Mitch Bates, age 15, of Jackson, Miss., for his question:

CAN YOU EXPLAIN DADAISM?

Dadaism is an artistic protest movement that was started in Zurich,

Switzerland, by a group of artists and poets in 1916. The Dadaists objected to what they said were outworn traditions in art, and the evils they saw in society. They tried to shock and provoke the public.

Much of the Dada art was experimental. The name came from a French word meaning "hobbyhorse," and was deliberately chosen because it was nonsensical.

Founders of the organization included the French poet Tristan Tzara, the German artist Jean Arp and the German poet Hugo Ball.

Perhaps the best known Dadaist was Marcel Duchamp, the French artist. He was not a member of the Zurich group but was working in the Dada spirit as early as 1913. That year he completed his first "ready made." Ready wades were common objects, such as bicycle wheels, that were exhibited as though they were works of art.

In this way, Duchamp ridiculed the idea that art was something profound.