Meaningless: Why Is Art Important
By Nina Benson
The other day, a frustrated student, due to their poor choices and poor time management, lashed out at me as time ran out on a project that was due. Defending their poor choices, they claimed, they didn’t need art and that it wasn’t going to help them in the "real world". I countered, that what I had to offer in art class was more about life than they could grasp at their tender age.
Sadly, this student in the heat of the moment couldn’t understand that much of everything that we do has an affect on someone, somehow at sometime. It’s like the tossed pebble into the body of water that causes a ripple that eventually turns the tide…
How could this student understand? They only see the moment and their moment was being challenged by a teacher who is teaching for the future.
Art production isn’t just about the artist – it’s about what the artist is trying to say to the viewer and how that viewer reacts. We all have unique jobs to do, that only we can complete; jobs that affect others. Sometimes as artists, we empower for the good, other times not so much - we have jobs to do.
As artists we give voice to inner thoughts that touches the heart and mind in a dance that moves the body. Artists speak the unspoken through colors, textures and line. We make points of connection when bridges lay burned and broken. We provide three dimensional scaffolding called sculptures to scale barriers that stop progress. Artists create wonder and awe in vibrant colors and dramatic lines. We can capture the silence of the night or the crashing of bombs exploding upon impact. We look at clouds and see pictures. We see the world around us, and shudder at the natural beauty that envelops all and are humbled at the gift.
Why must we have art?
Artists are passionate and sensitive and see endless possibilities even with a blank piece of paper because it’s a start of something great.
By Nina Benson
The other day, a frustrated student, due to their poor choices and poor time management, lashed out at me as time ran out on a project that was due. Defending their poor choices, they claimed, they didn’t need art and that it wasn’t going to help them in the "real world". I countered, that what I had to offer in art class was more about life than they could grasp at their tender age.
Sadly, this student in the heat of the moment couldn’t understand that much of everything that we do has an affect on someone, somehow at sometime. It’s like the tossed pebble into the body of water that causes a ripple that eventually turns the tide…
How could this student understand? They only see the moment and their moment was being challenged by a teacher who is teaching for the future.
Art production isn’t just about the artist – it’s about what the artist is trying to say to the viewer and how that viewer reacts. We all have unique jobs to do, that only we can complete; jobs that affect others. Sometimes as artists, we empower for the good, other times not so much - we have jobs to do.
As artists we give voice to inner thoughts that touches the heart and mind in a dance that moves the body. Artists speak the unspoken through colors, textures and line. We make points of connection when bridges lay burned and broken. We provide three dimensional scaffolding called sculptures to scale barriers that stop progress. Artists create wonder and awe in vibrant colors and dramatic lines. We can capture the silence of the night or the crashing of bombs exploding upon impact. We look at clouds and see pictures. We see the world around us, and shudder at the natural beauty that envelops all and are humbled at the gift.
Why must we have art?
Artists are passionate and sensitive and see endless possibilities even with a blank piece of paper because it’s a start of something great.