The Newest ABC of the Arts: P, Q, and R
By: Frank Korb
Frank Korb
In 2002 and again in 2007, John Tusa of The Guardian wrote the ABC’s of what was facing the world of the arts and how to deal with them. Inspired by his ABC’s, these are my 26 thoughts on the importance of support of the arts in school systems and communities across the country / world.
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P is for Professionalism – As a high school teacher (and former high school student) it is one thing to move a pushpin display board around the cafeteria and pin artwork to it in hopes that it gets looked at and appreciated (and not touched and smeared up by other students). It is another thing altogether to give the work by our quality students a place to be appreciated in a space that allows the viewer to step back and see the hard fought efforts on display is a safe and protected space. Many people (students, myself as a high school student and even at the college level) are often too intimidated to even venture into an art gallery if they stumbled upon one. While a critique can often be a good destination for artwork, a gallery IS the destination for artwork (MoMA will be calling soon enough) while a pushpin display board is a destination for a mid-critique… maybe.
Q is for Quiet – Reflection is always a wonderful and necessary skill to develop as one thinks about the skills that have been mastered and the skills that need refining. The arts, and a place to properly view the visual arts, allow for that necessary practice of self-reflection and contemplation to occur. As artists work through the process of making art, the sense of reflection (and feedback from those involved and interested in the work) is essential to that process of making art.
R is for Reflection – See above (Quiet). If the above is not convincing enough, try Socrates out for size with”The unexamined life is not worth living.”
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NEXT WEEK: S, T, and U
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Frank
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