The Arts and the Creation of Mind

The first line captured my interest, "Education is the process of learning how to invent myself." Eisner explores the invention of 'the self' though experiencing different environments, by challenging what an individual sees, thinks, feels, and continuing to expand their imagination. In the reading, Eisner emphasizes the studies of psychology and cognitive activities that formulate the skeleton of the importance of the roles and functions of art.

Art education is not only beneficial to the learning process in schools but is essential to the work force.

For example:

" Programs that ask students to conceptualize their own aims in the art from they are to work with, programs that are problem solving in character...encourage[s] them to be articulate about their judgements about art."

Educating youth about art should be a demand in schools. The arts deserve a solid place in the education system next to mathematics and sciences. Eisner states that art can enhance subjects such as math and science in schools by having students challenge what they have learned in books by experiencing a variety of methods of learning through the creative process.

Eisner also mentioned:

"By manipulating form, artists manipulate experience."

He made a good point that 'mimesis does not achieve a high level of verisimilitude.' As children, we tend to draw what we know and attempt to replicate what is seen or observed on a surface. The goal is to 'master the ability to create versimilitude' and to be able to achieve that is though depicting what is felt.' In art, I learned how to take things out of context and provide an experience for the viewer.

I remember this quote from high schoool:

" The way an individual perceives life is the way the individual perceives a picture."

As humans, we have the advantage to enhance our potential. We feel, taste, speak, and smell--art is a passage to view the world in an entirely differnt perspective.

Art is freedom for our creative thinking.

The Creative Habit

I was amazed at Tharp's organizational method with their box(es). Actually, I found her article quite humorous because I was thinking about my own art process and organizational skills; I consider myself as a very disorganized person. My room is bombarded with piles of all sizes with art supplies, materials that I have found, and collected. Despite my messy habits, Tharp and I keep almost anything and everything.

Tharp's carboard file boxes reminded me of my sketchbooks that are stacked one on top of another. After reading her article, I was actually interested in trying her box system because she describes the box as:

"Easily acquired. Inexpensive. Perfectly functional. Portable. Identifiable. Disposable. Eternal enough."

I find comfort in my closet full of "stuff" because even though I may not know exactly where everything is located, atleast I know that everything is there.

I keep everything because I may use something that I found on the street a year ago. My closet is " the raw index of [my] preparation. It is the repository of [my] creative potential, but it is not that the potential is realized." Tharp's art process reveals the potential in the things we keep.

Art for our Sake

I completely agree that the "education system [is] strapped for money and increasingly ruled by standardized tests...and the arts are being cut back at schools across the country." There is a huge emphasis on mathematics and sciences, but suppressing art programs in schools is devastating to current and future artists. Why do art programs exist if it is looked down upon as an insubstantial subject in the education system? Is art only an option for students; a time for fun and play? Art education should be valued because without it, students would lack the abilities and courage to think outside the box.

Students in elementary, middle, and high schools are trained to absorb and memorize information for testing purposes. What is the biggest goal for most schools? High test scores; the higher the better. By pressuring students to score high on exams, many feel overwhelmed and tend to drop out or simple learn to store large amounts of information but have little knowledge of how to put it to practice in relation to society and the world.

I am intrigued by the "Studio Thinking Framework: Eight Habits of Mind." These eight habits of mind provide a clear understanding of the steps many creators take during the process of making art. I have applied many of these habits, if not all, to my own art process. by being able to read these habits, it is much easier for me to analze and organize my creative thinking and practice.

What does it mean to educate the whole child?

"Highly proficient people commit fraud, pursue paths to success marked by greed, and care little about how their actions affect the lives of others."-Nel Noddings

Sadly, this quote describes the majority of my high school graduated class. Throughout high school, I have taken many advanced placement courses but during my time in these courses, my classmates have grown to be more and more competitive over the years. It did not matter if you had an "A" with a 94.5 percent. What mattered was your rank in the class. Who is number one?

Many students paid other students to write essays, plagiarised, stole test scores from instructors, hid answers in their graphing calculators and cell phones and went to secret websites to get answers for homework and exams. The value of the letter grade had diminished. Knowledge is no longer appreciated or rewarded unless there is a score to prove it.

Many students often feel discouraged or threatened. Results of that is dropping out of school or committing fraud. When will education be valued for experience other than status or rank?

What is art for?

"The word "art" is like the words, "love" or happiness" in that everyone knows what they mean or recognizes what they refer to, but when pressed, finds them difficult to define with consistency or wide application." -Dissanayake, E.

What is Art for?

This article inspired me to ask a few CCA students what they think art is for. These are some of the things they have said:

1. self expression
2. connecting with people
3. uniting people
4. sharking experiences and though
5. constructing ways to explore emotions
6. bringing different cultures together in a mean of expression
7. social practice
8. to captivate and develop the minds of youth
9. explore self identity
10. enriching lives
11. to provide an artistic outlet
12. to be in touch with one's spirituality