the role of arts in education essay

The Importance of Arts Education Essay

Introduction, the importance of teaching arts education.

Art has been in existence for since the beginning of human civilisation. The field, in most cases, is viewed as a way of action and knowing. Art has played a key role in the development of human identities. It has also been significant to the evolution of cultural practices in all human societies. Consequently, art is regarded as one of the defining elements of humanity. To some advocates of this field, art is believed to be the window to the soul of humanity. According to Nathan (2008), art is used to communicate and provide a framework for the understanding of passions, emotions, and the enduring conflicts that humans have always indulged in. The scholars who advocate for the centrality of arts in the development of humanity observe that even the cavemen recorded their history, experiences, and events through drawings of pageants that marked the passing of time and seasons (Anderson, 2014).

In this paper, the author explores the importance of art its contribution in the development of cognitive and cultural attributes among children. To this end, the author will demonstrate that art provides human societies with lens through which they can view both historical and contemporary issues. Finally, the paper will be used to support the argument that teaching art processes can improve the ability of students to shape the learning process and the way it is conceived in schools.

Arts in Traditional and Contemporary Societies

Arts are a common feature in both traditional and modern societies. In most traditional communities, trumpets and drums were used to herald the commencement of battle. In addition, birth and death in these societies were received with songs and dance. Consequently, theatre was viewed as an avenue through which solutions to dilemmas faced by mankind were provided. It can also be observed that in most communities, the portraits of heroes, kings, villains, and other important figures in the society were painted to record these particular moments in time ( Learning area, n.d).

To recognise the centrality of arts to experiences among humans, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted several decades ago ( The future of the Australian curriculum, 2014). The declaration observed that everybody has a right to participate in the cultural life of their community. In addition, each person should be able to enjoy and share arts in the scientific advancement of its benefits. In the western world, arts subjects have been neglected and pushed to the periphery of the academic field in favour of the sciences. The curriculums used in most schools focus on literacy, sciences, and numeracy. However, in the last few decades, the intrinsic values of arts have been recognised (Ross, 2014).

According to some advocates of this field, arts have the ability to release people’s imaginations to new perspectives. In addition, they can help people identify new solutions and alternative views to life. As a result, the vistas that could be opened, as well as the connections that could be made, are phenomenal. It is also noted that the encounter between the individual and the world around them would be newly informed with the help of arts. In addition, immersion in arts has been found to improve individuals’ sense of enjoyment and identity. The immersion can also offer positive changes in the direction taken by the life of the individual (Anderson, 2014). In most cases, it is argued that arts can transform learning in education contexts. They can also ensure improve the link between the learners and the curriculum.

A Working Definition of Arts

There are many ways through which arts can be defined. According to Bamford (2006), arts can be used to reflect the uniqueness of the cultural circumstances of a particular nation. Bamford (2006) further observes that art is characterised by fluidity and dynamism. In their attempts to arrive at a working definition of arts, Bamford (2006) recognises the impossibility of giving static definitions to this field. The reason is that the definitions become obsolete as soon as they are provided. As such, scholars should be conscious of the dynamism of contemporary art practices. In addition, the art terminology can be used to represent the important creative disciplines. The disciplines include dance, literature, drama, music, visual arts, film, as well as other forms of media arts. All these disciplines have a significant role in formal education contexts. They also play a significant role in the cohesion of the community.

The forms of art described above can be viewed as a representation of different languages. Their varying modes are used to communicate a wide range of skills, knowledge, and symbols. In light of this, it is imperative to study each form of art (Burton, 2010). Each form of art should be explored for its intrinsic values. The reason is that each of them has different ways of creating knowledge and improving communication (Sinclair & O’Toole, 2008). The various forms of art should be viewed and understood as different types of literary elements. However, it is important to note that all of them involve some kind of design, experimentation, play, provocation, and exploration. In addition, they entail expression, communication, representation, and visualisation. All these elements are used to shape other forms of media (Ross, 2014).

Developmental Benefits of Arts

Arts play a significant role in the development of a child’s motor skills. For instance, most of the motions involved in the creation of art, such as scribbling with a pencil or a crayon, are important in the development of fine motor skills ( The future of the Australian curriculum, 2014). Participation helps learners to improve their skills in mathematics and reading. It also improves one’s cognitive and verbal competencies. According to Burton (2010), engaging in arts has a positive correlation with verbal capabilities. Learning these subjects is also associated with an increase in levels of motivation and enhanced confidence. It also improves concentration and teamwork among the learners ( Why art matters, 2011).

Many scholars observe that the intrinsic pleasures derived from arts entail more than just the ‘sweetening’ of a person’s life (Burton, 2010). Such experiences help to deepen the connection between the individual and the world around them. They also provide them with new ways to view the world. The development lays the foundation for strong social bonds and improved cohesion in the community. A strong programming of arts within the curriculum also helps to close the intellectual gap that has made many children lag behind in intellectual achievement. It is noted that the children from affluent backgrounds are exposed to arts through visits to museums and attending Mozart concerts and other platforms. As a result, their interaction with the arts is assured regardless of whether or not the subjects are provided in their schools. However, teaching arts in schools provides children from poor economic backgrounds a level playing field (Nathan, 2008).

Arts Education and Academic Achievement

A new picture is emerging in the new educational era. School districts have started to focus on the field of arts. The emerging models are anchored on new brain research findings and cognitive development. The new models have embraced a variety of approaches that regard arts as a significant learning tool. For instance, musical notes are increasingly being used to teach fractions (Nathan, 2008). The models have also incorporated arts into the teaching of the core classes. For example, the teaching of slavery and other historical themes can be delivered by having the students act a play that dramatises those events.

In the US, Australia, and Europe, it is widely acknowledged that the students exposed to a learning process embedded in arts achieve improved grades and better test scores compared to those who are not exposed to this field. The students are less likely to play truants. In addition, they are rarely bored and have a healthy and positive self concept (Marshall, 2010). They are also most likely to participate in community service. Nascent studies have demonstrated that learning through arts can improve educational outcomes for other academic disciplines (Burton, 2010). For instance, the studies have observed that the students who partake in drama and music attain higher levels of success in reading and mathematics than those who do not take part in such ventures. Consequently, arts are seen as strategies to engage difficult students. The subjects connect learners to self, others, and the world. Engaging in arts also helps the teacher to transform the classroom environment. Most importantly, it challenges the students who may already be successful to work harder (Burton, 2010).

Specific Connections

Experimental evidence demonstrates a strong link between non-arts and arts skills. For example, I carried out an experiment on 10 children who were involved in a family theatre program. The program demonstrated that an exposure in theatrical activities for a year improves the empathy and emotional regulation among the children. For the adolescents involved in a similar program, it was shown that arts helped them improve their empathy. It also improved their understanding and appreciation of the mental status of other participants. The linkage makes sense to the advocates of arts education (Marshall, 2010). Training in arts, acting, and theatre puts the participants in other people’s shoes. The experience helps them to imagine how other people feel. In addition, it enables them to understand their emotions and view the world differently. After undertaking the program, I concluded that students should be given the opportunity to study arts in school irrespective of whether or not the subjects have discernible positive effects.

Cognitive Benefits of Arts

The cognitive benefits that are derived from arts include the development of skills needed in learning, improvement of academic performance, as well as enhancement of reading and mathematical capabilities. In addition, arts improve creative thinking among the learners (Marshall, 2010). The experiment mentioned above also showed that participation in theatre helped students from low socioeconomic backgrounds improve their academic performance. Consequently, I can conclude that the effects of arts education are transformative. The effects hold true across the socioeconomic divide. The impacts are cumulative and increase as the students from poor background get more exposure to the study of arts. It can also be emphasised that the students who are exposed to arts had better scores, which are higher than those of learners who are less engaged. The scores are especially better in such educational areas as creative thinking and originality (Burton, 2010).

The Benefits of Arts with Regards to Behaviour and Attitude

The study of arts has a positive impact on the attitudes and behaviour of the students. The benefits of behavioural and attitude change include improved self-efficacy and self-discipline. The advantages are easily associated and directly linked to improved school attendance, as well as reduced rates of drop-outs (Burton, 2010). In addition, the benefits are associated with the development of social skills. Such social and life skills include better understanding and appreciation of the consequences of an individual behaviour. The students also portray an increased ability to participate in teamwork, acceptance of constructive critiquing from fellow students, and the willingness to adopt pro-social behaviours.

Health Benefits of Arts Education

I must recognise that art has many health benefits. The therapeutic effects include improved physical and mental health. In Australia, the benefits are beginning to be recognised with several ongoing projects in schools reporting positive outcomes. It is argued that people who engage in relaxing activities, such as reading a novel, playing a musical instrument, painting, or singing, develop a healthy mind ( Why art matters , 2011). It is also observed that people who enjoy attending a good concert, a dance, a movie, or an art exhibition exercise their body and mind through the enjoyment, social inclusion, and relaxation. The individuals also improve their confidence, resilience, and self-esteem (Marshall, 2010). An art-mental paradigm can deliver significant health benefits to the students at school and in their adult life.

Arts Education in Australian Curricula

There are three different approaches to the learning of arts in Australia. The first can be described as the appreciation of Australian arts heritage. In this approach, the field is conceptualised as a domain for the talented. The approach points to the belief that the talented artist will provide the Australian society with its cultural artefacts ( Learning area , n.d). The second approach is the identification of the students who demonstrate artistic potential. The teachers focus on these learners and prepare them for future careers. The third approach is the desire to avail every student with an opportunity to engage with art and to appreciate it (Marshall, 2010). As such, the Australian curriculum anticipates that the students will actively learn, engage in artistic activities and processes, as well as appreciate the works of art done by others.

It must be remembered that the role of arts is to enhance learning by increasing enjoyment, fostering creativity, and enhancing imaginative activities. The objectives can only be achieved through participation in arts programs. It is also observed that students become more cognisant of the larger spectrum of world experiences by engaging in this field. The role of arts is to transform the students’ learning experiences by celebrating creativity. As such, teaching of arts should be encouraged and promoted at all levels of learning. Every student should be provided with the opportunity to participate in arts so as to improve their academic performance and develop into healthy adults with enhanced social skills.

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New evidence of the benefits of arts education

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, brian kisida and bk brian kisida assistant professor, truman school of public affairs - university of missouri @briankisida daniel h. bowen dhb daniel h. bowen assistant professor, college of education and human development - texas a&m university @_dhbowen.

February 12, 2019

Engaging with art is essential to the human experience. Almost as soon as motor skills are developed, children communicate through artistic expression. The arts challenge us with different points of view, compel us to empathize with “others,” and give us the opportunity to reflect on the human condition. Empirical evidence supports these claims: Among adults, arts participation is related to behaviors that contribute to the health of civil society , such as increased civic engagement, greater social tolerance, and reductions in other-regarding behavior. Yet, while we recognize art’s transformative impacts, its place in K-12 education has become increasingly tenuous.

A critical challenge for arts education has been a lack of empirical evidence that demonstrates its educational value. Though few would deny that the arts confer intrinsic benefits, advocating “art for art’s sake” has been insufficient for preserving the arts in schools—despite national surveys showing an overwhelming majority of the public agrees that the arts are a necessary part of a well-rounded education.

Over the last few decades, the proportion of students receiving arts education has shrunk drastically . This trend is primarily attributable to the expansion of standardized-test-based accountability, which has pressured schools to focus resources on tested subjects. As the saying goes, what gets measured gets done. These pressures have disproportionately affected access to the arts in a negative way for students from historically underserved communities. For example, a federal government report found that schools designated under No Child Left Behind as needing improvement and schools with higher percentages of minority students were more likely to experience decreases in time spent on arts education.

We recently conducted the first ever large-scale, randomized controlled trial study of a city’s collective efforts to restore arts education through community partnerships and investments. Building on our previous investigations of the impacts of enriching arts field trip experiences, this study examines the effects of a sustained reinvigoration of schoolwide arts education. Specifically, our study focuses on the initial two years of Houston’s Arts Access Initiative and includes 42 elementary and middle schools with over 10,000 third- through eighth-grade students. Our study was made possible by generous support of the Houston Endowment , the National Endowment for the Arts , and the Spencer Foundation .

Due to the program’s gradual rollout and oversubscription, we implemented a lottery to randomly assign which schools initially participated. Half of these schools received substantial influxes of funding earmarked to provide students with a vast array of arts educational experiences throughout the school year. Participating schools were required to commit a monetary match to provide arts experiences. Including matched funds from the Houston Endowment, schools in the treatment group had an average of $14.67 annually per student to facilitate and enhance partnerships with arts organizations and institutions. In addition to arts education professional development for school leaders and teachers, students at the 21 treatment schools received, on average, 10 enriching arts educational experiences across dance, music, theater, and visual arts disciplines. Schools partnered with cultural organizations and institutions that provided these arts learning opportunities through before- and after-school programs, field trips, in-school performances from professional artists, and teaching-artist residencies. Principals worked with the Arts Access Initiative director and staff to help guide arts program selections that aligned with their schools’ goals.

