Bringing the inside out through
ART by Craig Spence
W
hen you think about it the number of times we are expected to sit still and keep quiet far outnumber those moments when we are told to shout, sing, dance, or splash paint with joyful abandon.
To Winnie Tam, Founder and Director of Artspace (www.artspaceforchildren.com) that’s an imbalance we need to correct, because the lessons kids learn through exuberant artistic expression will carry them and society forward. “What we’re finding in the 21st Century is that people who bring creativity and innovation to their work and to their life are the ones that really stand out in the world,” she told Student Success. “I think art is really what nurtures those aspects of our character. It really is valuable to society.” That sentiment would resonate loud and clear for recent Langley Fine Arts School grad Dustin Hurrell. Arriving at LFAS in Sept. 2009 after having enrolled in four 10 Student Success
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schools in ‘America and South Africa’ over the previous four years, Dustin thought LFAS was going to be ‘just another name added to the list’, he wrote in a posting to the school’s Blue Dog Press (lfasbluedog.com). He couldn’t have been more pleasantly amazed at how wrong that assessment would turn out. Although he doesn’t see himself pursuing a career in the arts, having experienced the vibrant and sometimes outright whacky environment at LFAS has widened his eyes – where else would you be in jeopardy of getting trampled by dance students running down the halls herding hula-hoops and exercise balls. “Now, even tough I am far more academically inclined then I am artistic and creative, the school has given so much to me,” he wrote. “Having had the opportunities to both get up on the stage in drama and write in creative writing I have been given a good perspective of life.” He goes on to describe “the importance of doing what you love and creating something that you want to share with others”, even if the endeavour requires ups and downs from ‘adrenaline rushes’, to the ‘stress and pressure of rehearsals’, to ‘the emptiness felt right after the final performance’. What he is expressing Winnie calls the ‘transformative power of the arts’. She cites the example of summer camps where students engage in ‘paired activities’ – that is, exploration of two arts disciplines instead of strictly focusing on first choices. When kids explore artistic modes outside the box of their fortes they often discover talents and strengths they didn’t know were in them. What’s important is to focus on the ‘process’, not the ‘product’ Winnie said. Don’t look at drama as a finished play with set roles; see it as an opportunity to draw out the unique ‘voices’ of students. “Taking that approach has made all the difference for children who never thought they would ever join a drama class,” she said. It’s never too early to begin. “Our philosophy is really founded on the belief that when children express themselves creatively through artistic endeavours they develop cognitively, socially and physically,” she said. Artspace offers programs for children aged six months to 12 years.
12 Student Success
Six months! “Obviously at six months old we’re not expecting the children to sing along,” Winnie explained of the school’s Song & Movement program. But research shows that when infants are immersed in an “environment rich with language and sound” their cognitive development is enhanced. The experience of art in infancy can last a lifetime. “They’re so open!” Winnie said of the youngest students. “They’re sponges at that age; they’re not judging their experiences on a product, they’re really judging their experience based on a process.”
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Just as importantly, parents are learning, too, and bonding with their children through art. “Really, ultimately one of the reasons we have early childhood classes where parents are involved is because it gives parents some tools and resources for new ways to interact with their children that are really positive and mutually beneficial,” Winnie said.
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She puts a heavy emphasis on ‘positive’. Yes, kids go to art school to learn techniques and improve as painters, actors, dancers, musicians, writers… But encouragement – especially from parents – is key. Let the teachers nudge your child through the ever widening skill set from bright-eyed dabbler to technically proficient artist she advises – if that’s where your child wants to go. The most important job for parents is to admire, listen and honour their children’s efforts. We tend to dampen kids’ artistic spirit based on our own preconceptions and even fears. Don’t do that, Winnie cautions. Be open. “It’s a real eye-opener for parents to experience what a two-year old can do in an art class,” she said. v
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