There is a long and time-honoured tradition of assuming that artists are flighty, a bit ditsy, disorganised and just not as clever as everyone else. This idea is constantly underlined by society and in particular our education system. As a secondary teacher, I was often "gifted" students into my art class who were failing other subjects. The assumption was that art was easier (required less intellect) and they would therefore cope with it better. Many parents, students and even school leaders regard visual art as a "soft option" one that doesn't really require any real intellectual capacity.
Obviously, as an artist myself, I am going to dispute that idea. And speaking for myself, I have always done very well academically. Granted, my brain would no longer be up for trigonometry or calculus, just due to lack of practice. But back in the day, it certainly was. In grade 10, I topped my year in Art, English, Home Economics, Geography, and notably Advanced Maths; also receiving the Humanities award and Dux of the School. I have completed numerous post grad qualifications with high GPAs. But if you need more proof than that, I have recently been working with students in a secondary excellence in arts program. Last week the teacher noted that many of her best students were straight A students; meaning that not only did they excel in art but also in every other subject they were studying, including maths and science subjects. These kids are not exceptions in that sense. In my experience, you just can't be an artist and at the same time be a dumby. The two things are absolutely mutually exclusive.
Of course it is a particular kind of intelligence that is manifest in art-making and one that allows for nuanced, divergent thought and greater well being. And it is not just me who thinks this. Research is emerging all the time that supports the idea that art and creativity require significant intelligence. And more than that, the practice of art or creativity builds intelligence; specificially the kind of intelligence that allows a person to solve problems, process and prioritise information and consider details that others may neglect. Researchers have also found that the way creative individuals think enables them to be more highly motivated to finish tasks than others may be. And, of course, creativity helps release all those positive brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, allowing us to be healthier mentally.
On the flip side of that, there is much ringing of hands about how Australian students are not measuring up in terms of literacy and numeracy. I would also argue that the population in general is declining in its ability to think critically. Just like the technology that we have become so dependent on, society has become increasingly binary (black and white) in its thought processes. Binary thinking reinforces stereotypes and stops us from questioning the information we are given. Obviously!! How else can you explain a phenomenon like Donald J Trump as president of the United States?
In my nearly forty years of involvement in education, I have noticed that students are less able to stick with a task or problem long enough to solve or resolve it, extrapolate, adapt or persevere than they used to be. There are some activities that I used to do regularly that I no longer even attempt to do with kids because they generally can't cope with repetitive tasks or focusing for long periods of time. (I did say generally - there are some noticeable exceptions, often due, I think, to the way those particular kids are parented).
Largely, I put the decrease in divergent thinking down to too much screen time. The virtual world is one where problems are largely solved instantaneously by pressing the right button, where there is always an "app" that will do the work for you, and information comes unsolicited, unfiltered and unverified for facts on a continual basis. In order to thrive into the future, humanity needs to redevelop the ability to think divergently - a skill that has become atrophied in this modern age.
Despite the fact that the education system is allegedly working towards 21st century skills like creativity, collaboration, social skills and differentiation, it really isn't. Just like it has always done, it is good at developing kids who generally fit a set of "normal" parameters and who can achieve similar standards in what society deems as important. When politicians (the ultimate decision makers regarding education in Australia) are unhappy with educational outcomes (i.e. grades), they almost always advocate for a "back to basics" approach meaning a concentration on the three R's and even less differentiation in curricula. So we end up with a highly standardised system where student results in terms of an ATAR score or similar become the focus of a "good" education.
The system as it stands promotes competition (the opposite of collaboration), frowns on creativity and risk taking, and cannot allow for individual differences. The only way these 21st Century skills can be brought about is by regular involvement in the arts. As I have said, time and time again, the arts are uniquely positioned to present and reflect different viewpoints, develop nuanced and divergent thought processes and allow students to question, imagine and take educated risks. The arts can reverse the collective Dumbing Down of emerging generations. They are not the cause. Decreasing the importance and inclusion of the arts in education will simultaneously decrease people's ability to think critically.
During my classroom teaching years, I often said that it was easier to get high scores in physics than in visual art. Because it is. Both require nuanced, critical thought processes, but whereas physics operates according to universal and proven laws, art allows for imagination, exploration and more possibility for things to be brought into being that have never existed before. Involvement in the arts literally changes the mind, rewires synapses, enables different perspectives, better mental health and potentially creates a society that is more tolerant, diverse and egalitarian. Yes, ART is integral to being smART.
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