How Do The Arts Teach Us to See the World Differently? Reflections from Geffen Academy's Arts Educators

"Then, in 8th grade, the big idea is narrative. We are always creating a narrative, but in 8th grade, we understand that the narrative is a group thing. We go from the individual to the perspective to the group.

In high school, it’s different. They are learning a lot of skills. They are learning the context of the work. But at the same time, they are trying to develop their own voice–that is the whole process. Though we have to be mindful in how we create a teaching environment that fosters the development of voice. We don’t teach this process explicitly because if you do, you run the risk of losing authenticity. 

Students must frame their own lives. To understand the world, they must work with who they are. When they look at our history, when they look at all the work, what they see is what they can understand, and what they can understand is what they are.

This year, for the first time, we are working with students who are painting a portrait of an endangered species. We asked the question, Who among these animals is not going to be here anymore, and who deserves to be immortalized? Every student chose one animal–some critically, some not so critically–and they are doing a painting and thinking about them as other creatures who have the same right to be in this world as we do, but they are vanishing. It’s another way of thinking about you in relationship to the other.

 

The system of assessment in our class is through critiques. The whole class gathers around a work and we all talk about what we see, what do we think is working, and then the artist explains what they are trying to do. They all tell the artist what works or what doesn’t work and what could be done better. The critiques are a system where we think as a group. Art doesn’t occur individually. It doesn’t occur in a vacuum. It has context; it has all of us.”

 

Other Geffen Academy Arts Educators shared their responses with equal poignancy and reflection. In discussing

the concept of talking across differences, the recurring theme was that the arts are essential for creating the pathways to perspective which allow for the true exchange of ideas. 

 

“Art allows us to communicate through channels of perception which reflect deeply personal subconscious beliefs that most comprehensively express themselves in visual form. These aspects of our deep selves are then projected into the characters and stories we create. So parts of ourselves can begin to manifest into physical form through the medium the artist chooses.

 

I am so honored to be teaching the kids to channel their inner feelings into the work they make, whether they are conscious of it or not, they can fully express themselves in their work. It is a pleasure to watch creative expression take form.” (Judit Csotsis, Visual Arts Educator)

 

“One of the most beautiful connections we get as arts educators is that when I see a student’s work, I actually learn more about them than about the world. The difference in the way we see things comes from us. It’s incredibly unique and personal.” (Sean Conlin, Theater Arts Educator)

Visual Arts Educator Matt Sheridan shared about how particular artists opened up his worldview.

 

“Three crucial adolescent events for me were: hearing Queen’s Greatest Hits album at 11, attending Prince’s Purple Rain tour at 15 and viewing Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing at 19. While I was mocked for all three instances in my rural upstate New York hometown at the time, all three introduced worldviews, inspirations and possibilities to me that helped me escape my circumstances. Queen introduced me to bass playing and later, was key to developing my interest in, and continuing curiosity about Indian culture. Prince inspired me to hear instrumental arrangements and eventually, through transposing musical ideas into material compositions, influenced how I make my abstract paintings and animations today, using simple repeated elements orchestrated in funky ways. Do The Right Thing introduced me to French New Wave cinematic style while reinforcing my love of hip hop, driving my relocation to New York City to follow my dreams of becoming a filmmaking artist. Beyond my artistic journey, all six artists continue to influence my views on social justice.” (Matt Sheridan, Visual Arts Educator)

 

Visual Arts Educator Michael Carter responded with a quote from Degas: 

Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. – Edgar Degas

 

“The arts encourages us to look beyond our own experiences and see through the eyes of others. Whether it's a novel, a painting, or a piece of music, art offers us new viewpoints and brings our attention to points of view we might have overlooked before. Seeing the world from another perspective, we can become more empathetic toward experiences different from our own.”

Mr. Jake, our Middle School Music Educator, shared on the connection between art and building empathy.

“A piece of art can't ever encapsulate the entirety of a human being or life. But it can give a snapshot of it through a song, the performance of a character, a photograph, or something similar. And that snapshot can be enough to encourage profound mutual understanding. In my experience, the act of inhabiting someone else's point of view -- by writing a song from their perspective or acting in a role -- can lead to profound empathy for that person. And I know how listening to, viewing, or experiencing a piece of art can make someone feel seen and understood, and inspire a relationship between audience and artist. That's why, in my classes, I try to have my students create as much or more art than they listen to passively.”

 

Music Department Chair Mike Albertson shared on the idea of music bringing clarity and rooting us in history. 

“For me, music and musical practice help bring clarity in uncertain times. For players, there is nothing to hide behind—your whole self, in all of its attributes and flaws, is out for everyone to hear. When it goes right—I'm thinking of an Ella Fitzgerald solo, or Louis Armstrong's tone on the trumpet—it can ground you across place and time. It fills me with a sense of gratitude, history—and, it challenges me to at least attempt to reach such a place in my own craft.”

Dr. Albertson closed his thoughts with a James Baldwin quote that perhaps sums it all up. 

 

Art has to be a kind of confession [...] if you can examine and face your life, you can discover the terms with which you are connected to other lives, and they can discover, too, the terms with which they are connected to others. - James Baldwin