Our research efforts were part of a multisector collaboration that united district administrators, cultural organizations and institutions, philanthropists, government officials, and researchers. Collective efforts similar to Houston’s Arts Access Initiative have become increasingly common means for supplementing arts education opportunities through school-community partnerships. Other examples include Boston’s Arts Expansion Initiative , Chicago’s Creative Schools Initiative , and Seattle’s Creative Advantage .

Through our partnership with the Houston Education Research Consortium, we obtained access to student-level demographics, attendance and disciplinary records, and test score achievement, as well as the ability to collect original survey data from all 42 schools on students’ school engagement and social and emotional-related outcomes.

We find that a substantial increase in arts educational experiences has remarkable impacts on students’ academic, social, and emotional outcomes. Relative to students assigned to the control group, treatment school students experienced a 3.6 percentage point reduction in disciplinary infractions, an improvement of 13 percent of a standard deviation in standardized writing scores, and an increase of 8 percent of a standard deviation in their compassion for others. In terms of our measure of compassion for others, students who received more arts education experiences are more interested in how other people feel and more likely to want to help people who are treated badly.

When we restrict our analysis to elementary schools, which comprised 86 percent of the sample and were the primary target of the program, we also find that increases in arts learning positively and significantly affect students’ school engagement, college aspirations, and their inclinations to draw upon works of art as a means for empathizing with others. In terms of school engagement, students in the treatment group were more likely to agree that school work is enjoyable, makes them think about things in new ways, and that their school offers programs, classes, and activities that keep them interested in school. We generally did not find evidence to suggest significant impacts on students’ math, reading, or science achievement, attendance, or our other survey outcomes, which we discuss in our full report .

As education policymakers increasingly rely on empirical evidence to guide and justify decisions, advocates struggle to make the case for the preservation and restoration of K-12 arts education. To date, there is a remarkable lack of large-scale experimental studies that investigate the educational impacts of the arts. One problem is that U.S. school systems rarely collect and report basic data that researchers could use to assess students’ access and participation in arts educational programs. Moreover, the most promising outcomes associated with arts education learning objectives extend beyond commonly reported outcomes such as math and reading test scores. There are strong reasons to suspect that engagement in arts education can improve school climate, empower students with a sense of purpose and ownership, and enhance mutual respect for their teachers and peers. Yet, as educators and policymakers have come to recognize the importance of expanding the measures we use to assess educational effectiveness, data measuring social and emotional benefits are not widely collected. Future efforts should continue to expand on the types of measures used to assess educational program and policy effectiveness.

These findings provide strong evidence that arts educational experiences can produce significant positive impacts on academic and social development. Because schools play a pivotal role in cultivating the next generation of citizens and leaders, it is imperative that we reflect on the fundamental purpose of a well-rounded education. This mission is critical in a time of heightened intolerance and pressing threats to our core democratic values. As policymakers begin to collect and value outcome measures beyond test scores, we are likely to further recognize the value of the arts in the fundamental mission of education.

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The power of the arts in learning and the curriculum: a review of research literature

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• Published: 23 April 2021
• Volume 41 , pages 93–100, ( 2021 )

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Saunders, J.N. The power of the arts in learning and the curriculum: a review of research literature. Curric Perspect 41 , 93–100 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-021-00138-4

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Creativity and Academics: The Power of an Arts Education

The arts are as important as academics, and they should be treated that way in school curriculum. This is what we believe and practice at New Mexico School for the Arts (NMSA). While the positive impact of the arts on academic achievement is worthwhile in itself, it's also the tip of the iceberg when looking at the whole child. Learning art goes beyond creating more successful students. We believe that it creates more successful human beings.

NMSA is built upon a dual arts and academic curriculum. Our teachers, students, and families all hold the belief that both arts and academics are equally important. Our goal is to prepare students for professional careers in the arts, while also equipping them with the skills and content knowledge necessary to succeed in college. From our personal experience ( and research ), here are five benefits of an arts education:

1. Growth Mindset

Through the arts, students develop skills like resilience, grit, and a growth mindset to help them master their craft, do well academically, and succeed in life after high school. (See Embracing Failure: Building a Growth Mindset Through the Arts and Mastering Self-Assessment: Deepening Independent Learning Through the Arts .) Ideally, this progression will happen naturally, but often it can be aided by the teacher. By setting clear expectations and goals for students and then drawing the correlation between the work done and the results, students can begin to shift their motivation, resulting in a much healthier and more sustainable learning environment.

For students to truly grow and progress, there has to be a point when intrinsic motivation comes into balance with extrinsic motivation. In the early stages of learning an art form, students engage with the activity because it's fun (intrinsic motivation). However, this motivation will allow them to progress only so far, and then their development begins to slow -- or even stop. At this point, lean on extrinsic motivation to continue your students' growth. This can take the form of auditions, tests, or other assessments. Like the impact of early intrinsic motivation, this kind of engagement will help your students grow and progress. While both types of motivation are helpful and productive, a hybrid of the two is most successful. Your students will study or practice not only for the external rewards, but also because of the self-enjoyment or satisfaction this gives them.

2. Self-Confidence

A number of years ago, I had a student enter my band program who would not speak. When asked a question, she would simply look at me. She loved being in band, but she would not play. I wondered why she would choose to join an activity while refusing to actually do the activity. Slowly, through encouragement from her peers and myself, a wonderful young person came out from under her insecurities and began to play. And as she learned her instrument, I watched her transform into not only a self-confident young lady and an accomplished musician, but also a student leader. Through the act of making music, she overcame her insecurities and found her voice and place in life.

3. Improved Cognition

Research connects learning music to improved "verbal memory, second language pronunciation accuracy, reading ability, and executive functions" in youth ( Frontiers in Neuroscience ). By immersing students in arts education, you draw them into an incredibly complex and multifaceted endeavor that combines many subject matters (like mathematics, history, language, and science) while being uniquely tied to culture.

For example, in order for a student to play in tune, he must have a scientific understanding of sound waves and other musical acoustics principles. Likewise, for a student to give an inspired performance of Shakespeare, she must understand social, cultural, and historical events of the time. The arts are valuable not only as stand-alone subject matter, but also as the perfect link between all subject matters -- and a great delivery system for these concepts, as well. You can see this in the correlation between drawing and geometry, or between meter and time signatures and math concepts such as fractions .

4. Communication

One can make an argument that communication may be the single most important aspect of existence. Our world is built through communication. Students learn a multitude of communication skills by studying the arts. Through the very process of being in a music ensemble, they must learn to verbally, physically, and emotionally communicate with their peers, conductor, and audience. Likewise, a cast member must not only communicate the spoken word to an audience, but also the more intangible underlying emotions of the script. The arts are a mode of expression that transforms thoughts and emotions into a unique form of communication -- art itself.

5. Deepening Cultural and Self-Understanding

While many find the value of arts education to be the ways in which it impacts student learning, I feel the learning of art is itself a worthwhile endeavor. A culture without art isn’t possible. Art is at the very core of our identity as humans. I feel that the greatest gift we can give students -- and humanity -- is an understanding, appreciation, and ability to create art.

What are some of the benefits of an arts education that you have noticed with your students?

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The Importance of Art Education in the Classroom

November 30, 2023

That deceptively simple, four-word query confronts a topic that’s occupied some of the world’s greatest creators and philosophers since Plato. How we answer this question can have much bigger consequences than whether you get to buy a piece of artwork from Banksy’s online store. The issue of art’s value becomes far more pressing when policymakers and administrators decide how to allocate time and funding for art education in schools.

Art teachers must be ready to advocate for committing the necessary resources to prioritize the value of creativity in the classroom. You may have to explain the importance of art education in a school’s curriculum and present the research to back up those claims. We can become powerful advocates for the power of art and improved student outcomes by investigating the many benefits that come out of integrating more creativity into the school day and improving our classroom strategies .

Why Is Art Education In Schools Important?

Anyone who’s passionate about the arts recalls formative moments of experiencing a work of art pushing through a creative challenge. When we’re exposed to remarkable artworks or have opportunities to create, we find that art is crucial to individual growth and development and can even impact our health.

A literature review from Frontiers in Psychology outlined several studies linking aesthetic experiences with broad improvements in subjects’ emotional states that promote physical and psychological well-being. Giving learners the time, space, and materials for creative expression can lower stress, improve memory, and make them feel more socially connected. Instructors can build their careers on bringing those experiences to students in a variety of settings, like galleries, museums, or events organized by nonprofit and community organizations.

Appreciation for art also makes a significant difference in people’s lives on a macro level. Entire societies may stand to gain from an investment in the arts. Drawing on data from the General Social Survey, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Department of Public Administration linked participation as either an audience member or creator to higher levels of civic engagement and social tolerance . This work suggests that children learning how to draw, paint, sing, or just appreciate the works made by others can help us become not just happier and healthier, but also better people. Learn about UF’s Online Master of Arts in Art Education program

How Does Art Education Help Students?

When surveyed by the nonprofit organization Americans for the Arts, members of the U.S. public overwhelmingly agreed that the arts are one aspect of a well-rounded K-12 education . In addition, a recent study conducted in Houston public schools showed that students who participated in arts education see the following benefits:

• Improved writing achievement
• Reduced disciplinary infractions
• More student engagement
• Improved college aspirations
• No drop in standardized test scores

Yet, participation in the visual and performing arts is often treated as merely supplemental to other aspects of learning. As a result, there are major differences in access to art and music classes across the country.

2019 findings from the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that eighth graders in the Northeast were much more likely to report being enrolled in a visual arts course than those in the South. Disparities were also tied to race, ethnicity, family income, and whether a school is located in a city, suburb, town, or rural area.

Meanwhile, the Nation’s Report Card shows that U.S. students continue to score lower than many of their peers in Europe and Asia on standardized tests despite years of pressure on educators to close the achievement gap. But seeking to improve student performance in math and reading does not have to come at the expense of art education.

In fact, researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, argue that instruction becomes more effective when educators integrate creative activities and make them central to academic development. Across disciplines, including STEM, there’s room to reimagine classes with a strong emphasis on drawing, painting, playing music, performing drama, and other creative pursuits. Encouraging students to use their imagination can help them actively engage with new concepts and discover connections between ideas as well as provide advantages for their social and emotional well-being.

One example of effectively integrating arts and creative expression with other fields as a pedagogical strategy can be seen in the collaboration between University of Florida faculty members Susan K. Jacobson, who studies wildlife ecology and conservation, and Robert C. Mueller, who teaches printmaking. The UF professors collaborated on an interdisciplinary project in climate change communication in which groups of graduate students from both the School of Natural Resources and the Environment and the College of the Arts visited the university’s Seahorse Key Marine Laboratory. The students participated in learning activities like scientific lectures, discussions, and making collages before working in small groups to create environmental communication materials for visitors.

As this example shows, students benefit from learning to embrace insights from multiple disciplines, and this can be valuable when they go on to pursue jobs. A 2019 survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers showed that employers are interested in hiring professionals with skills that can be strengthened through participation in the arts, such as written communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and taking initiative. Art teachers can help students become more well-rounded and capable individuals by teaching them to develop original ideas through creative projects and practices.

The Importance of Art Education in Early Childhood and Beyond

It’s never too soon to introduce kids to the possibilities of creative expression. As outlined in a literature review from the National Endowment for the Arts, a variety of studies demonstrate the value of embedding artistic practice into early childhood education . Imaginative activities for young learners can lead to better skills in social interactions and emotional regulation.

Lessons in the arts introduce K-12 students to problem-solving techniques, which help them to see the world in new ways, and provide access to creative ways of knowing. Kids discover how art can communicate their own ideas and may become interested in creating increasingly realistic depictions and mastering new techniques. By high school, young artists can think critically about their own work and that of others, establishing a unique point of view and a sense of community with other creative individuals.

The National Core Arts Standards provide a framework for advancing students’ artistic understanding . This structure breaks down the developmental stages from Pre K through high school into 10 anchor standards. In each stage, students build creative habits as they learn to:

• Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
• Organize and develop ideas and work
• Refine and complete artistic work
• Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation
• Convey meaning through the presentation
• Perceive and analyze artistic work
• Interpret intent and meaning
• Apply criteria to evaluate work
• Make art by synthesizing and relating knowledge and personal experiences
• Deepen understanding by relating artistic ideas to societal, historical, and cultural contexts

Pediatrician Dr. Perri Klass outlined the benefits of art education in schools in the New York Times, noting improvements for overall motivation, thinking, and academic achievement . An arts-integrated curriculum that asks students to draw or sing as part of the learning process may enhance their ability to recall material such as scientific principles or vocabulary. Foregrounding creativity can be especially effective for students who struggle to retain information from traditional lectures and reading assignments alone.

