This video is rather long, but I feel it's definitely worth a watch or listen, because it relates specifically to arts and education. If you speed through the timeline to about 30:00, you will hear the panel talk about technology and art. One of the panelist Damian Woetzel spoke of how it is positive and then said he still wants people to do things with their hands. Another statement that I found interesting was the comparison between sports and the arts. One of the panelist spoke about how parents push and make sure that their kids partake in sports and how that's competitive, but they don't see the same push to participate in the arts. I personal think that our youth need both. I believe that sports breed teamwork, competitiveness, and the ability to deal with winning and losing. I not only think sports is necessary but believe that art should be mandatory as well, because of how it can inspire creativity and self expression. Why do you think that it's more of a push for kids to play sports than for kids to do arts? My answer would be that it's a perception in society that art doesn't pay the bills, despite that it is a ton of creative jobs and careers out there. People think of the "starving artist," and parents don't put their kids in anything else art related beyond what's already in the schools. With sports maybe parents believe that there kid might just be an professional athlete. I think we have to promote more awareness of the lucrative careers in art to maybe change that perception a bit. What do you all think?
For me, it is all about balance. Physical education is just as important as art education. Both stimulate the brain in different ways, and more brain power is never a bad thing. It's all about perception. There are probably just as many starving athletes and artists these days :)
ReplyDeleteI really like this video, great discussion about education. Creativity is something difficult to teach, school provide the space to collect ideas and skill sharing. It also mention about China economic power and in relation how the country value creativity. What they country do is to send their students study aboard and learn from other countries.
ReplyDeleteDamian Woetzel will be in town for Chicago Ideas week coming up, and may be involved with the CPS Arts Education Plan. He's a terrific supporter of the arts and education. Interesting points he makes.
ReplyDeleteAs for the differences between sports and arts and the inherent values bestowed upon them, I would propose that maybe this is a false dichotomy and that they approach more similar parts of the brain than people realize. The value proposition is really tough and although I think society and potential monetary gain influence them, I think an even bigger piece of this puzzle is the media. Images of professional athletes are splashed throughout our consciousness. How many famous living artists can you name?