WHAT DOES ART MEAN?

Today in class we thought about what exactly "Art" means. Students wrote that art helps them to be creative, to express themselves, and that it can be relaxing. Some students knew that fine art doesn't always mean "visual art," that it includes music, dance, drama, and literature, too!

We abbreviated the dictionary definition of Art in our sketchbooks and wrote down examples of different kinds of art objects: 

Dictionary Definition of Art:  1. The human ability to make things; creativeness 2. Skill…Any specific skill or its application 3. Creative works, generally, or its principles; making or doing of things that have form and beauty; art includes visual art, music, literature, drama, the dance, etc."

WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT ART?

All of us have heard someone say that art is a waste of time, it's not necessary, it is just something to do when you are bored. Is Art class really just a "frill?" 

Actually, we would all be naked and living in a cave without art! 

Without art we wouldn't have clothing, jewelry, shoes, houses, furniture, cars, televisions, movies, books, magazines, the Internet, video games, theaters, stores, amusement parks, museums, schools, cell phones, cameras, and the list just goes on and on! A creative artist had to invent all these things at some point for us to enjoy them. Everyone is an artist, everyone is a creative individual - it just comes out of us in different ways. Some people sing, dance, play a musical instrument, act, or paint and draw. Others like to cook, sew, write stories and poetry, or work with wood. To be human is to create! 

HOW DOES ART BENEFIT YOU?

There are three main ways: 

1. Art makes you smarter! “Creativity” means “problem solving,” and in Art class you are using your brain in ways that you don’t get to in your other classes. On this chart of higher order thinking skills, “CREATE” is at the TOP! It can be a real intellectual challenge to come up with ways to effectively communicate your thoughts, ideas, and feelings! It can also be a challenge to figure out HOW to make whatever it is that you have envisioned! Creative problem solving is what we do all the time in Art class!

2. Art helps you communicate! When you hear people say that they can “express themselves” through art, what they really mean is that art helps them communicate. You can say things through colors, lines, and shapes that cannot be said in any other way. An image is extremely powerful…a picture is worth a thousand words!

3. Art brings beauty to the world!
 As artists, we have a "Super Power;" we have the ability to find beauty even where there is ugliness. We can show others the beauty we see! 
Also, it is often relaxing and therapeutic to create with art materials like paint, or clay, or paper mache. Scientists have shown in studies that people who practice an art form actually live longer! 
Here is a short video clip of Alabama potter Larry Allen in his studio...he describes his ideas about beauty: (he was one of our guest artists at HMS last year!)

6th grader Hali wrote what art means to her:

"What art means to me is it's a way to create life, but on a piece of paper, a pen/pencil in hand leaving lines that connect to make life, but it doesn't talk, move, or interact, but you have the power to make it do that. Art to me is a weapon, and a talent I was given, giving me a voice without having to actually speak. I LOVE ART."

Next...what is the difference between fine art and craft? What about art that is mass produced?