Art does matter in the classroom, delivering a wide range of advantages for students. Educators can make the most of that potential by equipping themselves to offer creative practice as a central feature in the curriculum and show decisionmakers how these initiatives can achieve transformative results. The University of Florida’s online Master of Arts in Art Education (MAAE) program helps teachers make a difference. This program features courses that prepare educators to work in a variety of learning environments , support students of all ages, incorporate digital tools into their pedagogy, and foster critical thinking.

About the Online Master’s in Art Education from the University of Florida

The University of Florida’s online Master of Arts in Art Education (MAAE) program engages students purposefully in art education theory and practice, contemporary art, and their own studio work. Our dynamic online learning environment fosters meaningful interaction with peers and our world-class faculty as members of a supportive, close-knit community of art educators, artists, cultural workers, and scholars. This flexible program brings you the advanced concepts and immersive, hands-on experiences you need to flourish academically and creatively.

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Response: The Role Of Arts Education In Schools

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This week’s question is:

What role should arts education have in an overall school curriculum?

There’s certainly been a lot of interest in this topic, and I’ve included many readers’ comments in this post.

In addition, I’m featuring guest responses from three educators -- Virginia McEnerney, David Booth and Heather Wolpert-Gawron.

You can also listen to a ten minute conversation I had with Virginia and David on my BAM! Radio Show.

I’m compiled additional related resources at The Best Resources Discussing The Importance Of Art In Education , and you can watch a number of videos and read about how I work closely with a talented teacher at our school to use art as a language-learning activity.

Response From Virginia McEnerney

Virginia McEnerney is the Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit administrator of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards which recognizes and provides scholarship opportunities for creative teens:

In order to create change, students must first learn to create. Just like adults and perhaps even more so because they are still developing their own identities, young people turn to and respond to the arts to help them communicate and understand ideas, viewpoints and emotions. In this way, the arts cultivate creative thinking which leads to other supplemental skills such as problem-solving which ultimately can benefit students across disciplines.

Arts education should play an essential role in affirming and developing creative abilities among students of all skill levels, without limiting it to those who aspire to be professional artists or writers. It’s just as likely that a biologist who developed creative thinking in middle or high school arts classes could think of a new way of looking at cancer research as it is that an artist can develop new forms and media for artistic expression. In fact, I’ve seen this among the past winners of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Our contemporary economy depends and thrives on innovation and new ways of thinking about and seeing the world. This is exactly what arts education nurtures - young people who, through creative practice, develop the skill to imagine the world differently. Studies such as Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools from the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, display the powerful role that arts education can play in increasing student engagement, closing the achievement gap, and nurturing the skills that will ultimately change our world.

If young people have an inherent pull to create, which we believe, then the arts must be integral to students’ education, rather than viewed as separate.

Response From David Booth

David Booth is Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto. For more than 25 years he has worked with teachers in creating, applying, and evaluating approaches to how children learn to read and write. His latest book is I’ve Got Something to Say: How Student Voices Inform Our Teaching :

As caring and concerned members of our home and school communities, we want our children to grow into adulthood with arts-enhanced lives, engaging fully in the world’s activities with their aesthetic, cognitive, physical, and emotional strengths, and entwining all these processes as often as possible. We need to “feel our thoughts,” and we need to “think about our feelings.” Knowing that emotion is a powerful component of life’s intellectual responses, we require opportunities to grow as whole beings, to fill our personal worlds with events and experiences that reveal as many shades of color as possible, that widen the possibilities inherent in everything we see and do.

What if our schools opened up the repertoire of artful choices that children could encounter each day, so that as their knowledge expands, their senses grow, and their feelings find form, their responses to life’s situations could become more mindful and thoughtful? That is the real role of the arts in school--to help youngsters construct their worlds in wonderful and meaningful ways and, at the same time, gain satisfaction from their expanded understanding of how to accomplish this lifelong process.

The arts are an imperative. In the concentration camps in World War II, some children drew and wrote poems; you can read their poems and find their drawings in the book I Never Saw Another Butterfly. After the disaster of 9/11 in New York City, parents and schools were at a loss about what to tell vulnerable and shocked youngsters. What followed in New York is a metaphor for arts education, as thousands of schoolchildren turned to creating paintings and drawings and poems and stories and letters to somehow give form to their feelings and to share in the sadness that had enveloped their communities. As they engaged in arts responses, they revealed so much more than they could articulate in talk. They were able to imagine hope beyond the destruction. They were able to find catharsis, to seek out ways of demonstrating their compassion and anger. They were able to use art to construct a present reality and to recognize a better future. As parents and teachers and friends, we view their pictures and read their words in the book Messages to Ground Zero, and recognize the depth of their feelings and the connections they have made to the human family. We were better able to cope because of their artistic efforts.

The arts are a way of learning, of exploring, of responding, of revealing and demonstrating, of imagining, depicting, and making meaning. They belong in the school curriculum, as they belong in the minds and hearts of all lifelong learners.

Response From Heather Wolpert-Gawron

Heather Wolpert-Gawron is an award-winning middle school teacher. She has authored workbooks on teaching Internet Literacy , Project Based Writing, and Nonfiction Reading Strategies for the Common Core. She is the author of ˜Tween Crayons and Curfews: Tips for Middle School Teachers and Writing Behind Every Door: Teaching Common Core Writing Across the Content Areas . Heather blogs for The George Lucas Educational Foundation’s Edutopia.org as well as her own www.tweenteacher.com :

This country is going crazy for STEM. STEM, STEM, STEM. But the fact is that if we don’t focus on the arts, on writing, on speaking, we’re neglecting how to communicate that which we find so important. You can’t get funding for your inventions without writing. You can design a building based on green technologies without some level of art. You can’t be selected from an interview of you can’t speak with confidence.

Incorporating the arts into your curriculum is about developing kids that are well rounded, that are exposed to things other than simply the CORE subjects. Think about our innovators, or simply about those people in your life you respect the most. They have elements about them that are diversified.

Additionally, it’s vital that we expose students to things in life that are NOT in their nature, which may NOT be what they believe to be interesting or important. We are meant to expand their knowledge and make their world bigger. So we can’t limit them by focusing solely on one subject group or the other. Our subjects need to be interconnected. Our subjects need to weave more than ever before.

Besides, going to school is like going to the gym. We can’t only work out our biceps while neglecting our glutes. We’d be off-balance, or we wouldn’t function at the level we could have had we focused our attention on all of the important muscles. Art is a muscle. Math is a muscle. Writing is a muscle. So are history, and PE, and Theater. By shutting off one or by cutting funding to an entire outlet, we’ve stunted our students’ growth and learning.

Teaching sequencing from one variable to another? Try having the kids create hand drawn or digital storyboards.

Assigning persuasive writing? Have the kids write a speech to the United Nations asking for them to support a researched solution to an international problem.

Having students observe a cow’s eye? Have them pair their note taking with labeled sketches and drawings.

The opportunities are there to incorporate the arts no matter what subject you teach. It’s critical that we develop those STEM muscles, yes. But it’s more critical that we focus on STEAM.

Responses From Readers

Jonathan Bethards:

Arts are incredibly important for all schools and all types of students to think and act creatively as well as innovative way for student to problem solve.

The beauty of the Arts is that they are incredibly broad and should be kept as so. Art is not simply a 2D drawing course and Pottery. They include music, theatre, sculpture, drawing, creative writing, design, woodshop, and many, many more courses.

The Arts must absolutely be integrated into students’ education in order liberate them from the overtly oppressive nature of a school, despite teachers’ beliefs. The Arts cannot be quantified unfortunately for those desiring data and numbers for every single class; this is not possible, but the Arts are still as important as ever.

Curriculum should not define Art nor assign specific values to other forms of Art. Curriculum should provide many different paths for students to freely follow in order for self-expression and realization.

Billy Bowden:

Without being educated necessarily in other forms of Arts education such as theatre and digital or media arts, I can say that these forms of learning are important to help students express what they are learning in a contemporary and innovative way. If students are asked to record videos, to utilize social media or blogs, this enables them to produce their own sense of voice in the twenty-first century. By adding these strategies or methods into contemporary curricula, we get students engaged and thinking about how they can be effective learners and workers in the future. Starting students off with this sort of curricula at an early age, will ensure that they are crafty and intelligent workers, who can collaborate with peers and colleagues in their future. Thus, Arts education is essential to the modern curricula, if we are to encourage all students, who are interested in all disciplines to adequately support their ideas, to be able to debate, and to produce an effective rhetoric that will prepare them for college work, and ultimately for the workforce. This will eventually contribute to our country’s economy and well being.

wintersgina:

Performing and visual arts must be a part of school curriculum. I am passionate about this. Students discover gifts and abilities, they feel a part of the school when involved in the arts, and it motivates them to further their education. Students can learn a life long skill in such classes. These classes blend many subjects - math, history, science, English. A play is set in a time period, lines are memorized and presented, themes analyzed, sets and stage have dimension and balance, programs are formatted. Music and art is historically and mathematically grounded. It makes everything personal and practical. Students produce something they are proud of, often in a group, and on a deeper, personal level. I could go on and on...

Readers sent many comments via Twitter, and I’ve used Storify to collect them:

Thanks to Virginia, Paul and Heather, and to readers, for their contributions!

Please feel free to leave a comment your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] .When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind. You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

Anyone whose question is selected for weekly column can choose one free book from a number of education publishers. I’ll be highlighting one particular publisher every two months, and it’s Jossey-Bass’ turn now..

Just a reminder -- you can subscribe to blog for free via RSS Reader or email .... And,if you missed any of the highlights from the first two years of blog, you can see a categorized list of them here. You won’t see posts from school year in those compilations, but you can review those new ones by clicking on the monthly archives link on blog’s sidebar.

You can also see annual lists of my most popular posts.

Education Week has published a collection of posts from blog -- along with new material -- in an ebook form. It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching .

Last, but not least, I’ve recently begun recording a weekly eight-minute BAM! Radio podcast with educators who provide guest responses to questions. You can listen and/or download them here .

Watch for the next “question-of-the-week” in a few days....

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The Benefits of Arts Education for K-12 Students

While arts programs often fall victim to budget cuts, they can be an important contributor to students' success at school.

Benefits of Arts Education

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Just like after-school sports programs allow students to learn skills not necessarily taught in the classroom, like teamwork and self-discipline, the arts provide students with broad opportunities for growth outside of strictly academic pursuits.

Your child’s art class involves a lot more than just the Crayola marker scribble-scrabble that will end up hanging on your refrigerator.

“Good arts education is not about the product,” says Jamie Kasper, director of the Arts Education Partnership and a former music teacher. “It is about the process of learning.”

Policymakers, school administrators and parents alike may overlook the significance of arts education, but these programs can be a crucial component of your child’s school life. Whether they're practicing lines for a school play or cutting up magazine scraps for a collage, children can use art to tap into their creative side and hone skills that might not be the focus of other content areas, including communication, fine motor skills and emotional intelligence.

“Sometimes folks who are not involved in the arts focus on the product without realizing that that is not the most important part of what we do,” Kasper says.

While arts programs often fall victim to budget cuts, they can be an important contributor to students' overall success at school. Arts education can help kids:

• Engage with school and reduce stress.
• Develop social-emotional and interpersonal skills.
• Enrich their experiences.
• Handle constructive criticism.
• Bolster academic achievement.
• Improve focus.

Engage With School and Reduce Stress

Kasper says she often hears from other educators that art programs are one of the main factors that motivate children to come to school.

"If they don't want to come to school, you're never going to get them," she says. "So why wouldn't you do that thing that makes them want to come to school, that also teaches them these really great skills?"

Michelle Schroeder, the president of the New York State Art Teachers Association and a high school animation teacher, seconds this. She says the arts allow students an opportunity to have fun throughout the day without having to worry so much about the stressors of other content areas. And this is backed by research, too – some studies have shown that the arts, from drama to dance , can have therapeutic effects.

"It's that part of their day where they can have fun and just play with materials, and really not have to worry about the answers on their tests," Schroeder says.

Develop Social-Emotional and Interpersonal Skills

Participating in arts programs – particularly those that focus on more collaborative forms like theater and music – is a good way for students to sharpen their communication and social-emotional skills, experts say.

Camille Farrington, managing director and senior research associate at the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, says art classes offer students opportunities to interact with their fellow students in a constructive and creative manner, a process that fuels their social and emotional development. For example, one study published in the Journal of Primary Prevention found that students in low-income schools who participated in an after-school dance program tended to experience heightened self-esteem and social skills.

Building those skills is more important than ever after the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, says Denise Grail Brandenburg, arts education specialist and team lead at the National Endowment for the Arts. “Arts education can support the social and emotional learning needs of students," Brandenburg wrote in an email, "including helping students learn to manage their emotions and have compassion for others.”

Kasper also says that even with somewhat solitary artistic endeavors like painting or drawing, the act of perfecting one’s technique allows students to come up with creative ways to express and communicate their viewpoints.

