Justifying the Arts: The Value of Illuminating Failures

Abstract

This paper revisits how late 20th‐century attempts to account for conceptual and other difficult art‐work by defining the concept ‘art’ have failed to offer a useful strategy for educators seeking a non‐instrumental justification for teaching the arts. It is suggested that this theoretical ground is nonetheless instructive and provides useful background in searching for a viable approach to justification. It is claimed that, though definition may fail and grand theories not coalesce, one would be wise to emulate Passmore (1954, 1990) who argues for an aesthetic approach to works of art and who proceeds like the fox, from a specific work that becomes more complex through analysis. His approach is employed in describing a performance series by the Cellist of Sarajevo, which raises further questions regarding what it means to start from a specific art‐work and how doing so exemplifies Fleming's (2006) suggestion that in justifying the arts we connect them to our ethical lives. Passmore's strategy is then extended to the aesthetic experience of reading this essay and the paper concludes with the author's personal anecdote in response to Higgins' (2008) call for genuinely aesthetic defences of aesthetic education.

De Finlandia a Nueva Zelanda. Las artes en educación infantil

“…Hoy en día todavía es necesario defender el lugar de la EA en nuestros currículos (Bamford, 2009;Forrest, 2011;Koopman, 2005). En el presente análisis partimos de la clasificación de Sir Ken Robinson (1999) de los ocho argumentos utilizados para justificar la EA, de los cuales hemos eliminado el último -desarrollo social y personal-por considerar que estaba incluído en los anteriores.…”

“…Desarrollo intelectual y educación a través de las artes. A pesar de que haya indicios de que las artes favorecen el desarrollo académico global o el empeño en otras disciplinas (Hayes, Maguire, Corcoran, & O'Sullivan, 2017;Phillips, Gorton, Pinciotti, & Sachdev, 2010) coincidimos con diversos autores que es necesario que la EA se apoye en argumentos que den valor al proceso artístico, y no a otras disciplinas (Forrest, 2011;Koopman, 2005). Por tanto, entendemos que es necesario enfocarnos en la EA, y en todo caso traspasar los aspectos positivos de la metodología de la EA a otras disciplinas, como por ejemplo aprender a través de la experiencia, fomentar la resolución de problemas de manera creativa y colaborativa, la conexión de diferentes saberes, la inferencia… (Acaso & Megías, 2017).…”

The Value of the Arts

“…Two recent papers in the Journal of Philosophy of Education on this dualism specifically in regard to arts education are by Michelle Forrest () and Constantijn Koopman (). Koopman explores the idea of fulfilled time as a version of Kant's purposiveness without purpose.…”

The Use of Visual Arts in World Language Instruction to Increase Student Motivation and Attitude

“…Art reflects a particular place and time, and might be a result of something "occasional" where, however, the intent of the artist is shifted to an interactive relationship between artist, object, and viewer (Freedman, 2003). Thus, the definition of art is placed on the selection and the interpretation of the artistic product, and in the individual aesthetic experience (Forrest, 2011).…”

“…The difficulty in finding a definition for art is increased by all the justifications placed upon the arts when questioning their instrumental values (Forrest, 2011) and the degree of importance. On deciding whose art is great and whose art is ordinary, Becker (1996) suggests focusing on what gets done under the name of art rather than trying to decide what should and shouldn't be allowed to be called art.…”