no guide. To risk. To stand right out on the edge. To open up their soul and say to the rest of us, ‘This is what I see, this is what I feel, this is who I am, this is who we are.’ Such a journey, one that travels the inner resources of your imagination, requires courage that few ever realize or understand. . . . “Great art sustains, nourishes, serves as a profound utterance to the human spirit. (It) broadens horizons, sharpens emotions and unlocks minds. It is this sense that must be cherished. That’s why our children must experience the arts. That’s why each of us must have the courage to provide the opportunities to provide that experience.”

Looking Ahead Monday: Clayborne Carson, Stanford University professor of history, on “The Myths and Realities of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X,” at the Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, Whittier College, 7:30 p.m. (310) 907-4277.

Announcements concerning prominent speakers in Los Angeles should be sent to Speaking Up, c/o Times researcher Nona Yates, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, 90053