How Should We Best Fill Our Leisure Time?

The article “Book Tackles Old Debate: Role of Art in Schools” by Robin Pogrebin explains the influence of art and the conclusion of two researchers, Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland. “Students who study the arts seriously are taught to see better, to envision, to persist, to be playful and learn from mistakes, to make critical judgements and justify such judgements,” conclude both researchers.

Art has multiple purposes. Some people enjoy art for the emotional engagement they receive while viewing it. Happy or pretty things give us hope; sad things make us feel less alone in our sadness. Other people see art as a way to balance who they are as a human. Where some people see propaganda others see a reminder of what is truly important in life (Schooloflifechannel). No matter what the reason, art is a vital part of the community not easily forgotten. One thing, however, is constantly on the mind of viewers, and that is the question of what each work of art means beyond the superficial, to the language only truly understood by the human soul. Art communicates, not by audible words, but instead by symbols and metaphors that can be so

Art helped me learn to express the feelings I couldn’t say and during that time period and I choosing to study it is the greatest decision I have ever made. Art is the reason I live now. It gives me hope, happiness, and an ability to escape. I love how it can change my view and to make me feel things. This year one of my illustrations was hung in the Museum of Contemporary Art: La Jolla, and I could not be prouder.

Art was a way for students to express their inner thoughts and views creatively. For senior Lauren Mabe art was a way to express herself in various ways. Students’ artwork was inspiring to many and held significant meaning. “Art is a form of personal expression. It teaches everyone how to observe life in every detail. It teaches people how to develop concepts and think more deeply about a topic. As an artist, art creates a form of pride- there is nothing better than stepping back from something you have created and saying ‘Wow, I actually did that!’ The only thing better than that feeling is when someone pays you for it,” said Ms. Wilson.

By educating students any form of art, can open up new connections to imaginative thinking. The arts could even lead students to find new ways of studying that could benefit their other classes. Arts helps in finding different ways into processing ideas, not just analyzing an idea, but also taking into consideration of the more human side to things: emotion. With a student being more emotionally prepared to take on any task, it helps a student judge what is best for themselves in their routine of study. In “Necessary Edges” Yo-Yo Ma says how “we are also aware that wise and balanced judgment results from integrating the critical and empathetic, taking emotions as well as reason into account” (258). If the education system incorporates arts into the system then students could find means as to help relax from higher levels of thinking, as a means to release stress and to positively believe that they are striving to be their best. Wood supports the idea of incorporating art into education because with the incorporation of more technology placed into classes then it becomes “exhausting: a continuous period of forced engagement, with no relief in the form of time when my attention could flag or I could doodle in a notebook undetected

Studying the Art is rewarding and fun. From art we could build a deeper understanding of the world we live in and how we got here. Art is like an idea brought into the world though drawing. People study art because they learn about their own creative expressions. Art is a window on our thoughts and emotions. It takes us to different times and places. For example, art holds clues from the past. It contributes who we are as people. Art gives us knowledge, inspiration and how we feel and view the world around us.

Many people enjoy art in variety of different ways: through music, movies, television, writing, reading, painting, tattoos, clothing, jewelry and even the make up they put on. Many people utilize art in order to accomplish different things, for some it is a safe haven used to escape from reality, for others it

“They can express their thoughts and feelings,” she said, noting the fine arts “enrich students lives and practice of creativity. Creativity is important,” she said, pointing to a group of students who are likely to face, as adults, “challenges we cannot envision.”

Arts education provides students with valuable opportunities to experience and build knowledge and skills in self-expression, imagination, creative and collaborative problem solving, communication, the creation of shared meanings and respect for others (ooo). Dewey (1934) states that “Arts ….” The arts allows language and thought to be expressed through a variety of representation not in the

In this class art has taught me many things that I didn’t know before or that they were associated with art particularly. This has gave me the opportunity to appreciate art and what it gives us the chances to do with it. Art also has changed my views on many things. To be specific, according to what I have learned in this class, it has changed my view on the role art has in reflecting social, economic, and humanistic issues. Also, I have learned many new artists that had works that were particularly meaningful in expanding my view of the world. All in all, art has many things to it to learn and appreciate from and to give you the chance to learn something that is creative and beautiful that you didn’t know about before.

Art education is connected to everything we say we want for our children and our schools. Arts pave the way for academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity. Arts education contributes to a positive education environment, fueling motivation to learn by enhancing skills in thinking and sociability. Exposure to the arts and learning in the arts impart proficiencies in language and mathematics.

Good art allows me to flee the realms of reality. In my mind's limitless consciousness, I can escape the mundanity of everyday life. It opens a door in my head to a world only limited by my imagination. I am no more a slave to gravity, chained down on the earth when I am reading. I can be a bird and soar high above the clouds, or be a fish and swim deep down in the darkest depths of the ocean. I am there, I am that person, and everything else around me regardless of what it is, fades away. Sometimes these people are the one's I'd like to be but sometimes I encounter nefarious characters I wholly condemn. I am able to feel the emotions that the artist intends for me to feel. However, it is not merely reading or listening, but understanding

Art must be taken as serious as science, discovery, creation and knowledge in the sense of advancement of understanding. Each person is a physical object but each person is someone who thinks and has feelings. Knowledge and understanding is more self-knowledge because of the animated spirit that constitutes our nature. Imagination is used when watching a 2-dimensional film rather than sitting in the audience watching a live performance with everything happening right in front of your eyes. We can clearly say that worthy art directs the mind.

A lot of people think that art can only go as far as a class in school, but in reality there is art around everyone. Art can be a way of life for some people, and for others it is simply just something they pass every single day. What they do not realize is that art can have benefits in different aspects in their life, in children's lives, and even the world around them.

At the beginning of this course leisure was a topic I did not give much thought to and I felt like I did not have the time to spare to put much thought into. To me, all leisure meant was having free time to do whatever it is that I wanted to do. But after analyzing my life I noticed that I had surrounded my life with solely work and school and my “free time” was anytime I spent watching television and anytime I slept. However, after taking this course I learned that leisure meant more much than that. Now leisure to me means, as Richard Kraus states, leisure is “time which is not devoted to work or work-connected responsibilities or to other forms of discretionary or unobligated time,” (Olson et al., 2003, 12). The “time” in which Kraus