Point of View: Art and Education

Art closets across the nation have been hit hard by the recession. Shelves, baskets, and canvases have been left sitting useless because of the constant budget cuts affecting public schools and other facilities funded by the government. And when public schools are asked to cut back the budget they go right for the art classes. Children are not exposed to theatre, music, dance, or visual art because of this. As Charles Fowler writes, “The arts humanize the curriculum while affirming the interconnectedness of all forms of knowing. They are a powerful means to improve general education." Art is an important part of education. It helps the mind think in an abstract and creative away. Art improves a child’s ability to learn, abstract thought, and focus.

In my art class in tenth grade our teacher had us bring a picture of nature to class. She showed us the process of stippling and told us that we were going to recreate the picture through stippling. Stippling is a process of marking the paper with numerous small dots to show a design or picture. Some stippling projects take years to complete because they are so large and the picture is created by a series of tiny dots usually using a pencil or pen. Stippling takes time and focus in order to complete. More dots are needed to create a darker tone of anger or sadness. If more distinct lines are desired then more dots are used. It’s difficult not to get frustrated with the process because it is so time consuming and tedious. The sheet we were given was a 2ft x 3ft piece of butcher paper. We were handed a charcoal pencil and told to get to work. My teacher walked around like a warden delivering the bad news that we weren’t doing it correctly and to start again. That project took two months to finish and some people still needed more time.  Temper tantrums erupted in the classroom like volcanoes due to the never ending breaking of pencil tips and the dot process. Stippling is a stressful process but because I was exposed to it I learned patience and how to remain motivated even when things become frustrating.

Salvador Dali, a famous Spanish artist, was famous for creating depth, dimensions, and forward thinking in his art. He used uncommon methods in his painting that were revolutionary at the time. He was the forefather for a certain type of art called surrealism. Surrealism is a type of art that works to release visions of the unconscious mind. Dali’s pieces showed melting clocks and scenes that didn’t make sense, as if they were from a dream-like state. Dali went on to become one of the most well known artists of all times and his pieces are now considered classics. Dali was a master of depth. He knew how to paint a picture and show distance and height, but he also was a master of metaphorical depth. He picked images that could be symbols for personal characteristics of him, historical events, or anything that incited interest in him and his work that he was trying to convey. Most of his work depicted symbols of psychology and Freudian analysis.

In my high school art class we studied Dali to understand depth and symbolism better. We analyzed many of Dali’s pieces such as his use of teeth to symbolize sexuality and food to suggest his childhood desire to become a cook. After studying Dali, we were given the assignment to create our own surrealist painting with the topic of a specific theme. I choose the theme of nature and created a surrealist painting of a cartoon world where pipes and concrete were growing out of the ground opposed to trees and flowers. It was supposed to show how there are more man-made products in the world than products grown from the earth. Finishing this project it helped me to see the symbolism in art as well as other subjects. I was able to understand literature better after studying Dali because I could see the symbolism in his work which showed me how to look for metaphors and symbolism in literature. Dali creates in such a way that makes you question what he is trying to get across to the viewer. By looking at his paintings long enough and pondering what different things could mean I was usually able to come up with a loose interpretation of his paintings. The same process is used for literature and other works.

In elementary school I started to take private art lessons with a local artist in the area. My parents soon noticed that after starting my lessons I became a much more outwardly creative child. I would show my parents how I would make a home for my dolls out of cinder blocks and sing songs I had written myself about our cat Puss-In-Boots. My teachers told my parents that I had become much more vocal in class as well. I had started raising my hand more, taking the initiative on group projects, and showing my abilities in every aspect of the classroom. My private art classes gave me creativity and motivation to work harder in my classes. My math and music classes became easier because the portion of my brain that performs those functions was being used more regularly.

Art in general is a process and can be tedious and stressful. Art teaches students how to manage their time, be patient, and how to put genuine effort into something. They learn these valuable characteristics by creating a concept they care about so they want to put genuine effort into it and because when you see the progress of something they are creating, it motivates them to finish it and work hard on it. Most art classes are once a week and are usually around an hour in length. This isn’t a lot of time to work on a project. By giving students a set time when something needs to be done and giving them the responsibility to figure it out, they, by trial and error, will eventually understand how to manage their time effectively. Sometimes being patient with an art project can be difficult, but if students remain calm and focused it will end up paying off. Art is a vital part of education. It improves children’s focus, abstract thought, and creativity. Art improves a child’s ability to learn.