“You teach the fundamentals of making the art ... – your instrument, your voice, your body in motion, painting, sculpture, whatever it is – so that students can then take those skills and use them to communicate more effectively,” she says.

Enrich Their Experiences

Human beings have practiced various art forms to express themselves since the dawn of their existence.

“Art immensely improves and enriches the lives of young people,” Farrington says. “It's a core part of being a human being and human history and culture.”

For kids in low-income neighborhoods, where residents may have less access to art and cultural resources that can improve quality of life , school arts programs are especially important. An analysis from the National Endowment for the Arts, drawing on data from four longitudinal studies, found that students with high levels of arts involvement had more positive outcomes in a variety of areas, from high school graduation rates to civic participation.

Just like after-school sports programs allow students to learn skills not necessarily taught in the classroom, like teamwork and self-discipline, Farrington says the arts provide students with broad opportunities for growth outside of strictly academic pursuits.

"One of the things that's really critical to young people of all ages ... is the opportunity to explore a wide variety of different kinds of activities," Farrington says. "Some of them are going to gravitate to one thing, and some are going to gravitate to another thing, but they can't gravitate to them if they've never experienced them."

Handle Constructive Criticism

Unlike many other school subjects, in which questions often have one specific answer, the arts allow for students to come up with a nearly unlimited variety of final products. This means that art teachers often give feedback a little bit differently, particularly with older students.

“They're teaching something and then immediately asking students to demonstrate that skill in a really authentic way, which is different from going to teach something and three months later giving students a test,” Kasper says.

Schroeder says that art teachers typically provide their students with highly individualized, constructive criticism. This allows students to learn how to gracefully receive a critique and respond to it, she says, explaining how and why they developed the artwork that they did.

“In so much of their careers and their future, people are either going to criticize or they're going to suggest improvements, and our students need to become comfortable with receiving feedback from other people,” she says. “So many experiences that they’ll have in an art classroom give them the opportunity to feel what it’s like to have someone question them. There's so much dialogue that happens in the classroom.”

Bolster Academic Achievement

While Farrington says that making art for art’s sake ought to be sufficient justification for school arts programs, research has also shown that arts education can lead to academic gains.

For example, a 2005 study on the impact of a comprehensive arts curriculum in Columbus, Ohio, public schools found that students with the arts program scored higher on statewide tests in math, science and citizenship than students from control schools. This effect was even greater for students from low-income schools. In the NEA analysis, socially and economically disadvantaged children with significant arts education had better academic outcomes – including higher grades and test scores and higher rates of graduation and college enrollment – than their peers without arts involvement.

Different disciplines also provide their own specific cognitive benefits – for example, participating in dance has been shown to sharpen young children's spatial awareness , while making music can help students develop their working memory .

Improve Focus

In addition to the specific benefits of each individual art practice, Kasper says that across the board, the arts are a good way for students to learn impulse control.

Intuitively, it makes sense that the act of concentrating in order to perfect one's craft can help an individual develop the ability to focus closely on other things as well. Research has shown that training in the arts also helps students hone their ability to pay closer attention and practice self-control. In 2009, researchers at the Dana Foundation , which funds neuroscience research and programming, posited based on multiple studies that training in the arts stimulates and strengthens the brain's attention system.

"That's something that I think we forget that kids have to learn," Kasper says.

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The Mind-Expanding Value of Arts Education

As funding for arts education declines worldwide, experts ponder what students — and the world at large — are losing in the process.

By Ginanne Brownell

This article is part of our special report on the Art for Tomorrow conference that was held in Florence, Italy.

Awuor Onguru says that if it were not for her continued exposure to arts education as a child, she never would have gotten into Yale University.

Growing up in a lower-middle-class family in Nairobi, Kenya, Ms. Onguru, now a 20-year-old junior majoring in English and French, started taking music lessons at the age of four. By 12, she was playing violin in the string quartet at her primary school, where every student was required to play an instrument. As a high school student on scholarship at the International School of Kenya, she was not only being taught Bach concertos, she also became part of Nairobi’s music scene, playing first violin in a number of local orchestras.

During her high school summer breaks, Ms. Onguru — who also has a strong interest in creative writing and poetry — went to the United States, attending the Interlochen Center for the Arts ’ creative writing camp, in Michigan, and the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio . Ms. Onguru, who recently returned to campus after helping organize Yale Glee Club’s spring tour in Kenya, hopes to become a journalist after graduation. She has already made progress toward that goal, serving as the opinion editor for the Yale Daily News, and getting her work published in Teen Vogue and the literary journal Menacing Hedge.

“Whether you’re in sports, whether you end up in STEM, whether you end up in government, seeing my peers — who had different interests in arts — not everyone wanted to be an artist,” she said in a video interview. “But they found places to express themselves, found places to be creative, found places to say things that they didn’t know how else to say them.”

Ms. Onguru’s path shows what a pivotal role arts education can play in a young person’s development. Yet, while the arts and culture space accounts for a significant amount of gross domestic product across the globe — in the United Kingdom in 2021, the arts contributed £109 billion to the economy , while in the U.S., it brought in over $1 trillion that year — arts education budgets in schools continue to get slashed. (In 2021, for instance, the spending on arts education in the U.K. came to an average of just £9.40 per pupil for the year .)

While experts have long espoused the idea that exposure to the arts plays a critical role in primary and secondary schooling, education systems globally have continually failed to hold it in high regard. As Eric Booth, a U.S.-based arts educator and a co-author of “Playing for Their Lives: The Global El Sistema Movement for Social Change Through Music,” said: “There are a whole lot of countries in the world that don’t have the arts in the school, it just isn’t a thing, and it never has been.”

That has led to the arts education trajectory heading in a “dark downward spiral,” said Jelena Trkulja, senior adviser for academic and cultural affairs at Qatar Museums , who moderated a panel entitled “When Arts Education is a Luxury: New Ecosystems” at the Art for Tomorrow conference in Florence, Italy, organized by the Democracy & Culture Foundation, with panels moderated by New York Times journalists.

Part of why that is happening, she said, is that societies still don’t have a sufficient and nuanced understanding of the benefits arts education can bring, in terms of young people’s development. “Arts education is still perceived as an add-on, rather than an essential field creating essential 21st-century skills that are defined as the four C’s of collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking,” Dr. Trkulja said in a video interview, “and those skills are being developed in arts education.”

Dennie Palmer Wolf, principal researcher at the U.S.-based arts research consultancy WolfBrown , agreed. “We have to learn to make a much broader argument about arts education,” she said. “It isn’t only playing the cello.”

It is largely through the arts that we as humans understand our own history, from a cave painting in Indonesia thought to be 45,000 years old to “The Tale of Genji,” a book that’s often called the world’s first novel , written by an 11th-century Japanese woman, Murasaki Shikibu; from the art of Michelangelo and Picasso to the music of Mozart and Miriam Makeba and Taylor Swift.

“The arts are one of the fundamental ways that we try to make sense of the world,” said Brian Kisida, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri’s Truman School of Public Affairs and a co-director of the National Endowment for the Arts-sponsored Arts, Humanities & Civic Engagement Lab . “People use the arts to offer a critical perspective of their exploration of the human condition, and that’s what the root of education is in some ways.”

And yet, the arts don’t lend themselves well to hard data, something educators and policymakers need to justify classes in those disciplines in their budgets. “Arts is this visceral thing, this thing inside you, the collective moment of a crescendo,” said Heddy Lahmann , an assistant professor of international education at New York University, who is conducting a global study examining arts education in public schools for the Community Arts Network. “But it’s really hard to qualify what that is.”

Dr. Lahmann’s early research into the decrease in spending by public schools in arts education points to everything from the lack of trained teachers in the arts — partly because those educators are worried about their own job security — to the challenges of teaching arts remotely in the early days of the Covid pandemic. And, of course, standardized tests like the Program for International Student Assessment, which covers reading, math and science, where countries compete on outcomes. “There’s a race to get those indicators,” Dr. Lahmann said, “and arts don’t readily fit into that.” In part, that is because standardized tests don’t cover arts education .

“It’s that unattractive truth that what gets measured gets attended to,” said Mr. Booth, the arts educator who co-authored “Playing for Their Lives.”

While studies over the years have underscored the ways that arts education can lead to better student achievement — in the way that musical skills support literacy, say, and arts activities lead to improved vocabulary, what have traditionally been lacking are large-scale randomized control studies. But a recent research project done in 42 elementary and middle schools in Houston, which was co-directed by Dr. Kisida and Daniel H. Bowen, a professor who teaches education policy at Texas A&M, is the first of its kind to do just that. Their research found that students who had increased arts education experiences saw improvements in writing achievement, emotional and cognitive empathy, school engagement and higher education aspirations, while they had a lower incidence of disciplinary infractions.

As young people are now, more than ever, inundated with images on social media and businesses are increasingly using A.I., it has become even more relevant for students these days to learn how to think more critically and creatively. “Because what is required of us in this coming century is an imaginative capacity that goes far beyond what we have deliberately cultivated in the schooling environment over the last 25 years,” said Mariko Silver, the chief executive of the Henry Luce Foundation, “and that requires truly deep arts education for everyone.”

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“A Call-to-Action in STEAM Education”

By s. craig watkins.

Photo courtesy of S. Craig Watkins

The report produced by the National Endowment for the Arts, Tech as Art: Supporting Artists Who Use Technology as a Creative Medium , is a timely, albeit unlikely, intervention into the debate about the future of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning in the U.S. Among its many recommendations, I was especially struck by this one:

Educators and policymakers can support integration of the arts with STEM through educational initiatives inclusive of creative coding and other arts-based learning to bridge digital divides, promote digital literacy, and build essential 21st-century skillsets.

This recommendation is, in earnest, a call-to-action for those who build in-school and out-of-school learning opportunities for young people to expand what is possible in these spaces.

In recent years, the debate about education in the U.S. has focused overwhelmingly on STEM learning and, more specifically, the need to cultivate more talent in areas such as computer science, coding, and data science. This is a reflection of two things: first, the anticipated rise in the demand for STEM skills, especially computer-based skills, in our economy; and second, the pervasiveness of technology systems such as artificial intelligence (AI) and massive social platforms in our lives. And while we certainly need more talent in the occupations that engineer the technical features of these systems, there is a growing recognition that we also need individuals who are equipped to think about their social and ethical aspects.

The content and tone of current debates about technology are shifting. As we learn more about the weaponization of social media, the prevalence of data surveillance, and the injustices of algorithmic bias, questions about the design and ethical dimensions of technology are growing more urgent. But these questions are not the domain of the usual suspects in tech, such as computer scientists and software engineers. In fact, these questions require diverse forms of expertise, perspective, and the capacity to grapple with human complexity. It is in this context that the arts, and the digital arts in particular, are emerging as a vital component in our quest to resolve some of the current and future dilemmas associated with the increasing power of technology.

In my own work (see my 2018 book The Digital Edge ), I have studied the educational spaces that seek to develop young people’s technology skills, including in-school and out-of-school settings. Not surprisingly, when STEM is the focus in educational settings, there is a tendency to privilege the idea that students should develop skills that are presumed to translate into employment, such as coding or computational thinking. The findings from the report strongly suggest that educators must develop a more expansive view of the kinds of skills needed in tomorrow’s STEM economy. In fact, the report makes a strong case for why educators must embrace the arts in their efforts to deliver high-quality and impactful STEM learning opportunities.

Any rethink of STEM education must explore how in-school and out-of-school settings can serve as hubs for a new kind of STEM literacy—let’s call it “STEAM literacy.” The “A” acknowledges the important role of the arts in STEM education. In my own research examining young people’s creation of a more inclusive innovation economy (see my 2019 book Don’t Knock the Hustle ), I advocate for what I call the “innovation labs of tomorrow.” This a reference to a variety of physical spaces—community centers, libraries, schools, after-school programs, out-of-school programs—which offer marginalized populations access to the social, technological, and human capital that support innovation.

There is, of course, a long history of artists using the materials available to them to create stories, artifacts, and experiences that imagine more equitable and inclusive worlds. Today, a new generation of digital artists is using many forms of technology—everything from film and virtual reality to social media and algorithms—to make art that engages some of the most urgent questions about technology's impact on the modern world. These artists, as the report suggests, are an untapped resource in our quest to strengthen STEAM literacy in this country.

These new STEAM learning hubs should be designed to support young people’s ability to imagine the digital arts as a gateway to develop not only their technology skills but their creative, civic, and critical thinking skills, too. While the report identifies some of the inventive ways artists are leveraging technology, it also explains that the prospective sources of support for artists who use technology as a creative medium need significant improvement. These new community-based innovation labs could provide a space for digital artists to serve as instructors, guest speakers, or fellows who share their insights and skills with students. The opportunity to see how artists use their creative output to engage some of the most pressing questions regarding technology’s role in society will inspire the next generation of artists to find their voices and senses of agency.

