The Transformative Arts Resource Blog serves art educators and the
community with lesson ideas, advice and resources that are founded on the
transformative arts holistic approach to education. This interactive site
allows viewers to post to the blog, make comments and find resources.
Transformative Art is a term used to describe an
artistic process or artwork that generates a positive change in its creators or
viewers. This change can be a personal healing, connect to a local or global
cause, describe cultural or religious experiences, or relate to its audience in
another impactful way. In visual art it can take many forms especially when
artwork is created collectively.
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| Megan Carlock 2011 |
As
a current art teacher I have tried to make my curriculum more meaningful and
find ways to connect my art students to their creative potential and their
community. As a new teacher it has been a struggle to find resources to do
this. I want to find out how to balance the desire to push my students deeper
into creating their artwork and the need to maintain an environment sensitive
to the enormous intellectual, cultural, mental differences within my class. I
want to ask experts in my art community: how do you create incredible
transformative art lessons and manage your classroom? And, what are effective
art lessons that have transformed students’ lives? I have known artists who have worked with K-12 students, dancers, church groups, disabled adults, and battered women. The types of lessons that are used in transformative arts work are not necessarily taught in the standard curriculum that is a part of teaching credentialing programs. They are learned through the lifelong experiences working with specific groups, from training in transformative art processes and by creating artwork. The transformative arts community has an enormous amount of knowledge that needs to become more accessible to its members and the general public. This blog will keep a record of this important information and pass it on to the future generation of transformative arts educators.
In education art serves
as a tool to enhance learning because it captivates and engages its audience.
This leads to increased attention, focus and motivation which all enhance
learning. (Green and Bavelier 2008). As a professional I
want to gather the knowledge I need to make art as moving and captivating as
possible. These
are my personal questions but I know other people have more, such as; what is
the best ice-breaker for a class in a juvenile detention center? Or, how can I
best work with children on the autism spectrum using art? It is my hope that the Transformative Arts Resource Blog will
generate dialogue, art lesson ideas and information for a range of educators
who work with students of all ages and backgrounds.
My experience with transformative arts has built my confidence as an
artist. Through a program that have challenged every aspect and definition of my
art making process I have come to let go of the fear around art making and
embraced it as a part of my destiny. One of the most important things I learned is that inspiration and answers can come from the universe or from a supportive friend or community. With
the intention of creating a long lasting resource I ask artists, teachers and the community to contribute to this blog and hope that they do so with the same desire to create that Transformative Art brings out in us. I
trust that together we can give each other answers and guide each other in
achieving the dream of creating a positive change in our students and society.
-Sonia Garcia
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