The Need for Art: Art and Society, Art and School
Problems arise because the art teacher is not the only mediator of the child's experiences in art. The dominant values in our culture are still reflected in the quest for wealth, success, and upward social mobility. Within this scheme of values, art is often treated as little more than a leisure-time pursuit, a decorative addition to life. The deeper satisfaction of art is poorly understood and largely unrealized.
Values operating in the larger society influence children. From the earliest years of their lives, they are educated through visual forms at home, in stores, and in the neighborhood. As children grow older, they are attracted to products that superficially resemble art - craft, kits, colouring books, numbered painting sets and plastic models. From products such as these, children (learners) acquire concepts of art that are quite different from those they encounter in school or in museums and art galleries.
Television, comic books and movies also influence the youth in the understanding of what is worth doing, having and seeking.
In making these observations, it would be unfair to imply that everyone in our community is indifferent to art. A substantial number of people go to museums and galleries. There should be an awareness of the fact that the quality of life is influenced by the way we shape our everyday environment.
Nevertheless, a student in today's world is bombarded by the mass media, advertising, consumer products, and the environment; with countless ready-made self-images and values. In contrast, there are relatively few opportunities for the youth (student) to express how his or her particular life feels, to discover what its; special meanings are, or to comprehend why it is like no other person's life. Art can acquaint children with more subtle forms of feeling and more precise images of the human spirit than they are likely to discover on their own. Through instructions in art, the student (learner) can acquire the know-how to explore the • deeper meanings of visual forms.
If children could discover the power of visual forms by unguided experience alone, there would be little need for art instruction in school. The kind of influence the school should have is the central problem in art education. We can gain a perspective on this problem through the following points on what art does to the society.
a. Art is for cultural refinement.
b. Art as craft and folk tradition.
C. Art as self-expression.
d. Art serves as problem-solving when integrated and correlated to other subjects.
e. Art relates to our everyday living.
f. Art plays a major part in a child's developmental activities.
G. Art is creative.
When children use art as a means of expression and as a way of responding to life, it becomes a source of personal fulfilment. Learning to perceive expressive forms is just as important as learning to create them. Children's perceptual awareness and expressive powers have to be cultivated so that they can clearly define their feelings and make sense of the raw experience.
AWARENESS OF ART IN SOCIETY
Children should understand that the visual forms they create help them express their own identities as well as their membership in the society. Visual forms also mark important events in their lives in the same way, tools and spaces for living reflect people's expressive and physical needs in everyday life. The colour, shape, and arrangement of objects in stores and in advertisements have a profound effect on behaviour. We should help children and students of art become aware of the many ways visual forms can shape and express the feelings of people of all cultures.
The various ceremonial functions performed in both school and society should not be underestimated with respect to their power to help develop cohesiveness among people. The ceremonial function of the weekends and special occasions, the school assembly, and the pledge to the flag are instruments of art utilized not only for aesthetic satisfaction, but for, creating a sense of unity among those who participate in such ceremonies. In this sense, art can be a potent binding agent in the society.
EXHIBITION AND DISPLAY
TECHNIQUES
Exhibition can be defined as a public display of visual creative artworks.
It could be paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, metalwork’s, crafts, textile works, antiquities or other objects that people can go to see. Art exhibition display can be temporary or permanent, solo or group etc.
'Solo exhibition is a form of display prepared and performed by one person with or without subordinate accomplishment. It is strictly work of art displayed by an artist singularly at a particular place and time. 'Group' is a form of exhibition involving two or more individuals. They must have agreed to exhibit artworks together under one umbrella or theme at a particular place and time. This group can come in form of association, contemporaries or professional colleagues.
These activities feature regularly in different galleries of art world. It is the unique way, concept and medium that bring the whole component of the art stake-holders, art patrons, buyers, dealers, critics, writers, students' representatives' and art managers all under one unit for a few hours and days.
Different works in different media of the artists) can be seen directly. Through this, a lot of questions can be ask for better understanding of the medium used and some hiding process of visual production.
Exhibition display involves a lot of skills and demonstrations in preparation of the creative show.
The various process of preparing art works for display are:
• Mounting
• Labeling
• Framing
• Fixing
• Mounting artworks on walls.
Mounting is an aspect that involves skill application and measurement. By fixing a picture, painting, drawing to a larger piece of stiff paper, so that it looks more attractive and to prevent the four sides from damage.
Labeling is another stage in preparing for an art show. Here, informatios like title and sizes of artworks are attached for better understanding and relativities.
Framing is also an aspect that involves balancing and proportion by cutting colours/white paper called
'Mat' in window format and placing the art work under for better presentation.
Fixing involves placing a transparency glass on metal visual artworks and fix wood/fibre finishing frame to command aesthetically pleasing art work.
Mounting artworks on walls is an exercise which involves skills of measurement for proper wall hanging placement of finished visual artworks.
From the above mentioned all these stages are to be demonstrated by the Art teacher for better understanding.
DISPLAYTECHNIQUES
This is the artistic way or approach to show case or enhance qualities of an art show which needs a lot of planning skill and strategy. The techniques are: Categorizing, Lighting, Design Space and Display Stand Board.
(i). Categorizing: The classification is very important in the selection of artworks.
The arrangement of all exhibits must be sectionized to differentiate the artistic medium e g. (Sculpture and Ceramic); (Paintings, Graphics, Drawing and Textile) will be defined in the display.
(ii). Lighting: The environment for the displaying must be conducive in terms of lighting and ventilation. All visual works must be quite distinct from each other in the exhibition hall.
(iii). Design space: This is one of the key strategies in displaying an artwork.
All works must have a breathing space/volume to allow sight appreciation of content and forms e.g colours.
(iv). Display Stand Board: This is a stand on which all exhibits are hung for display. The production of this stand combines the use of white painted flat wood and solid metal leg. This must have the capacity to carry the hung artworks for the number of days for display.
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