The Role of Art in Environmental Education

Abstract

This paper examines the role of art in environmental education. It explores the creative use of fine arts for students' environmental awareness. The literature review carried out shows that artistic creation, in all its forms, painting, sculpture, architecture, music, dance, literature, theater, cinema, photography, comics can activate the senses, stimulates and enrich students' experiences, develops their imagination and critical thinking, provides new ways of expressing emotions, perceptions and reflections, enhances their creativity and develops their creative thinking. The pedagogical use of art in educational programs for enhancing children's contact with the environment helps children deepen their knowledge and strengthen their relationship with it. Art substantially contributes to environmental awareness, as it cultivates through an emotional approach the familiarization and the development of a connection with the environment. Therefore, educational planning is of scientific interest, which includes the utilization of various forms of artistic expression with the assistance of creative pedagogical techniques for the formation of active citizens.

Bosch’s Brush: Imagination and Reality in 15th-Century Dutch

“…The notions and perceptions depicted in Bosch's artworks are crucial for understanding his art. An examination of the visual symbols and concepts in Pieter Bruegel the Elder's artworks, which incorporate elements from Hieronymus Bosch, provides a methodical approach to understanding the underlying sociological and environmental psychology portrayed in Bosch's paintings (Papavasileiou et al, 2020).…”

The Role of Fine Arts in Promoting Sustainability Within Industrial and Graphic Design: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach

“…Fine arts education plays a crucial role in cultivating creativity, critical thinking, and environmental consciousness among students (Papavasileiou et al,2021). By providing opportunities for experimentation, exploration, and self-expression, fine arts education encourages students to think creatively, take risks, and challenge conventional wisdom.…”

Coverage of Disabled People in Environmental-Education-Focused Academic Literature

“…As they are, our findings suggest that the academic literature focusing on EE falls short in all of the outcomes concerning disabled people. EE is valuable in helping individuals build the knowledge and skills to take action [35], and is linked to environmental activism [36][37][38] and active citizenship [39][40][41][42], both of which also include the arts as a means of achieving goals [36,40]. In all of these areas, our findings suggest that EE falls short in relation to disabled people.…”

“…EE is valuable to help individuals build the knowledge and skills to take action [35], and EE is linked to environmental activism [36][37][38] and active citizenship [39][40][41][42], both of which also include the arts as a means of achieving their goals [36,40]. It is argued that there is a need to establish an international network of environmental educators and researchers in order to facilitate environmental citizenship and a fair and sustainable society [43], and many national associations exist [44,45].…”