More than Scribbles

Have you ever scrolled down the side bar on this blog to see the "random" art by Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, and Pablo Picasso?  Every time you visit, the art changes.  Have you ever wondered why I put it there?  The explanation is simple:  Art matters!  It's such an integral part of our daily lives that we take it for granted, rarely noting how important it is to the human mind and spirit, to industry and icons, and to children.  A music professor at the college I went to once asked everybody to try to remain "music and rhythm free" for one full day.  No finger tapping, no songs or jingles singing in your thoughts, nothing.  Nobody was, or ever has been, able to accomplish the task.  Even our heartbeat (hopefully) keeps a rhythm.  You might say that our music is an extension of our hearts' rhythm.  You might also say that fine art is an expression of our thoughts and feelings.  A painting, sculpture, or digital art piece can speak differently to different people, regardless of language or culture, and gives the artist a way to express him or herself.  Imagine a world without artists.  Everything on T.V. is written, every movie is written, every advertisement, every magazine, every industry relies on art.  Our children, too, rely on art.  Art gives children a way to speak to us without words.  Young children have smaller vocabularies than adults; therefore, creating images can give them a form of communication that doesn't need words, but can say a lot!  The next time your child is bored, give her some paints or crayons.  Look at her picture and ask questions like, "Tell me more about this part."  Look for expression of emotion through the use of color.  Light colors don't mean that the child is happy, and dark doesn't mean he's sad or angry.  It may be a picture of the night.  Asking questions will help you to determine why the child used certain colors and whether or not those colors were used to express emotion.  "I see a lot of yellow and purple in this picture.  What do those colors feel like to you?"  Scroll down the side bar, when you get a chance, and look at the art.  Hopefully, it will inspire you to provide the materials for artistic expression to your children.  Their work is more than just scribbles; they are pieces of thoughts, feelings, and lessons they've learned expressed in lines, forms, and color.  Now, as the music professor asked, try to live a day without art - graphic art, written art, any art, then remember that ART MATTERS!