Why Teach Art?

Why Teach Art?In Emphasis Art, chapter 1, it gives many reasons for why we should teach art. One of the reasons was for personal communication and expression. It reads, “The idea that a person can make an individual statement through art - one that brings meaning and pleasure to self and others and that communicates to others - is a powerful rationale.” (R.D. Clements, F. Wachowiak p. 4) I agree with this statement whole heartedly. I think art really gives students a chance to express themselves in a time when they are told to think and do the same things as everyone else around them. They should read a certain way. They should do math a certain way. But with art, they can do whatever they feel like. They can be themselves and the pressure to be someone else isn’t there. What better reason is there to teach art?

Many people need more than one reason, which is partially why I went looking for more. On a website I found, there is an introduction to the topic. One of the things the author brought up was that students are not only doing art. It was said that they are making choices. (www.whyteachart.com) Their choices in art have consequences and the student has to take responsibility for those consequences. If students can apply this to their lives, we are not just teaching art anymore. We are teaching students to be responsible citizens.

There is a passage in The Arts and the Creation of Mind that talks about flexible purposing. This was a new term for me but the way I understood it was that art teaches you to be able to change directions or goals when something better comes along. In other words it teaches you to be rational. (Eisner p. 77) I’ve worked with struggling students for quite some time now . Some are socially challenged and have a very hard time changing to go with what’s best. I think if these students were able to experiment with art, they would become more adapt to change and handle it a lot better, just one more reason why we should teach art.

I found another article in the Boston Globe. It had one of the best lines I’ve read in my research. “As schools cut time for the arts, they may be losing their ability to produce not just the artistic creators of the future, but innovative leaders who improve the world they inherit.” (E. Winner, L. Hetland) I think that is a very scary thought. Teaching kids to use their creativity and think outside the box is something that could change the world. Why would someone want to remove that?

In a world that is full of depression and anger, there needs to be some light and happiness. I think one way that could really help that become reality is through the arts. I got the idea when I was reading in The Champions of Change: The Impact of Arts on Learning. The author made a comment that the arts can help students feel higher levels of achievement through the arts. (E. B. Fiske) If students feel like they’ve achieved something they are going to have a higher self esteem. I know so many students out there whose lives would change dramatically if they were able to view themselves as successful.

The last article I looked at was about why we should teach art in elementary school. I think C. Rakoczy summed it up very well when she said “Art teaches life skills.” (C. Rakoczy) Art is fun and doesn’t feel like learning to students. Yet, they are learning skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. That is why we should teach art.

Clements R. D., Wachowiak F., (2010) Emphasis Art: Ninth Edition, Boston, MA: Pearson Education, inc.

Fiske E. B., The Champions of Change: The Impact of Arts on Learning, p. VIII, Retrieved from https://online.uen.org/webct/urw/lc129121021.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct

Eisner E., The Arts and the Creation of Mind, p. 77 Retrieved from https://online.uen.org/webct/urw/lc129121021.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct

Rakoczy C., Why Teach Art In Elementary Schools, Your Dictionionary.com. Retrieved from http://answers.yourdictionary.com/answers/jobs-education/why-teach-art-in-elementary-schools.html

Why Teach Art? Retrieved from http://www.whyteachart.com/

Winner E., Hetland L., Art For Our Sake, The Boston Globe. Retrieved from http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/09/02/art_for_our_sake/

What is Art?

What is art? You would think that a three word question would be simple to answer. It’s not. I’ve been pondering the question for a few days now and still haven’t come up with a decided answer. Maybe there really isn’t one though.

I decided to start my search for the answer out with an online dictionary. I just typed in the word “art” and it came up with this: the products of human creativity; the creation of beautiful or significant things. From this definition I determined a couple of things. One, art is an outcome. Art isn’t something that just exists; it has to have been made at some point in time. Two, art is created by man. In Art and Artworks, it has a story about a chimpanzee that creates some paintings. I do believe that art was created but according to the definition “products of human creativity” the artist couldn’t be the chimpanzee. The artist was whoever gave the chimpanzee the paint brushes. The chimpanzee was just a tool that was used. I don’t really think the animal knew what it was doing.

So I’ve come to the conclusion that art must be created and it must be created by man. Then I started wondering if art needed to be displayed in some fashion in order to be considered art. In a YouTube video, there was the example of the urinal put in the art gallery. This was what really got me thinking about display. Location was really the only difference between that one urinal and one in a normal male restroom. I concluded that display must have something to do with what art is. However, what about buildings, architecture? I know that some buildings are a work of art. There are so many structures that can take someones breath away that are created by man, such as the Eifel Tower. But they aren’t on display like the urinal. No, location shouldn’t make something art.

Next, I wanted to know if intent had anything to do with what art is. I was thinking art is planned to an extent. I came across a podcast by a Mr. Nehames. In part of the lecture he said that “the desire to make something special is characteristic of the artistic process.” Something drives the artist to make it but that defines the process, not art itself. Then I remembered that Maele gave her example of the squash she made and that complicated things. What she intended didn’t really happen but her work was still considered art. I started thinking about ancient pottery and pictographs. Maybe to the indigenous people this wasn’t art but now we think it is. No, artist’s intent is not a determining factor because some art is not intended to happen.

Tolstoy said, “…that whereas by words a man transmits his thoughts to another, by means of art he transmits his feelings.” After I read this I started thinking that feelings need to be a part of my definition. I play the piano and love listening to instrumental songs. So many songs that I’ve played have portrayed emotion. Claire de Lune by Debussy is my favorite song in the world because I feel an incredible peace when I hear or play it. To me, Claire de Lune is a masterpiece and Debussy is an artist. I have come to the conclusion that all art does bring feelings but the feeling that is present depends on the person looking or listening.

My definition of art is: a product of man that causes an onlooker to feel or think something. However I think everyone’s definition would be different.

Art and Artworks. Chapter 1. Retrieved from https://online.uen.org/webct/urw/lc129121021.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct

Art. Webster Online Dictionary. http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/art

Debussy. Claire de Lune

Nehames, A. What is Art? Retrieved from Philosophy Talk website: http://www.philosophytalk.org/pastShows/Art.html

Tolstoy, L. What is Art? (Excerpts). (Chapter five). Retrieved from http://www.csulb.edu/~jvancamp/361r14.html

What is art?. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZXOL-HUfWM