Art plays a role in balancing lives
Print Edition
OVER the past decade many of us have heard the mantra “students of today will be doing jobs which haven’t been invented yet.” Google it and a plethora of studies will be revealed, placing the statistic at anywhere between 50 and 85 percent. If we believe it to be true, and at Dulwich College Shanghai we do, it is clear that the skill sets required by today’s students are changing rapidly. We anticipate that the ability and flexibility to gain and use new understanding will be valued above knowledge itself.
A well delivered art education is hugely important in preparing students for the future. Within the studio students have the opportunity for “hands on” learning whether with traditional materials or new technologies. The act of acquiring art and design skills is in itself a problem solving activity with the road to mastery requiring practice and reflection. The act of applying those skills in own work ensures that students are thinking independently, thinking laterally, thinking creatively, and are rewarded with a tangible outcome in which they can take pride.
Within the context of an international community we are sensitive to the importance of giving students the chance to explore their personal and cultural identities as well as experience those of others. We ensure that our curriculum is broad and varied, encompassing world art history as well as contemporary art and ensuring exploration of a broad range of art, craft and design skills. Alongside tuition in practical skills and the opportunity to experiment with materials, students are guided to present a personal and thoughtful response. This firm focus on process as well as outcome means our art students build a positive attitude to learning and regularly practice the skills that will serve them through their adulthood including organization, communication, motivation, reflection and interpersonal skills.
We know that humans have instinctively made “art” for millennia, with painting and drawing not just pre-dating but contributing to the development of written scripts. Any academic setting places emphasis on literacy and this is supported in art through a focus on visual literacy which fosters in our learners the confidence to decode and make sense of the overwhelmingly visual word in which we live. Sensitivity to symbolism, nuance and established visual conventions, as well as a sense of audience, cultivates perceptive critique of the information, both visual and verbal, they encounter daily. The immersive nature of the arts promotes the sustained focus colloquially referred to as “flow” and promotes wellbeing, positive emotions and balance. We hope that our students take this experience with them, whether or not they pursue study within the arts, continue to lead balanced lives in which the arts play a role.
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