Personal development (practical skills): arts and crafts, self-expression, the arts, dance and psychical exercise
(Outline of the workshop theme)
Erich Mistrík, Assoc. Prof., Comenius University, Slovakia, Chair of the workshop B
Theoretical background (just some food for thinking in advance)
In this context I differentiate artistic work from creative process in art. Artistic work: I consider it here manual production and making artifacts (plastic, musical, on one’s own body, etc.) aimed at expressing one’s own ideas/feelings and resulting in artifacts that posses aesthetic qualities/functions. An artwork can but need not to arise in this process. Creative process in art: I consider it strictly speaking work of artist based on a cultural tradition, aimed also at expressing ideas/feelings but the result should be an artwork with artistic function/value.
Our main concern here will be "artistic work."
Basis for such an artistic work is allusionary base that is according to H. Broudy "the complex of images, concepts, memories of all sorts available to provide meaning to words and events" and I would add - to provide meaning to physical objects, even to human body. On that basis (which is in our minds) artistic work can do something what no other field of human activity does - it is an aesthetic contemplation of significant forms (S. Langer and E. W. Eisner). In artistic work we put together allusionary base in our minds, with artistic material, with handwork (activities of our body) and we develop significant form in which aesthetic qualities are inherent.
Personal development through practical artistic work - it is process of "learning by doing with the help of coaching" (D. A. Schön). People involved in artistic work learn much more than only using artistic material. There are three main areas of learning, all of them mutually interconnected:
A. Development of Self:
- getting better self-understanding, i.e., gaining deeper knowledge of oneself, better understanding one’s place in the world,
- acquiring skills in handling artistic material,
- developing abilities in finding right ways for expressing oneself (i.e., in putting together psychical and physical realities) and developing one’s creative abilities,
- developing self-evaluation, developing attitudes towards oneself and towards other people, developing sense of personal freedom,
- gaining evidence of one’s own cultural identity and acknowledging cultural diversity,
- help in preventing "burnout" that comes frequently in course of life.
B. Self-expression
- a person is expressing his/her needs, feelings, ideas, etc. in artistic material. Here we should consider WHY, HOW, WHAT and FOR WHOM he/she expresses contents of the consciousness.
C. Creating cultural environment.
A person in his/her artistic works
- subconsciously expresses culture of community,
- contributes to collective consciousness because he/she adds new meanings, ideas and forms to already existing cultural heritage,
- contributes to cultural identity of community and to differentiation from another community - also by adding new meanings, ideas, forms, etc.
Questions - to be answered during workshop
A. Which of the above mentioned areas of personal development are important for developing civic responsibility and civic abilities? In which way are they important?
B. Which of the above mentioned areas of personal development can be taught/learned in adult education? In which way can they be taught/learned?
Inquiry - basic data to be collected in advance and brought to Turku (if possible)
What are the conditions in respective countries for personal development in the above mentioned areas?
Results - to be clarified by each participant himself/herself during workgroup sessions.
What can I learn in this group?
- Does it provide me with some goals/methods that could be used commonly?
- Does it provide me with common ideas? Which way can I contribute to them?
- Should we research into the topics discussed?
- Will I bring home new and effective teaching methods?
- Do I have other questions regarding results of the conference?
15th July 1999