As the list of philanthropic organizations and other funders seeking to boost STEM literacy grows, especially in marginalized communities, these funders could strengthen their efforts by supporting community-based organizations that feature the arts. A model like this will expand our notions of STEM to STEAM, foster greater community engagement in technology, and widen the opportunities for young people to develop their skills.

The adoption of digital artists and digital art to engage current debates about technology introduces whole new possibilities for how we define the future of STEAM literacy and the STEAM workforce. It is no longer enough to teach young people how to use technology, what some scholars refer to as “tools literacy.” It is equally important to teach them how to think critically about the ethical aspects and design features of technology that tracks our every move, sells our data to third-party interests, and scales historical biases via AI. This approach prioritizes sharpening the ability of students to ask probing questions about technology and, importantly, cultivate novel responses to those questions.

The majority of educators and researchers have overlooked the role that artists and art can play in the high-stakes conversation about STEM. We do so, however, at our own peril. There is a growing body of research from fields such as social psychology, sociology, and business that documents the crucial role that cognitive diversity—that is, different kinds of expertise and experiences—plays in cultures of innovation. In the case of technologies such as AI or facial recognition, we now understand that it is no longer appropriate to only have computer scientists and engineers in the room when these systems are being conceptualized and developed. Tech companies are beginning to include designers, social scientists, ethicists, and even artists in the process. Why? Because they have been forced to concede that these technology systems have grave societal consequences that require a depth of insight and imagination that reaches far beyond the competencies of a computer scientist or data scientist.

By inviting artists into such conversations about the conceptualization and design of technology, organizations have a greater likelihood of accessing the domains of expertise, imagination, and innovation that have been rendered marginal and mute. Further, this expands the scope of ideas and perspectives that can enrich our ability to think about how these technology systems can be built to mitigate rather than perpetuate bias and inequality. As a result, we leverage the digital arts and digital artists to support the development of young people’s technical, creative, and critical skills.

Artists bring unique points of view to the conversation about technology, emphasizing out-of-the-box thinking and the ability to center diverse perspectives and worldviews. STEAM innovation is about more than simply building shiny new things or intelligent systems. STEAM innovation also involves, for example, thinking about the human dimensions and impacts of how technology is designed and deployed.

In my own work, I've become interested in one focal question: how can technology systems like AI be designed through an equity lens? That is, how can we become more intentional in building technologies that are more oriented towards social and racial justice? Artists have been asking these kinds of questions for centuries. Thus, they are uniquely equipped to propose some compelling ideas and reflections that help us better understand not only who we are as a society today, but also who we want to be tomorrow.

S. Craig Watkins is the Ernest A. Sharpe Centennial Professor and founding director of the Institute for Media Innovation at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of six books and numerous articles that explore the intersections between race, technology, equity, and innovation. Watkins is currently working on a series of projects as the director for the Racial Justice Research Focus Area for Good Systems, a Grand Challenge at UT-Austin that examines the design of ethical artificial intelligence.

Stay Connected to the National Endowment for the Arts

• Open access
• Published: 03 December 2022

Role of the arts in the life and mental health of young people that participate in artistic organizations in Colombia: a qualitative study

• Carlos Gómez-Restrepo 1 , 2 , 3 ,
• Natalia Godoy Casasbuenas 1 ,
• Natalia Ortiz-Hernández 1 ,
• Victoria Jane Bird 4 ,
• María Paula Jassir Acosta 1 ,
• José Miguel Uribe Restrepo 2 ,
• Bryan Alexander Murillo Sarmiento 1 ,
• Mariana Steffen 5 &
• Stefan Priebe 4  

BMC Psychiatry volume  22 , Article number:  757 ( 2022 ) Cite this article

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Adolescents and young adults are vulnerable to developing mental distress. However, evidence suggests that more than half of the young people with symptoms of depression and anxiety overcome their distress within a year. However, there is little research on the exact resources that young people use and help them to recover. The aim of this study was to explore how arts activities can support the recovery of young people engaged with arts organizations in Bogota.

We recruited 38 participants from two arts organizations in Bogotá and conducted six focus groups embedded within artistic workshops. The type of activities in the workshops varied reflecting the different teaching methods of the two organizations. The focus group discussions were recorded and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Five themes explained how arts activities can help young people participating in artistic organizations to overcome mental distress: i) allowing the expression of emotions; ii) helping to manage and transform emotions; iii) distracting from problems; iv) facilitating social support and relationships; and v) contributing to the identity of young people.

Conclusions

For young people who participate in artistic organizations, the arts are a resource for overcoming negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, and sadness. The beneficial role of arts activities includes different process of managing, expressing, and distracting from distress, and it differs depending on whether arts are perceived as a professional vocation or a hobby.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

According to a 2016 report, adolescents and young adults in Latin America and the Caribbean region make up approximately 26%, of the general population [ 1 ]. Even though efforts have been made towards improving poverty and economic inequality in Latin America, it remains the region with highest socioeconomic differences, a factor that is known to have a negative effect on the life and health conditions of the population [ 1 , 2 ]. Evidence suggests that factors, such as socioeconomic status, quality of life at home and relationships with others, predispose young people and adolescents towards an increased risk of developing mental disorders [ 2 , 3 ].

Adolescence and early adulthood are moments within the life cycle which represent important changes for individuals [ 4 , 5 ]. During this period of time, adolescents and young people encounter different challenges and social changes, whilst attempting to transition successfully into adulthood [ 5 ]. Changes in various aspects of life, including physical, psychological and sociocultural features [ 4 ], may make young people particularly vulnerable to mental health problems [ 1 ]. In Colombia, barriers to access formal educational, experience or fear of violence, early start of sex life, extensive urban migration and lack of work opportunities are common risk factors among young people for violence and delinquency, use of psychoactive substances, undesired pregnancy and mental health problems [ 6 ].

The World Health Organization have reported that approximately 10–20% of young people have undiagnosed or untreated mental health problems [ 3 ]. Moreover, it is estimated that by the year 2030, depression will be the leading cause of disease burden globally [ 7 ]. Evidence suggests that having a mental health problem during adolescence is a risk factor for having other psychiatric problems later in life [ 8 , 9 ]. |Around 75% of mental health illnesses begin before the age of 25 [ 10 ]. Thus, the mental health of young people should be considered a public health priority [ 9 ].

According to the 2015 National Mental Health Survey, in Colombia, the lifetime prevalence of depression or anxiety in adolescents is 2.4 and 5.0% respectively [ 11 ]. This compares to adults, where the lifetime prevalence of these disorders are 5.3% for depression and 3.9% for anxiety [ 11 ]. The present COVID-19 pandemic can be considered an exacerbating factor in relation to the mental health of young people [ 12 ]. According to a survey conducted by UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean region, 27% of young people reported symptoms of anxiety and 15% of depression during the pandemic [ 13 ]. A survey conducted in Bogota, found that 32% of the participants reported feeling more anxious or nervous as compared to before the lockdown, whilst 27% of participants stated to feel significantly more anxious or nervous after the lockdown [ 14 ]. However, in general, between 50 and 60% of young adults and adolescents who manifest symptoms of depression and anxiety do not develop longer-term mental disorders and are able to overcome these episodes of emotional distress within 1 year after the onset of symptoms [ 15 ]. This process of bouncing back from symptoms is captured in the concept of resilience [ 15 ].

Resilience is a broad term describing responses to the experience of adversity. It can be understood in different ways [ 16 , 17 , 18 ] Resilience can be seen as a personal characteristic of individuals that enables them to recover from distress. However, resilience can also signify the process of recovering itself, i.e., something that individuals or groups show when experiencing distress. In this article, we use a wide understanding of the concept of resilience, regarding it as the process of bouncing back from episodes of mental distress, but also include the abilities and qualities that help to overcome adversity and distress [ 18 ].

One important aspect of resilience are the personal and social resources that affected people use and help them to overcome distress [ 19 ]. Some resources are intrinsic to the individual, whilst others are considered external [ 19 ]. The external resources relate to social and cultural aspects in the environment, like family, interpersonal relationships or participation in activities, such as the arts [ 20 , 21 ]. Some evidence suggests an association between specific protective factors, such as family attachment, social skills, strong moral beliefs, positive personal disposition, among others, and the reduction of mental health problems [ 22 ].

In relation to the arts, there has been increasing evidence showing an association between participation in arts activities and positive health. Various reports and reviews in the medical literature have mentioned the benefits of artistic activities for the mental health of individuals and community well-being [ 23 ]. In young people, engaging in these types of activities has been associated with positive outcomes such as the development of social skills and positive behavioral changes [ 21 ]. Participation in arts activities has also been suggested to increase self-esteem, feelings of achievement, empowerment, and social skills and to promote socializing with others [ 21 ]; all of these characteristics can be seen as related to the concept of resilience [ 21 ]. However, the existing studies and the available evidence in this area are inconsistent and have mainly originated from European countries, meaning that the evidence for the mental health benefits of arts activities of young people participating in arts organizations within a Latin American context, specifically Colombia, is limited.

Study design

This study is part of a multicentre study called OLA (Building resilience and resources to reduce depression and anxiety in young people from urban neighborhoods in Latin America). This study is conducted simultaneously in three capital cities in Latin American countries (Bogota, Lima, and Buenos Aires).

Within the first phase of the study, we conducted focus groups that were embedded in artistic workshops. The workshops were by arts organizations that promote and teach different types of artistic expressions, like singing, drawing, and musical composition. The workshops were intended to engage young people and create a conducive atmosphere for the discussion in the focus groups. This article reports the analysis of the data collected in Bogotá, Colombia.

The main objective of this study was to characterize the role of the arts in relation to the mental health of young people who are involved in different arts organizations in Bogota. The main objective of the artistic workshops and focus groups was to explore the experiences of overcoming episodes of emotional distress in young people, including but not exclusively focusing on artistic activities. The participants were recruited from two arts organizations in Bogota: Familia Ayara and Batuta Foundation.

Arts organizations

Batuta Foundation is an organization whose main aim is to improve the quality of life of children, adolescents and young people in Colombia through musical education that focuses on collective practice from a social inclusion, rights and a culturally diversity perspective [ 24 ].

Familia Ayara organization is an institution inspired by the 1980’s New York Hip Hop movement. Through the different types of Hip Hop artistic expressions, Familia Ayara seeks to generate spaces where young people can express themselves, generate dialogue and reflect on the problems that affects them [ 25 ].

These two organizations helped in the development of the workshops by implementing different artistic methods as used in their own practice. The artistic workshops explored the experience of depression and anxiety and the role of the arts for the recovery from emotional distress. They were also intended to engage participants and help them to open up and share experiences in the following focus group.

Participants

A convenience sampling method was used to recruit participants. This was facilitated by the coordinators of the arts organizations associated with the project, taking into account the interest of the young people who were active in their organizations. Each arts organization coordinator called students who had a history of emotional distress and invited them to participate in the artistic workshops and subsequent focus groups. The potential participants were contacted by phone and email. Approximately, 20 students per organization were contacted and the ones who were available at the time and signed the informed consent form were able to participate in the workshops.

The inclusion criteria were being 15–24 years old, wanting to participate in artistic activities, being currently active in the activities provided by the arts organization, having the capacity to consent (for those aged18 and over), receiving consent from a parent or legal guardian (for those aged 17 and under) and have capacity to assent (for those aged 17 and under).

Data collection

Artistic workshops.

In total, six artistic workshops were conducted: four with Batuta Foundation and two with Familia Ayara. The workshops were designed to provide the context and set the scene for the focus group discussion. They facilitated engagement, allowing for and utilizing non-verbal communication and artistic expression, helped to establish trust and created an open atmosphere for the participants. The workshops were adjusted to the approaches of the two the organizations. Nevertheless, there were common features. Each workshop had two phases: the first part consisted of ice breakers, explaining the context of the workshop and the use of different artistic activities for self-expression; the second part were a structured conversation within a type of focus group, initiated by questions for the participants delivered by a moderator. During the second phase of each workshop, the conversation was guided towards identifying the characteristics, resources and activities participants had used to overcome moments of emotional distress. The moderators for these conversations were part of the OLA research team and mental health professionals (psychiatrists) at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. On average, the workshops lasted between 2 and 4 h and there was only one moderator per focus group.

Taking into account that the first phase of the OLA study took place in 2020, the artistic workshops were adapted to a virtual modality in order to comply with the social distancing requirements of the Colombian government due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These workshops were held virtually through the Microsoft Teams platform.

Batuta Foundation: Artistic workshop description

The four workshops conducted with the Batuta Foundation had a total of 20 participants split into 4 groups (five participants per group). The workshops were facilitated by members from both, the OLA research team and Batuta Foundation, the latter were present to assistant with the structure, guidance and execution of the workshops, particularly in relation to the artistic activities held.

The artistic activities held during the workshops are described below:

Introduction round: The participants introduced themselves and were asked to perform a body movement that would identify them.

Sounding Scenery: The participants had to relate sounds that were played to images displayed for them.

Learning song lyrics: With the help of one of the organization teachers, the participants repeated the lyrics to the song “Yenyeré Gumá” whilst the instructor sang simultaneously.

Changing the lyrics of known songs: The song “Color Esperanza” by Diego Torres was played and the participants had to listen and then jointly write new lyrics for the melody of the song. The lyrics had to be in relation to the words mentioned after they were asked “What has music meant for you in your life?” .

After each activity, the participants provided a word describing their feelings during the activity.

Familia Ayara: Artistic workshop description

The workshops conducted with Familia Ayara had a total of 17 participants, who were divided in two groups. Reflecting the variety of artistic activities that this institution provides, the workshops had different approaches towards the arts. One of them included activities related to the rap musical genre and the other one with graffiti art. During these workshops members of the research team were present, as well as a teacher and a member of the psychosocial department of the organization. These last two individuals helped in guiding the workshop.

Rap Workshop:

During this workshop the following activities were held:

Introduction round: The participants presented themselves through a rap improvisation.

Rap composition and socialization: The participants chose one of three music tracks to work with and composed rap lines with 8 beats each. The themes of the rap lines related to premises of self-recognition, emotions, life projects and stress management. After the composition period, the participants were asked to share their compositions.

The participants provided a word describing how they felt before and during the workshop.

Graffiti Workshop:

Introduction round: The participants, members of the organization and research team introduced themselves.

Word transformation through drawing: The participants were asked to think of a word that represented a negative emotion they felt during the pandemic and quarantine. The participants were then asked to write this word using separate strokes so that the lines that formed the words did not touch. Lastly, they were asked to transform each line into a positive image through a drawing.

Focus group discussions with the participants

During the second phase of each artistic workshop, conversations were held with the participants in relation to the role of the arts in their lives, their mental health, and the resources they used to overcome episodes of emotional distress. The objectives of these conversations were to explore the representations of depression and anxiety using artistic methodologies; to identify and describe physical, affective, cognitive, behavioral, and social manifestations of depression and anxiety according to their experience; and to describe the main causes of emotional suffering. These conversations lasted between 60 and 80 minutes.

Data analysis

The focus group discussions were recorded in audio format, transcribed, and analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis methodology proposed by Braun and Clarke [ 26 ]. Three researchers familiarized themselves with the transcriptions and from the reviewed information generated a coding and thematic scheme that reflected the role of the arts within the participants’ lives and its relation to their mental health. The themes and subthemes were discussed with the research team and modified iteratively. During this process, an initial coding scheme was developed. It was finalized following team review and discussion. Afterwards, two research team members applied the coding scheme to the transcriptions using NVivo 12® qualitative software.

After coding all the transcriptions, a report that describes the content of each code was generated and this was the basis for the result synthesis. Finally, codes were discussed as a group and then grouped into broader categories that yielded the themes reported in this paper.

All methods and instruments used during this process were revised and approved by the research and ethics committee of Queens Mary, University in London, and by the research and ethics committee of San Ignacio University Hospital of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. The aforementioned follows the established protocols of the Good Clinical Practice guidelines according to the Colombian legislation. The analysis plan was elaborated and approved by the principal investigators. None of the focus groups were corrected or repeated. The data as collected during August and September of the year 2020.

A summary of the demographic characteristics of the participants in relation to their age range, sex and the artistic workshop they attended can be found in Table  1 .

Five themes were identified from the workshops: 1) Mobilizing emotions and facilitating their expression; 2) Help to manage or transform difficult emotions; 3) Distracting from problems; 4) Creating spaces for social support and facilitate social relations; 5) Contributing to the construction of identity and lifestyle. The five themes are shown in Table  2 where the themes correspond to the first row and each column resumes the subthemes used in each theme. As this study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, within the results a section alluding to the emotional experiences of the participants during this period was included.

Allowing the expression of emotions

One of the most frequent themes that emerged about the role of artistic activities in relation to mental health, is the ability to communicate emotions and thoughts through arts. Several young people mentioned that artistic expressions allowed them to vent or unload their worries or negative thoughts. In some cases, it helped them to overcome certain difficulties they had in recognizing and verbally expressing their feelings. Others take advantage of writing, musical composition, or painting as a means of understanding and clarifying difficult situations, particularly when they are unwilling to talk about their problems with friends or family, due to mistrust or fear of judgemental responses. Additionally, some young people have found Hip Hop a vehicle to express and show their views and thoughts about their lives and the reality of the country.

“I think it is a way of expressing oneself. Then each one can transmit or express, as my colleague said before, something that one feels personally. Then, from that, you can vent, either on a wall, or on a piece of paper. And so, one is a little freer to express what one feels through art, or through something that one practices.” (Familia Ayara, F, 19 years old).

“I feel that I would lose a lot of stability, uh, on an emotional level. I feel that it is the only thing that keeps me in order and, let’s say, healthy, right? Speaking of this topic, which is art. It’s being able to express certain things. I’ve never been good at talking, like at expressing my emotions to others through conversation. I almost can’t do it, so I think music has helped me a lot in that. Art in general.” (Batuta Foundation, F, 18 years old).

“This is like my strong suit, my refuge. Singing too. I have many revolutionary lyrics, in disagreement with what is happening here in Colombia [...] So rap also helps me to vent the frustrations I have, and to make my voice heard.” (Familia Ayara, M, 21 years).

Some of the Batuta Foundation participants mentioned that musical interpretation has the potential to generate different emotions in them that they would not usually experience in other contexts. Depending on the song they perform, they may feel emotions of joy, happiness, tranquility, nostalgia, or sadness. Similarly, the mood they are in influences the graphic creations of those who practice painting or graffiti.

“For me art is a way to feel a lot of things that I can’t feel like in my day-to-day life, yes? And also, I see art as a refuge. And actually, it wasn’t like I knew about it and I that’s what got me into art, but one day I just tried it and I really liked it and I realized like all the things I can feel, and I didn’t know, so that was very important for me.” (Batuta Foundation, F, 18 years old).

Helping to manage and transform emotions

Some participants report that artistic expression helped them manage stress, depression and anxiety. Through art, they also found tranquility and a way to transform intense emotions of anger and negative thoughts. Others alluded to the usefulness of the arts in managing these emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When, for example, I feel angry with myself or sad, then that’s how I react with the instrument. Let’s say I’m going to play something and let’s say I put like more... I’m angry, I put like more pressure on things, to make it sound harder. So, let’s say that for me it’s a way of... like of channeling those sensations and, when transmitting them, let’s say that I play for myself. Then, at that moment, I play something and ten minutes, twenty minutes can go by and after that moment it’s... let’s say it’s as if I’ve let go of all that tension I had, it’s a way of like taking off that pressure I have.” (Batuta Foundation, M, 21 years old).

“Not only drawing, not only listening to music, not only writing, but everything that has to do with art. I feel that it liberates me a lot. It kind of leaves me at peace, it calms me down a lot, in the face of all those situations that are sometimes so complicated. So, it’s like the psychologist you have, to whom you can tell how you feel. Without thinking about others and that’s what I like so much about this.” (Familia Ayara, M, 22 years old).

Distracting from problems

Some participants claimed that attending music workshops or playing an instrument helps them to distract themselves, forget problems and difficulties. According to their description, through artistic activities, distraction seems to encompass multiple psychological aspects described as “having a more active mind”, “putting the mind in blank”, “getting away from reality”, or “feeling in another world”.

“Well, I take my board and go out on it. I put big wheels on it, I go out with my bag, with my posters, which are for signing, two or three aerosols, a white background. And then I go out rolling. The truth is I don’t know where I’m going to paint, where I’m going to end up. (...) I go out with my board, I end up in places I don’t know, over there climbing on a terrace, painting a board, painting a fence. Well, that distracts me a lot, and it’s also like the adrenaline of not getting caught by the police”. (Familia Ayara, M, 21 years old).

“Well, I think that music separates us... it takes us away from reality and we start, like... I don’t know how to explain it... I don’t know... I mean, it makes us feel like we are in another world, yes? we feel better and all that, like so.” (Batuta Foundation, F, 15 years old).

Facilitating social support and relationships

The participants highlighted the opportunities offered by arts organizations to explore their interests or discover artistic activities and languages. They have also found in them different forms of social support. Familia Ayara provided a space for young people with shared interests to meet, which has helped individuals to overcome feelings of being “out of place”. Those who are part of Batuta Foundation consider it an important space to meet other people and create bonds of friendship with their peers. Teachers, facilitators, and psychosocial support staff also represent an important support for some of the participants.

“When I’m not feeling well, I go and talk to the assistant and the psychosocial worker. And in spite of that, in the 8 years that I have been at Batuta, I have formed bonds of friendship. I have seen people come and go, and I could always count on them, but some of them left and others never came back. And well, that’s how it has helped me: to learn that people are not always there, but if you look for them, I believe they will be there”. (Batuta, M, 17 years old).

Some participants involved with Batuta Foundation see music as a way to connect with others. They say that the ease of expression they develop through musical performance has helped them to communicate, especially those who find it difficult to socialize. Others note that music has facilitated a cohesion with their fellow orchestra members.

“If art did not exist, I think there would be a lack of union between human beings, because through art one can..., as you were saying, a harmony is generated, or a connection with other people. Or, for example, in my musical experience, while you make music you connect...”. (Batuta, F, 18 years old).

Contributing to the identity of young people

Rapping and playing a musical instrument has also helped some participants to get to know themselves better, as well as to recognize their strengths and weaknesses. In some cases, facing an audience has allowed them to gain confidence.

“Well, before learning about music, I was confident about playing sports [...]. And after music... I learned to express myself with the microphone, how to handle the public and what one does. Now, what you write and... It has to give you power, because if you don’t believe it, others won’t believe it. So, I think that’s one of the bases of the self-confidence that I have worked on”. (Familia Ayara, M, 22 years old).

Artistic expression has also been important in the identity construction for some young people, especially among those who participate in graffiti art and Hip-Hop culture through Familia Ayara. They describe these practices as a central element in their daily lives. They also relate them to the possibility of finding direction or a plan for their lives. Some highlight the opportunity Familia Ayara offers to keep them busy and away from criminal activities and drug use. In addition, the support they receive from this organization has motivated some of them to project themselves professionally as artists.

“I used to be a very quiet person [...] I had a lot of trouble expressing myself. Hip Hop has helped me a lot with that, to express myself, to vent. And Hip Hop means everything to me. I mean, it’s my life, it’s the way I express myself, the way I think, it’s my lifestyle. Uh... I want to make a professional living from music. For me that means that it’s... It was what saved me from myself, what gives me calm, what makes me feel, really. That’s what Hip Hop means to me.” (Familia Ayara, M, 22 years old).

Emotional implications of the COVID-19 pandemic

When probed about how they have experienced the pandemic, the lockdown periods, and the possible effects this has had on their mental health, some participants mentioned that this led to feelings of insecurity and frustration, usually related to the difficulty of making plans or trusting that their projects will come to fruition.

“I think the first thing it has taught us since the pandemic started is that nothing is certain, no... no jobs, not what you want to do, not the plans to leave. As they say, the only thing that is certain is that we are going to die, nothing in this life is certain, plans can change from one day to the next.” (Familia Ayara, M, 22 years old).

One participant recounted how painting allowed her to work out her uncertainty about leaving her job just prior to the onset of the pandemic.

“After three days they said that no one could leave, everyone was in confinement. I was left with my arms crossed and I said, what am I going to do now? where am I going to get a job? So, I said, well, while something comes up, let’s wait. And well, I took paper and watercolors and in reality, I wasn’t feeling good, but I wanted to use the time. I felt that, well, in the first brushstrokes when I had already done the face, I said: I don’t know, it’s not reflecting what I want. So, I had a fixed point and I said: no, I want it to reflect sadness, because that’s how I feel [...] So, let’s say that it is something satisfying when you do something with a purpose, with an end and it has the expected results.” (Familia Ayara, F, 17 years old).

Additionally, some participants had to get used to a decrease in their academic, work and leisure activities. Although several participants continued to take part in artistic activities, others put them on hold. In the case of the Batuta Foundation, the participants did not have access to the musical instruments provided by the organization, whilst as a result of the mobility restrictions established during the pandemic some participants linked to Familia Ayara limited their outings to graffiti related activities. Other participants considered that this change was positive, as they reduced the activities that caused them stress, such as the use of public transport or the fulfillment of schedules and obligations, which allowed them to dedicate more time to activities of interest and pleasure.

“At the beginning of my quarantine it was difficult for me to stay here at home because I was busy every day of the week. Monday through Friday I would go to school, Saturdays I would do some activity and on Sundays another one. So, to be in constant movement and then to stop, technically, because of the pandemic, well, it was difficult. But now [...] I am more used to being in four walls.” (Batuta Foundation, M, 17 years old).

