Art in School

Art is amazing, and I am so lucky to make a living from my passion. It has not only given me a way of seeing Vancouver but more importantly of understanding myself. I would like to see more art in school.

But what effect is the sidelining of art having on our children’s education? Benefits come both from practicing the art and from learning about it. It is felt that not teaching art in school is preventing them from getting a good education. So what are the benefits of art in school?

Art in School
Imagination and Creativity. Children can take their experiences of the world and transform them through art. Their knowledge, memories and fantasies all feed their imagination. Art allows children to explore, build on and record their own creative and imaginative ideas.

Expression
Art allows children to express their feelings and ideas, both as a means of self-expression and to communicate with others. These may include reliving a happy event they recently experienced (a birthday party or a day out), or drawing out some sad feelings as a therapeutic exercise. Therefore being more rounded and comfortable with their emotions.

Visual Thinking
Pictures encourage us to think about and understand the world visually, instead of restricting learning and the acquisition of knowledge to words and numbers alone. Visual thinking helps children learn other subjects. It is a skill used in a wide variety of professions, including the sciences as well as the arts.

Art Appreciation and World View
Observational skills. Art helps children observe the subject matter of the real-world scene they are drawing from more closely, therefore making them better observers of detail in the world around them. Developing observational skills through picture-making facilitates the child’s visual sensitivity to the world.

Problem-solving and analytical skills. Pictures enable children to explore and test out ideas. For instance, children will learn problem-solving skills as they grapple with trying to create a three-dimensional scene from the world on a two-dimensional page. Because of this, they will gain a sense of self-confidence and a skill level that will help them in many parts of life.

Autonomy
A child’s picture is his or her own. It has worth in its own right, without having to be measured or judged by others as right or wrong. The child has the authority to say what the picture is of, or what it communicates, building up their confidence and self-esteem — a powerful lesson for kids.