So what do we do?

By Eric Booth

Susan, Jack and I are noting how the imposition of outgrown understandings of what "arts" and "arts education" mean hobbles the organic and natural expression that the arts always have been and continue to be--clearly in Jack's example of The Sims in the Hands of Artists experiment. The semantic trap seems to be just the tip of the real iceberg that we are grappling with. I don't think there is an easy solution even to the semantic trip--people in business have asked me if we can just stop using the word "art" because they stop listening. They then confessed they are not really interested in the word "creativity" either--they kind of glaze over--they like the word "innovation" because it is the product that they really care about, getting new business-ready products as a competitive advantage. No, I don't propose that we get into a language dance to please anyone.

In a comment on this blog Richard Kessler added a strong point: "These questions of definition occur partly because of the many ways in which arts and arts education takes place. You've got the disciplines, ever changing, lines blurring; you've got the originating versus interpretive, and of course, the combination of the two; you've got the professional versus the amateur; you've got discipline based or centered, versus integrated--both in a an educational framework, and more and more in how the arts are being created and performed by cross disciplinary artists. Not to mention youth development, in-school, after school, community-based, traditional versus non-traditional. It's a kaleidoscope, and you can find virtually all of the different kinds somewhere in some school and community setting."

So what do we do? Richard grounds my dream of our field ever coming to any kind of consensus about a deeper truth that contains our organic polarities that we can all get behind. The public has a limited definition that balkanizes and limits the range and value of arts and arts education? Michael and Edward and others point out that the action ground is local, and the remarkable example of Dallas and Big Thought provides a sense that movement is possible under their circumstance anyway. So what do we do?

December 2, 2008 8:19 AM | | Comments (6) |

6 Comments

Eric, this is fascinating, and I just watched one of your presentations on WGBH. Thank you for that inspiring performance. I'm not surprised that some business people don't like the word "creativity", but you're the first to make that statement known to me, and it makes a lot of sense.

Dear Anonymous -- check out Eric's presentation:
http://forum.wgbh.org/wgbh/forum.php?lecture_id=3588
It might be difficult to quantify the things that make "creativity" a glaze-over word. However, when you get to the part about the company retreat and the word game, you might get the sense that the root of the problem is not trying to understand the "word dance" but rather, getting people involved in the process. By that point, it doesn't matter what you call it because the process of engaging and caring and making something you can stand by elevates the field.

I think a fundamental issue underlies the misunderstanding between arts and commerce. I can be argued that the culture and the arts are fundamentally oppositional to capitalism by positing that some things are more valuable than money.

Jack Tchen carries this argument to the extent that culture, especially community based arts, provide the best means to counter global capitalism - http://www.communityarts.net/readingroom/archivefiles/2007/11/30_years_and_co.php

Yes, they claimed to be copping to what all business people feel--that creativity is just another vague, fog-sculpting word that fluffy artsy people use. They know creativity is important, but they are so very literal in their thinking, they feel it is a soft word, and they pride themselves on hard results. That is why they prefer "innovation" because that is what they want. They know something to do with creativity is the way they get those innovations, so they are willing to tolerate some of our soft stuff, but they want to see the clear definitions, the data that we can develop develop creative capacity that produces innovations. They think we are soft, and we usually are not able to communicate with them in ways that surprise that expectation.

Two thoughts: 1) it is "business men" who are starting to make a travesty of our schools (for a while it was the former generals), and I for one don't give a hoot what words they think are acceptable...business men think schools are there for their purposes and fodder, while most of think that schools are there to educate kids for a democracy and civil patience and service. and 2) Do I detect an element of fear in these rationales? it's almost as if a kind of self-(defeating?) censorship is at work some where?
As Goodlad says, "What Schools are For....it's about education, not business.

They don't like the word creativity? Hasn't every single invention, innovation, break out business model been because of a creative individual? For crying out loud.

I guess we have to get creative and speak their language. The arts inspires and creates a platform for real world skills: expression, communication, team building, self-confidence.

They don't like the word. Geesh.

What is it about this country that "creativity" is a word that makes people's eyes glaze over? Creativity? Really? For all our celebrations of "excellence" and the corporatization of the American rebel or, dare I say, maverick, we seem to have an innate distrust of the best even as we celebrate it. So Eric, what exactly is it about the arts or creativity that makes business people's eyes glaze over? I'd really like to understand. Any ideas?

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This Conversation For decades, as teaching of the arts has been cut back in our public schools, alarms have been raised about the dire consequences for American culture. Artists and arts organizations stepped in to try to... more

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Steve Lin commented on So what do we do?: Eric, this is fascinating, and I just watched one of your presentations on ...

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Eric Booth commented on So what do we do?: Yes, they claimed to be copping to what all business people feel--that crea...

JANE REMER commented on So what do we do?: Two thoughts: 1) it is "business men" who are starting to make a travesty o...

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