Art & Education

InSEA together with the Namibian Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, held a week long Seminar about "Building social cohesion through Arts Education" http://insea.org/Walvis-Bay-2018. In form of a 16 minute (self-made/-edited) video, I highlighted the importance of the arts in education and how it should be used as a 'tool for emotional expression and personal development'.

Abstract:

Art as a tool for emotional expression and personal development

In form of a video presentation: Art in schools is often assessed, evaluated, or graded according to some set standard, or creative competencies which have to be achieved. This, structures a kind of benchmark of what ‘good’ or ‘bad’ art is. Instead, art should be expressed as a form of exploration, a mode of communication, and most of all a tool for personal expression. If we do not have the opportunity to express ourselves in our unique and authentic ways, or we do not have the means to express what we are dealing with emotionally, it hinders our emotional and psychological development. With personal demands and pressures increasing in all aspects of life, finding a suitable method for emotional expression presents numerous challenges. However, engaging in creative expression and non-evaluative art making offers increasing evidence that the process of creativity bears with it numerous positive outcomes. Research, personal observations, and experience demonstrates that free creative expression positively influences cognitive, emotional, and psychological development. Henceforth, creative expression/art can be used as a tool to benefit children to cope with challenging personal circumstances, assist them with emotional exploration, increase self-awareness and strengthen inner resources and skills to deal with life more effectively.

Watch the video here: