The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the state standards for what students should know and be able to do, state the following for a Level 1 Theatre experience:
The student should be able to A) portray theatre as a reflection of life in particular times, places and cultures; and B) relate historical and cultural influences on theatre and analyze the roles of live theatre, film, television, and electronic media in American society.
The student’s assignment was to work in pairs to research statements from aesthetic philosophers throughout the human experience, share how those statements resonate with their personal perspective, then create their own artistic statement based on how they feel about the value of art and art creation.
Here are some of the more insightful statements from each class…
“Art is the search for true beauty based on the personal view of the subject; Art tries to express everything that we cannot see as a whole. Only some people can see it, and it is their job to show everybody the true meaning.” -Matt
“The arts are a manifestation of the human condition. Collective human experience is broken down and each significant component of human experience is represented through the aesthetics. Aesthetics is a medium to characterize what is desired and is a route to which censorship isn’t allowed.” -Sajid
“The human experience serves as a foundation upon which theatre is based upon. Humans interpret their surrounding based upon their own inner conscience. Although aesthetics are subjective, they still reflect on the problems that every human being faces.” -Landry
“Art is a way for humans to express themselves more vividly than with words. Through art, people can say things they would never say, and do things they would never do, through the art. Also, art is individualistic. Oscar Wilde said ‘Art is the most intense form of individualism ever known.’ Art can mean one thing to one person, and then something completely different to the next.” -Brady
“Art inspires people to create their own art. Without art there wouldn’t be any innovation or creativity. The world would be missing something that’s so important to everyone. It allows us to express who we are as individuals. We can find out who we are through it. Art is overall a really beautiful and amazing thing that has changed the world.” -Lucas
“You have to realize that I like art. In a way you are what your art’s about. Personally art’s like fixing your visual statement about yourself before the painting is inspired, painted and motivated by you.” -Nataneal
“What I think about art, is that if you say what it is, then no one will want to see it, however if you let them see it for what it is, and discover what it means to them, then they will enjoy it more than anything you could have told them what it is.” -Jordan
“I believe that art is not a subject, it’s a way of life, because anything in life can be art. Anybody can be an artists, all they have to do is release the beast.” -Ozzie
“Art is not only important to me, but also the whole world. Everybody has a little artist in them, and everyone loves some form of art. What some art can do to you is priceless… not all the money in the world can make you feel what art does… that’s why art is so important and necessary in the world.” -Alejandro
“Art, to me, means creating something new, such as making something your own. Look at Beethoven… he made his own kind of music and people now still listen to it… because it means something to people. So, if you want to create art, then do something you like or something you like, or something you believe in, and people will live it no matter -Cam’ron
“Art is thought, art is thought: flowing words with rhythm and melody. Art is thought on paper. Art is beauty, art is reactive beauty. When art comes from the soul, if the artist means it, the artist can be lost in the art for hours. When in its presence, your opinion of “true art” will be known. You will be overtaken by its beauty.” -Jordan
“My opinion of art is that it is perfection. All great art captures some sort of perfection in nature or society. It can even showcase perfect chaos or flaws. It doesn’t have to perfect in a so called good sense. Humans use art because we are always trying to achieve perfection in whatever we are doing and art is the only way we can do this.” -Devin
“My perception of art is that although many forms of it exist, it is all relatively the same. In a nutshell, art is how we as humans express our world and ourselves in a medium that serves as the middleman to our feelings. Art is the material way we spiritually, emotionally, and cognitively interact with other people and places. Whether it is a song, painting, poem, or movie, each form of art allows humans to connect on a level, much deeper than just a laugh, tear, or clap. Without art, our lives would be perpetually shallower and much simpler. Without art we wouldn’t be able to express ourselves, a function vital to humanity itself.” -Ryan
“My statement on the philosophy of art, is that art has to be art of your life, in order to pretty much survive. Art for me is a way of life, if you look at anything, anything around you it is art. No matter what type of way you look at it. So if you didn’t have art, you’d basically have nothing. For me art is an inspiration, a motivation, a sequence. Art is a way of life. Basically life revolves and always will revolve around art.” -Jeremy
“I think art is something that expresses someone or art can be anything that someone or something created. Art can be exactly anything from dust to rainbows. Art is anything, it’s creativity, it’s uniqueness, it is really anything. It can be music, drawings, etc. As long as you like it, love it, and/or appreciate it, then to you, it will be considered art. And if something is not art in your eyes, it can be considered art in another’s.” -Preston
“Art is what one finds aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. Art is all around us, portrayed via mediums such as painting, sculpture, theatre, street performances, clothing, etc. Imperially art has played a major role in all civilization. Thus it is inherently important to humanity.” -Justin
Students (even if you’re not in my Theatre 1 class): Please select one of these artistic statements and share how you feel about the author’s perspective, whether you agree or disagree, in your own words.
Other Readers: Please feel free to comment regarding students’ statements; or share your own perspective on art and art creation, and it’s value to society.
Teacher Commentary: In all the years that I’ve taught, I have felt that this component was missing in some way: the why. I know that theatre is a valuable experience… that ART is a valuable experience… but I didn’t quite have something in place that made the students encounter the “why.” There were challenges with this being the first year of this assignment’s implementation, but overall it was such a valuable experience that I will keep in my yearly Theatre 1 line-up for years to come. There were two elements that emerged from this that proved its value: First, MANY students commented on the fact they had never thought people had put SO MUCH time over the years THINKING about art and its value to society. They encountered philosophers like Aristotle, Plato, and Kant, as well as artists like Oscar Wilde, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Tupac Shakur, and Nicholas Cage. It was rewarding to watch them wrestle with the thoughts of others and form clear opinions about what other people have said on the subject. Second, for many of the students, this was the FIRST time in their lives that THEY had really thought about art and its value… and now they have formulated a clear statement, based on what they have encountered in the evolution of human thought on the value of art and art creation. In the process, I believe they have applied the highest levels of critical thought and evaluation. Kudos to them for stepping beyond the “right” answer into an expression of original thought based on research, the evaluation of ideas, the assimilation of relevant concepts, and the synthesis of a newly created personal statement. -James Hammer