The findings suggest that arts can be an important resource for young people who participate in arts organizations. They show different ways for how arts activities can help young people to cope with mental and emotional distress and how arts organizations can provide psychological and social support. Despite the differences between the institutions and their artistic methodologies, we found similarities in the mechanisms that the participants identified in relation to arts and the mental health benefits arts activities provide. Engaging in artistic activities promotes resilience in young people and allows them to bounce back from symptoms of emotional distress.

Emotion management and its relationship with the arts

We found that the arts are useful for the mobilization and expression of emotions, particularly when the emotions are perceived as negative, and they also help young people to recognize and manifest how they feel. The results suggest that not all artistic activities evoke the same emotions, and that this depends on the type of artistic activity being performed. For example, writing seems to serve a more internal purpose, related to understanding emotions, while other activities, such as musical performance, graffiti, painting, or rapping, contribute to externalizing thoughts and feelings.

Artistic expression can also help to manage psychological stress and states of anger, depression, and anxiety, since it provides a way to transform them. Although the recognition or venting of emotions and their transformation seem to be strongly linked, these aspects were analyzed in different themes. The study did not intend to address and analyze differences between the psychological process of recognizing and relieving emotions or transforming them. Nevertheless, the findings could relate to the evidence on emotion regulation through the arts, as they suggest that arts activities may support emotion regulation in individuals with depression [ 27 ], and that negative emotions decrease and positive emotions increase when engaging in art-based group activities [ 28 ].

In relation to the transformation of emotions, within the Familia Ayara workshops the creativity was evidenced through the graffiti activity. In this activity, the participants made a drawing that narrated a significant story, starting with a word that reflected a negative emotion drawn with separate strokes, with the purpose of changing the meaning of the word. This process leads not only to creativity and expression of the individual’s emotional state, but also to the reconstruction of situations and emotions for the individual. This technique of combining the writing of words and transforming them into drawings is reminiscent of the technique described by Winnicott, in which the patient elaborates a trace that culminates in a figure or vice versa, giving a story understood within the personal history of the individual [ 29 ]. This has also been reported to be effective in the context of child therapy [ 30 , 31 ].

Participants stated that artistic activities, such as attending music workshops or playing an instrument, are a source of distraction and help them forget about problems or difficulties. Distraction seems to be a multidimensional theme, distraction occurs in relation to other aspects of the arts, such as pleasure and the meditative nature of the arts, among others. Additionally, distraction from problems and emotional management through artistic activities are closely linked, since distraction as a result of these activities could be considered a way of managing emotions. Depending on the individual and the given context of experiencing negative emotions distraction may be more helpful, while for others it may be more useful to vent or confront their emotions. More studies are needed for a better understanding of the factors determining the most beneficial forms of dealing with emotions when using the resource of arts activities. The arts, by serving as a vehicle for emotions, could have a preventive role in the development of mental health problems in young people, or serve as a therapeutic exercise when there is difficulty in expressing negatively perceived emotions.

The findings on the link between arts and overcoming emotional problems are consistent with findings from other studies that analyze the benefits of arts activities for mental health in both adult and youth populations [ 21 , 23 , 32 , 33 ]. Some of the benefits found in the literature include self-expression, expression of feelings, distraction from illness/problems, and a perceived improvement in mental health well-being [ 21 , 23 , 32 , 33 ].

Personal and professional identity in relation to the arts

Throughout the study we found that the participants perceive their relationship with the arts differs according to the approach and vision of art taken within each organization. Several participants from the Familia Ayara see art as a lifestyle and as an integral part of their identity, and likewise perceive art as a professional vocation, rather than as a hobby or pastime. This is consistent with some of the benefits of the arts found in another study with young people, that emphasized the role of arts for perceived security, a sense of belonging, and the development of social skills [ 21 ]. This aspect of the role of arts activities was less present in the participants from the Batuta Foundation, although some of them mentioned how they identified with musical performance or considered it as a professional career option. To understand this, it should be noted that the Familia Ayara works around an artistic expression that is part of a broader cultural framework: Hip Hop. Through this, the organization not only invites young people to develop different artistic practices (rap, graffiti and break dancing) and provides them with important technical support, but they also offer active psychosocial support. This may reflect the way in which the Familia Ayara participants perceive art in their lives. However, more research is needed to explore the role of the arts in the mental health of people who perceive the arts as a career and those who use the arts as a hobby.

COVID-19 pandemic and the arts

One aspect to consider in this study is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Firstly, the impact of the pandemic has led to a substantial worsening in the mental health of young people worldwide [ 12 ]. Therefore, we can assume that some participants in this study underwent considerably long periods of social isolation and mandatory quarantine (6 months) [ 34 ] and were particularly susceptible to symptoms of depression and anxiety. Participants also mentioned that, in some cases, the restrictions imposed by the pandemic made it difficult for them to engage in artistic activities. However, for the participants who continued to actively participate in some form of art during lockdown or the self-isolation period, this may have acted as additional emotional support which prevented or mitigated symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. Finally, activities in this study allowed the participants to interact socially for the first time since confinement, which some of them described as an exciting experience.

Strengths and limitations

To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore how the arts help young people who participate in arts organizations to cope with mental and emotional distress in a Latin American country, such as Colombia. As far as we know, this is also the first study with young people in Latin America embedding focus group discussions within artistic workshops as a part of the data collection process, allowing participants to engage using non-verbal communication and artistic expressions. A further strength of our study is the variety of artistic expressions used among participants - music composition, rap, graffiti, singing, etc. - which facilitated a deeper understanding of the different ways in which arts and arts organizations can support young people in overcoming mental and emotional distress. Even though the fact that arts can support mental health has been widely suggested in the literature, the evidence for the claim is still weak. The study adds to the literature in general as it provides more data on the experiences of young people, used an innovative methodological approach of linking artistic workshops with focus groups, and applies specifically to young populations in urban environments in Latin America.

Another strength of the study is the arts organizations’ ability to adapt and be flexible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, all the artistic activities (related to music, rap, graffiti, etc.) were planned to be conducted in-person, but due to the restrictive measures implemented in Bogota, they had to be adapted and conducted on virtual platforms. Even though the virtual execution of the activities proved challenging, it was also interesting to see how each organization was creative enough to adapt their methods by using innovative strategies.

We were also able to capture some of the experiences of isolation due to the quarantines and changes in the social dynamics (family, friends, academic environment, etc.) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A finding that was not anticipated during the original design of the study.

The study also has some limitations. Conducting focus groups and arts workshops virtually may have influenced the interaction between the facilitators and the participants, and impacted the comfort and openness to discuss certain topics. Despite this, the data collected was rich and varied, allowing us to better understand the role of arts in overcoming mental and emotional distress among young people. The results apply to young people who are involved with artistic organizations, and there is no evidence on whether arts activities may also be beneficial to those who are reluctant and would require more persuasion to participate. Finally, our findings were generated in a specific context, and it remains unclear to what extent they can be generalized or apply only to the studied age group and the context of large urban settings in Latin America such as Bogota. Additional research is needed to understand how the arts help young people cope with emotional distress in more rural settings.

Study participants reported arts activities as an important resource for managing negatively perceived emotions, such as stress, anxiety, depression, and sadness. The management of these emotions can occur in different ways, because arts activities help either to transform these emotions, to vent or express them or to distract from them. However, even though these three ways of emotional management overlap, the psychological processes that are behind each one appears to be distinct and may merit specific further research.

There are differences in the perception of arts activities as a resource depending on whether they are perceived as a professional vocation or a mere hobby. This is also related to the vision instilled by the art institutions and the type of artistic disciplines they teach. Although the participants of both organizations mention art as an important part of the construction of their identity and professional vocation, this is more accentuated in the participants of Familia Ayara.

Overall, the findings of this study suggest that artistic activities in groups, such as composition, drawing, writing, music performance, and hip hop, are both a support and a resource for young people who engage in these types of activities.

Availability of data and materials

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge our partner arts organizations for their contribution to the OLA programme, Fundación Batuta and Familia Ayara. Additionally, this article was first written in Spanish, reviewed by the native Spanish speaking authors, and upon approval was subsequently translated into English by one of the authors who is bilingual (MPJA).

This work is supported by the Medical Research Council (grant number: MR/S03580X/1).

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Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry, WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Services Development, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

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Contributions

SP, VJB, CGR and JMUR devised the project, the main conceptual ideas and design of the study. NGC, CGR, NOH participated in data collection during the artistic workshops and focus groups. NGC, NOH, MPJA, MS participated in the transcription and data analysis of the focus groups. MPJA and BMS wrote the manuscript with input from all authors. The authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Natalia Godoy Casasbuenas .

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Written approval was received for this study from the Faculty of Medicine - Research and Ethics Committee of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogota on 20/03/2020 (FM-CIE-0241-20).

and from the Queen Mary Ethics of Research Committee on 16/11/2020 (QMERC2020/02). All methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. All informed consent/assent was obtained from all subjects and/or their legal guardian(s) for participants aged less than 16 years.

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Gómez-Restrepo, C., Casasbuenas, N.G., Ortiz-Hernández, N. et al. Role of the arts in the life and mental health of young people that participate in artistic organizations in Colombia: a qualitative study. BMC Psychiatry 22 , 757 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04396-y

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Essay writing is a craft that demands not only the art of expression but also the skill of interpretation. As such, the role of the essay reader becomes pivotal in the academic landscape. Beyond merely evaluating the coherence and structure of an essay, essay readers delve into the nuances of language, argumentation, and critical thinking. In this discourse, we explore the multifaceted responsibilities of essay readers, shedding light on their integral role in shaping scholarly discourse.

At the heart of the essay reader’s task lies the art of comprehension.

Beyond surface-level understanding, essay readers must decipher the underlying messages, themes, and arguments embedded within the text. This requires a keen eye for detail, an astute grasp of language, and an ability to discern implicit meanings. Whether analyzing a literary masterpiece or a scientific treatise, essay readers serve as custodians of interpretation, unraveling the layers of meaning woven into the fabric of the text.

Furthermore, essay readers play a pivotal role in fostering critical dialogue within academic circles. Through their feedback and assessments, they not only provide guidance to aspiring scholars but also challenge established paradigms and perspectives. By engaging with essays thoughtfully and constructively, essay readers contribute to the continuous evolution of knowledge, pushing the boundaries of inquiry and discourse.

Moreover, the role of the essay reader extends beyond the confines of academia, permeating various spheres of society. In professional settings, such as publishing houses and media outlets, essay readers serve as gatekeepers of quality and integrity, ensuring that only the most rigorous and compelling works reach the public domain. Similarly, in legal and governmental contexts, essay readers scrutinize documents and reports, offering invaluable insights that inform decision-making processes.

In conclusion, the role of the essay reader is both nuanced and indispensable in the realm of academia and beyond. By embracing the responsibilities of comprehension, critique, and engagement, essay readers enrich scholarly discourse, foster critical thinking, and uphold the integrity of written communication. As we navigate the complex terrain of interpretation, let us recognize and celebrate the profound contributions of essay readers to the advancement of knowledge and understanding.

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More From Forbes

30 careers with the most satisfaction.

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Satisfaction in your work has a positive spillover to the rest of your life.

Job satisfaction is arguably one of the most important elements of your life, because you spend a huge proportion of your time at work—and because when you’re satisfied at work, it has positive spillover to the rest of your experience.

There are five key factors to consider for satisfaction—and (more than) 30 roles which are most likely to deliver it.

Interestingly, today’s reality is a mixed bag today in terms of whether we’re satisfied at work. On the one hand, job satisfaction is at an all-time high of 62% since 1987, according to the Conference Board , and engagement is also at a record high, according to Gallup .

On the other hand, nearly 60% of people reported being dissatisfied with their work and emotionally detached from it. And a whopping 19% said they were miserable, based on the data from Gallup.

So what does it take to be satisfied in your career? And which careers offer you the best chances at satisfaction?

Here are the factors to consider and (keep reading for) the roles which deliver your best options.

5 Ways to Find Career Satisfaction

It’s important to understand the key elements which drive satisfaction. Your experience will be unique, of course, but generally when people have these kinds of experiences, they are more likely to be fulfilled and happy. Therefore, these are the elements to prioritize when you’re looking for a job and developing your career.

