EDUCATING THROUGH ART

A picture equates to a thousand words. It may sound like a cliché, but this saying has a lot of relevance vis-à-vis education. “The relationship between art and education or educating through art is evident from the stone age where signs and symbols etched on cave walls formed a vital mode of communication and information exchange,” says Gautam Kar, former assistant professor, Government College of Arts, Chandigarh.

According to Kar, it is an irony that despite India being a rich repository of art, there has been a lack of a conscious attempt to leverage art in the realm of teaching. “Of late, things are gradually changing and the academic fraternity is realising the importance of educating through art. This is particularly true in the case of schools, which impart learning to children who are differently-abled or have special learning needs,” says Kar, adding, “however, a lot remains to be desired and there is a need to channelise art into the teaching mechanisms adopted by mainstream educational institutions as well.”

Speaking on how art can complement education, he says, “Young minds are impressionable and they learn concepts best when they are taught through pictures. Which is why word building in almost every language is taught through pictures. But, it should not stop here. At every stage of learning, understanding should be aided through pictorial representation.” Kar says that using art to reinforce concepts is just one way of using art for education. “Today education is more childcentric as compared to the last few decades. There is a welcome progression from mere rote-learning and original views and comprehension are encouraged. This is where art can play a significant role. Children should be encouraged to give shape to their ideas and views,” he explains.

Kar believes that art at one level is also a reflection of a person’s social sensibilities and artists should be socially aware and contribute their bit to the society. “Idealistic as this may sound it is actually fairly simple. For instance, an artist should consistently highlight ecological issues like deforestation, pollution and global warming through his/her work. Besides, artists should use environment-friendly materials like charcoal and vegetable dye,” he adds.

According to Shruti Gupta Chandra, an artist, there should be no formal methodology for using art in the learning process. “Our education system is already plagued with too many methodologies which standardise the learning process. Children should be encouraged to just dabble with art. Only then will they reveal and, more importantly, discover for themselves important facets of their personality,” says Chandra.

Chandra says that art is also a manifestation of the subconscious and, hence, through their own creations children, among other things, can even comprehend their life’s goals. Citing an example, she says, “It was through a self-created painting that a child of class XII discovered that he wanted to be an ecologist and not pursue management.”

On how art can be brought closer to the education system in India, Elizabeth Rogers, an art curator and art historian, says, “In the West, unlike India, there is a close relationship between art museums and the academic fraternity. Museums offer workshops for school children that help them in understanding art. There is an urgent need to replicate this relationship here.” Supplementing this view, Kar says, “India has a rich heritage of arts and crafts be it weaving, pottery making, sculpting and so on. Sadly, children do not know many of the traditional crafts. Schools should arrange for periodic visits whereby children can interact with artisans and learn about the different art forms.”