Art is a different manner of communication
December 9, 2022
Art can be a way to communicate without words, convey information or make a social statement.
Art crosses the language and cultural barriers, using a visual language that many can understand. It has also helped many students develop useful skill sets.
In a Mar. 2, blog post that addressed the importance of art in schools, the Eden Gallery wrote, “Art helps you process your emotions and understand your surroundings. It allows you to see life from a different perspective . . . Art has always been an important part of human society since the beginning of time. Art has been used as a tool for cultural exchange, education, and expression.
Olivia Rodrigo, an artist who teaches art and three-dimensional design classes at Cordova High School, said, “ Art can signify many things, it’s a whole spectrum. An image can mean something to you, but something different to me.”
With language, people have to learn new things. “There are different levels to it,” Rodrigo said. “First you learn how to write. and then you write novels, books and such.”.
The same goes for art, said Ridrigo. She likened art to a wave – it starts small, but once it starts traveling, it becomes bigger.
Only “not believing in yourself” can stop people from making art, said Rodrigo.
Natalie Eck, a ceramics teacher at CHS, said some people may downplay the importance of art “because maybe they haven’t experienced it in a way where they see the value.”
Core courses such as English, math, history and science may be considered more important by many in the community. “But if we really think about it, those things are combined with art,” Eck said.
The meaning of images can sometimes change because of the way groups of people use them, according to Cordova High art teacher Anthony Milevsky, who teaches painting, drawing and three-dimensional design.
“There are many things in history where we can go back and say: These things were taken and used, like symbols or different things we recognize, and they can be bad, but it’s only because a group has taken it and put it into that,” said Milevsky. “These symbols were used way before somebody adopted them, they were used as an artistic form of expression. Again, it’s about people changing it into something else.”
Rodrigo said to understand the value of art, people need to look beyond the image.
“Being able to create that kind of image requires a lot of focus and discipline,“ she said. “People just see that image and think ‘Oh, that’s just an image, nothing special,’ but if you were to look back on an artist’s life, what he had to go through to create that image… then, I think it becomes more valuable.”
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