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• First, as much as possible align what you love to do and what you have to do. It’s very unlikely you’ll ever find a job that perfectly fits what you love and doesn’t include anything you dislike—but when you can get as close as possible, the match is a powerful contributor to fulfillment.
• Second, do something that matters. A sense of purpose is significantly correlated with fulfillment and satisfaction. You don’t have to be solving world peace or world hunger, but when you show up and do great work that is meaningful to your colleagues and to the people you serve, it’s good for you as well. You can consider the meaning of work—showing up and doing what you do the best of your ability, no matter what type of work it is—as well as the meaning in work—a career which you feel has intrinsic value. Either type of meaning contributes to satisfaction—both the meaning of work and the meaning in work.
• Third, consider your people. Another element of satisfaction is when you can connect your work to other people and your community. For some jobs, the link is obvious: For example, a teacher is helping students learn and create their futures. For other jobs, you can make the link yourself: You work in the marketing department, and you help people find products that will enhance their experiences.
• Fourth, consider learning and growth. Another fundamental aspect of satisfaction is a career which offers the opportunity to develop over time. Learning and stretch are linked with happiness, so when your career offers opportunities to explore something new and challenge your existing skills, there’s a good chance you’ll find it more satisfying.
• Fifth, seek respect. Most people want a job that offers a level of prestige and respect from others . According to a poll by Zety , people have the greatest respect for jobs which care for others, are trustworthy and are essential to society. In addition, people value those who do jobs which require a high level of intellect, education or physical ability. Validate for yourself the aspects of your work which deliver on these characteristics.

In addition to these top five factors, you’re also wise to consider things like pay and job security, the typical level of stress associated with the job, the type of organization the job will be a part of, as well as the growth potential of the job. You should also consider the hours of work, level of autonomy and the working conditions of the job—which affect your overall patters for living and quality of work-life.

Following are the roles which are likely to be most satisfying based on a combination of all these factors.

High satisfaction is linked with a strong sense of purpose.

Consider Helping or Social Service Roles

Helping and social service roles serve people and the community. They can be stressful, but they offer significant rewards in their effects on the people they serve.

Teacher – Of course teachers take on the responsibility to educate students at all levels, from young children to college students. A high school teacher’s average salary is $66,000 and the projected growth for the profession is 5%. Teachers must have a bachelor’s degree and must be licensed in the state where they teach. Related to a teaching profession and also offering high levels of satisfaction are librarians ($61,000 average salary) and educational administrators ($103,000).

Therapist – A therapist counsels people and supports their wellbeing by addressing issues like depression, anxiety and coping approaches. The average salary is $88,000 and the growth prospects in the profession are 14%. Therapists typically have a bachelor’s degree, but many also seek a master’s degree as well.

Non-Profit Lawyer – A lawyer represents individuals through legal issues. The average salary is $164,000, and the projected growth is 10% per year. A lawyer is required to obtain both a bachelor’s degree and a law degree, and they must pass the Bar Exam before they are allowed to practice. Lawyers are one of the ten fastest growing jobs in the next decade, according to analysis by ResumeGenius .

Additional Roles – You may also consider helping professions such as firefighters ($51,000 average salary), clergy members ($57,000), emergency management directors ($77,000) or psychiatrists ($217,000).

Consider Healthcare Roles

Healthcare roles typically have high levels of satisfaction, especially based on their impact on people’s health.

Assistant Occupational Therapist – These professionals work alongside occupational therapists and help people regain physical capabilities. Their average salary is $66,000 and the role is expected to grow 25%. The job requires an associate’s degree as well as a state license.

Speech-Language Pathologist – This role supports people who have difficulty speaking or swallowing. The average salary is $89,000, with a growth projection of 21%. The role requires a master’s degree as well as a license.

Radiation Therapist - These experts administer radiation therapy to cancer patients. Their average salary is $121,000 and while they do not require a degree, they typically complete an accreditation program.

Nurse Practitioner – These healthcare professionals see patients and they offer services between doctors and registered nurses. They perform exams, order diagnostic tests and prescribe medications. The average salary is $125,000 and the role is projected to grow 40%. Nurse practitioners must have a bachelor’s degree and an advanced degree, and they must be licensed. Nurse practitioners are another of the ten fastest growing jobs in the next decade, based on data from ResumeGenius.

Additional Roles – You may also consider roles such as a physical therapist ($96,000 average salary), medical and health services manager ($101,000), dentist ($163,000), pediatrician ($198,000), general practitioner ($236,000), surgeon ($298,000) or anesthesiologist ($331,000),

Healthcare is a field which typically offers high levels of satisfaction.

Consider Roles in the Arts

Roles in the arts are often cited as being especially satisfying because they offer an outlet for creativity and the expression of specialized talents—as well as a positive effects on audiences.

Music Director and Composer - Here you can consider a music director and composer role with an average salary of $49,000 and an 80% projected growth rate. A degree is not typically required.

Consider Tech Roles

Tech roles offer satisfaction, especially because they are so integral to so many organizations and because they are growing and expanding significantly today.

Data Scientist – This role works with data to analyze and synthesize to make recommendations for decision making in all kinds of fields. The average salary is $115,000 and the projected growth is 36%. Data scientists need a bachelor’s degree and often have a master’s degree as well, although some companies are emphasizing skills-based hiring and not requiring a degree.

IT Security Professional – Again, this is a swiftly growing field and a job required in many organizations. It focuses on cyber security. The average salary is $120,000 and the projected growth for the role is 35%. The role requires a bachelor’s degree.

Software Developer – This is one of today’s primary roles for both satisfaction and growth—and it is available with a large number of organizations. The role creates software for all kinds of programs which go into products and services. The average salary is $133,000 with a projected growth rate of 26% over almost the next decade. Software developers typically have a bachelor’s degree, although some organizations do not require a degree for this role. This role is one of the fastest growing over the next decade, based on assessment by ResumeGenius.

Additional Roles – You may also consider a web developer role ($77,000 average salary) or an IT manager role ($159,000).

Salary, job security and work-life are important factors to consider.

Consider Business Roles

Business roles offer plenty of satisfaction for their flexibility and opportunities for continuous growth across organizations and the profession.

Real Estate Agent – This role helps people buy and sell homes, and facilitates real estate transactions. The average salary is $71,000 and the growth rate is projected to be 5%. An associate’s degree is typical, although not required. In addition, a license is required.

Market Research Analyst – This type of job examines the market for patterns and insights in order to inform business decisions. The average salary is $79,000 and the growth rate is 19%. The role requires a bachelor’s degree. This is another of the fastest growing jobs in the next decade, based on ResumeGenius.

Engagement Manager - This role is focused on building relationships with clients in order to implement and manage implementation of a service or product. The average salary is $112,000, and a degree is typically not required.

Financial Advisor – This role helps others financial matters and advises them about how to manage and plan their finances. The average salary is $117,000 and the projected growth rate for the role is 15%. A bachelor’s degree is required as well as a licensing exam.

Additional Roles – You might also consider a financial manager role ($132,000 average salary).

Consider Additional Roles

Many people also find jobs which are hands-on to be highly satisfying because of the tangible outcomes they experience and the autonomy that often accompanies the jobs. You can consider a role as an oil and gas rotary drill operator ($62,000 average salary), a forester role ($68,000) or an owner-operator truck driver ($321,000).

Either a role as a cartographer (map maker) ($69,000 average salary) or a physicist ($147,000) are also likely to be highly satisfying.

Find Your Best Role

Overall, your satisfaction will depend on what’s most important to you, uniquely. Consider basics like salary and job security, but then also weigh the levels of purpose, happiness and connectedness each role will deliver.

And remember you can always shift careers as well. Choose something you love today, and be ready to evolve your role as you grow over time.

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Out of the Centre

Savvino-storozhevsky monastery and museum.

Zvenigorod's most famous sight is the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, which was founded in 1398 by the monk Savva from the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, at the invitation and with the support of Prince Yury Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod. Savva was later canonised as St Sabbas (Savva) of Storozhev. The monastery late flourished under the reign of Tsar Alexis, who chose the monastery as his family church and often went on pilgrimage there and made lots of donations to it. Most of the monastery’s buildings date from this time. The monastery is heavily fortified with thick walls and six towers, the most impressive of which is the Krasny Tower which also serves as the eastern entrance. The monastery was closed in 1918 and only reopened in 1995. In 1998 Patriarch Alexius II took part in a service to return the relics of St Sabbas to the monastery. Today the monastery has the status of a stauropegic monastery, which is second in status to a lavra. In addition to being a working monastery, it also holds the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum.

Belfry and Neighbouring Churches

Located near the main entrance is the monastery's belfry which is perhaps the calling card of the monastery due to its uniqueness. It was built in the 1650s and the St Sergius of Radonezh’s Church was opened on the middle tier in the mid-17th century, although it was originally dedicated to the Trinity. The belfry's 35-tonne Great Bladgovestny Bell fell in 1941 and was only restored and returned in 2003. Attached to the belfry is a large refectory and the Transfiguration Church, both of which were built on the orders of Tsar Alexis in the 1650s.  

To the left of the belfry is another, smaller, refectory which is attached to the Trinity Gate-Church, which was also constructed in the 1650s on the orders of Tsar Alexis who made it his own family church. The church is elaborately decorated with colourful trims and underneath the archway is a beautiful 19th century fresco.

Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is the oldest building in the monastery and among the oldest buildings in the Moscow Region. It was built between 1404 and 1405 during the lifetime of St Sabbas and using the funds of Prince Yury of Zvenigorod. The white-stone cathedral is a standard four-pillar design with a single golden dome. After the death of St Sabbas he was interred in the cathedral and a new altar dedicated to him was added.

Under the reign of Tsar Alexis the cathedral was decorated with frescoes by Stepan Ryazanets, some of which remain today. Tsar Alexis also presented the cathedral with a five-tier iconostasis, the top row of icons have been preserved.

Tsaritsa's Chambers

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is located between the Tsaritsa's Chambers of the left and the Palace of Tsar Alexis on the right. The Tsaritsa's Chambers were built in the mid-17th century for the wife of Tsar Alexey - Tsaritsa Maria Ilinichna Miloskavskaya. The design of the building is influenced by the ancient Russian architectural style. Is prettier than the Tsar's chambers opposite, being red in colour with elaborately decorated window frames and entrance.

At present the Tsaritsa's Chambers houses the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum. Among its displays is an accurate recreation of the interior of a noble lady's chambers including furniture, decorations and a decorated tiled oven, and an exhibition on the history of Zvenigorod and the monastery.

Palace of Tsar Alexis

The Palace of Tsar Alexis was built in the 1650s and is now one of the best surviving examples of non-religious architecture of that era. It was built especially for Tsar Alexis who often visited the monastery on religious pilgrimages. Its most striking feature is its pretty row of nine chimney spouts which resemble towers.

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40 Facts About Elektrostal

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 10 May 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

Elektrostal's fascinating history, vibrant culture, and promising future make it a city worth exploring. For more captivating facts about cities around the world, discover the unique characteristics that define each city . Uncover the hidden gems of Moscow Oblast through our in-depth look at Kolomna. Lastly, dive into the rich industrial heritage of Teesside, a thriving industrial center with its own story to tell.

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Land use changes in the environs of Moscow

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Land use and land cover change is a complex process, driven by both natural and anthropogenic transformations (Fig. 1). In Russia, the major driver of land use / land cover change is agriculture. It has taken centuries of farming to create the existing spatial distribution of agricultural lands. Modernization of Russian agriculture started fifteen years ago. It has brought little change in land cover, except in the regions with marginal agriculture, where many fields were abandoned. However, in some regions, agricultural lands were dramatically impacted by changed management practices, resulting in accelerating erosion and reduced biodiversity. In other regions, federal support and private investments in the agricultural sector, especially those made by major oil and financial companies, has resulted in a certain land recovery. Between the natural factors that shape the agriculture in Russia, climate is the most important one. In the North European and most of the Asian part of the ...

Ekonomika poljoprivrede

Vasilii Erokhin

Journal of Rural Studies

judith pallot

In recent decades, Russia has experienced substantial transformations in agricultural land tenure. Post-Soviet reforms have shaped land distribution patterns but the impacts of these on agricultural use of land remain under-investigated. On a regional scale, there is still a knowledge gap in terms of knowing to what extent the variations in the compositions of agricultural land funds may be explained by changes in the acreage of other land categories. Using a case analysis of 82 of Russia’s territories from 2010 to 2018, the authors attempted to study the structural variations by picturing the compositions of regional land funds and mapping agricultural land distributions based on ranking “land activity”. Correlation analysis of centered log-ratio transformed compositional data revealed that in agriculture-oriented regions, the proportion of cropland was depressed by agriculture-to-urban and agriculture-to-industry land loss. In urbanized territories, the compositions of agricultura...

Open Geosciences

Alexey Naumov

Despite harsh climate, agriculture on the northern margins of Russia still remains the backbone of food security. Historically, in both regions studied in this article – the Republic of Karelia and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) – agricultural activities as dairy farming and even cropping were well adapted to local conditions including traditional activities such as horse breeding typical for Yakutia. Using three different sources of information – official statistics, expert interviews, and field observations – allowed us to draw a conclusion that there are both similarities and differences in agricultural development and land use of these two studied regions. The differences arise from agro-climate conditions, settlement history, specialization, and spatial pattern of economy. In both regions, farming is concentrated within the areas with most suitable natural conditions. Yet, even there, agricultural land use is shrinking, especially in Karelia. Both regions are prone to being af...

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