The Chrysalis Process:
Artsgenesis
by Kathleen
Gaffney
I have had the privilege of speaking on a variety
of arts in education issues in almost every state in the United
States. Invariably, I am asked about my personal philosophy
of arts education. As Founder and Artistic Director of Artsgenesis
a private non-profit arts-in-education organization my philosophy
runs through all our programming. I believe that the arts can
make the invisible world visible through our symbol systems.
I believe that the arts connect and illuminate the deep meanings
which education wants to uncover but often cannot because of
the demands of testing for information. I believe that subjects
taught through the arts can have profound resonant meaning.
Arts in Everything: Ten
years ago, I was asked to facilitate a state conference in
New Mexico on the subject of inclusion for the people with
disabilities. One hundred artists, and administrators from
arts organizations and cultural institutions from across
the state were included in a three-day session. Leaders and
artists from the Lakota, Ogallala, Pueblo, Black Foot, and
Navajo were also in attendance. I began my presentation and
was twenty minutes into it, when one of the tribal leaders,
who also was an artist, raised his hand. “Excuse
me,” he said, “I mean no disrespect but those of
my nation have a problem with this word art. In my language
we have no word for art because it is not separate from us.
You Anglos, and I mean no disrespect, have taken the art out
of everything and put it over here.” He motioned to another
room. “You have made it something separate. For my people,
what you call art is in our breath. It is in our clothing,
our food, and it is in our healing. It is in everything we
do every. It is as close to me as my skin.”
This exquisite explanation captured an idea that
I had always felt but had not been able to articulate. My personal
mission is to encourage us to put the arts back into everything
in terms of learning anyway. We, as a society, need to bridge
our differences through the arts. They are the common language
of our global psyche.
Utilizing the talent
and passion of an artist in the classroom just makes sense.
I was awarded the United States Department of Education,
John Stanford—Hero in Education
Award in 1998. I did research on this man John Stanford, a
former US General; he was brought to the Seattle public school
system as the new superintendent. The presumption was that
a general could bring order and discipline to the district
and it's schools and classrooms. John surprised everyone when
he spent the first several weeks sitting in classrooms witnessing
teaching and learning. He called a press conference and shocked
everyone when he said, “A child cannot learn from a person
who does not love him or her.”
We all know the truth of this statement. When an
artist comes into the classroom they bring a passionate love
for their art form with them. The elements of connection, making
invisible visible and large doses of love that the arts supply
forms a chrysalis that transforms rote learning into the magnificent,
significant process we envision.
In addition to the Learning Standards, the arts
standards, educational theory, higher order thinking and positive
aspects of character these core beliefs inform all the work
Artsgenesis creates with teachers and students. We've been
doing it for twelve years and feel our journey has just begun.#
Kathleen Gaffney is President, Artsgenesis.