Academic
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Spring 2008 ISSN
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Patricia
M. Ellis f-ellis@mail.vjc.edu 443.352.4034
KEYWORDS: Interdisciplinary, Art, Business
Making Art Work
Patricia M. Ellis,
Amanda G. Hostalka,
Amanda (Mimi) Bory,
Ellis,
JD, Professor of Legal Studies and Business, is director of accelerated
undergraduate programs; Hostalka, MA, Associate
Professor of Art, created the Visiting Artist Program; and Bory,
a Business Communications undergraduate, works in the VJC president’s office.
Abstract
Connecting seemingly disparate ideas, art and business, in
an interdisciplinary course, honor students define, research, and propose
solutions using art as a catalyst for change and applying business principles
to realize their art ideas. Students determine how their art will work as
opposed to making the artwork itself. Drawing
on their content knowledge, teams creatively solve problems related to their various
majors in their chosen fields of study.
Introduction
What is art? This
time-honored philosophical question asked in countless traditional art
appreciation and aesthetics curricula is elaborated upon in a new
interdisciplinary course: Harnessing
the Power of Art. The questions
being asked by two professors, one Art and one Law and Business Professor, are
not only What is art? but also What can art do? What have artists accomplished through their
art making? What power do artists have
to influence others? How can that power
be used for the betterment of society?
Designed as an interdisciplinary team-taught honors course
to fit into the liberal arts core, this course is far from traditional. To begin, the faculty members are from two
completely different fields. Many
institutions of higher learning are developing such interdisciplinary courses,[1]
although often they are closer together:
history/political science, math/science, philosophy/religion. Additionally, the students are not all art
majors; they are, e.g., future doctors,
accountants or journalists. Initially,
students consider the question of what is art within some of the traditional
views; however, students then expand their preconceived ideas about art. Are art objects limited to paintings and
sculpture? Is a novel, a photograph, a
video, a musical composition, or a performance a piece of art? Can it be architecture, drama, opera, or a
poster? What about an advertisement?
Upon this foundation, ideas will build, going beyond the
focus of the art objects and moving outward to consider the artist’s sphere of
influence. Students must consider the
artist, not only as a lone practitioner, but also as a contributor in a
community of artists, critics, historians, and curators. The nature of this initial
investigation, however, still maintains a certain
distance between the student in the classroom and the art community. Perhaps this would be a desirable outcome in a
traditional art appreciation course where scholars and artists revel in the
purity of art and the sacredness of its practice; however, this course seeks to
bridge that distance by breaking down perceived barriers and making art more accessible.
Students are encouraged to expand their
definitions of art and to discover the myriad ways in which art intersects their
daily lives. Through field trips and
discussions with visiting artists working in varied genres and media, students
come to understand not only the role art plays in the life of its maker, but
also the potential for that individual experience to have great influence on
others. When faculty encourage students
to identify how they, too, are influenced by art, the students will begin to
develop a truer appreciation of its power.
This process leads to the second initial question: What can art do? Can art lead to a cure for cancer or help to
alleviate the pain of treatment? Can art
inspire change or address social problems, such as childhood obesity, political
corruption or low voter turnout? What have artists accomplished through their
art-making in the past? How did the AIDS
quilt influence those who came into contact with it? What about the Sistine chapel? Students
explore modern and historic artistic examples that have been the impetus for
great change in communities large and small, while seeking to identify their
own creative interests and potential.
The
We know that many disciplines are no longer specific and
focused areas of study existing in a vacuum, but rather, fields of study
overlapping and intersecting one another in countless ways. Biology influences psychology, mathematics
relates to music, and history ties into sociology. In our current cultural environment, all
students regardless of their majors will be expected to engage in a variety of
media and to participate in solving a broad range of cross-disciplinary
problems creatively; they will need to have some understanding of how proposed
solutions could be applied in today’s global economy. Their semester-long project addresses this
interdisciplinary idea, blending their chosen majors, creative problem-solving and
applied business principles, ideas similar to those being practiced across the
nation.[3]
Students define, research, and propose a solution to a
problem, using art as a catalyst for change and applying sound business
principles to successfully realize their art ideas. Students determine how their art will work as
opposed to making the artwork itself.
The problems they select relate to their chosen field of study. For example, a nursing major might choose to
address the shortage of nurses in
Problem solving involves not only identifying the problem
at hand, but also finding and addressing the additional questions that each
problem raises. Students naturally look
for answers to questions they are given, but generally have a harder time
identifying the questions that need to be asked. Accounting and business majors (as a very
broad general rule) tend to think in a linear pattern, while many artists tend
to think in a spiral. The combination
strengthens both and shows the value of different yet complementary
styles. All students, in every field of
study, benefit from applying both approaches to a given problem. Creative problem-solving methods and tools are
introduced and utilized.
In order for the student’s
proposed art solutions to have an impact, they must be seen and engaged
with. While presenting in museums and
galleries, on television or, e.g., on
the streets of
Students choose a problem to solve working alone or in
teams (preferably from various majors, combining, e.g., art, business and biology).
Drawing on their content knowledge and research, they work to develop
solutions to these problems creatively. Assignments include external research through
field trips as well as library research.
Students define the problem, plan the process, outline it, catalogue
findings, write a paper on the results, and present and explain their creative
solutions. A part of this presentation
must include a fine arts component and a practical application in a business
sense. Students focus the paper
considering a particular audience: a
foundation for funding, a business’s investment in a project, a non-profit’s
budgetary feasibility, etc.
Art That Works
Harnessing the
Power of Art helps students to develop an
appreciation for the impact of art in a variety of manifestations and for a
variety of purposes, to evolve their creative problem-solving skills, and to
expand their knowledge of business. By
the end of the course, students are able to identify ways in which artists have
harnessed the power of various art forms to address social, political, and cultural
problems. They understand themselves and
others through exploring, in depth, a problem that is meaningful to them, while
developing a feasible solution. Students
learn many approaches to problem solving, seeking to harness their own
creativity and allowing them to imagine.
They expand their research capabilities and come to appreciate how a
well-defined and well-researched problem will afford a greater choice of
potential solutions.
Harnessing the
Power of Art
As we taught the class, we were
excited to watch students perceive some practical applications of and for their
talents. Students had the opportunity to
develop creative solutions to real-life problems. They saw how the breadth of higher education
could help them to take seemingly disparate ideas and understand how they fit
together. Today’s millennial learners
are not the same as those in the last generation; students are more vocal consumers when
it comes to their education. Students
have constant access to information through technology and become impatient
with traditional lecture-only classroom teaching; however, they flourish with
more engaging pedagogical strategies.[4]
We feel that this course reached out to their new attitudes
in many ways because we could teach them about art and about business while
making it meaningful and relevant to them and in line with their interests. Additionally, “Students who are involved in
classes using collaborative teaching techniques improve their social and
communication skills and develop skills of analysis and judgment.”[5] For example, one team—comprised of a law and
a business major—tackled the social problem of underage drinking through
performance and documentary filmmaking.
A second team, with one art major and one pre-med student, created a
non-profit foundation, which they called anXart,
devoted to promoting art therapy as a practical alternative for the treatment
of anxiety disorders. A third team with
paralegal, accounting and business communications majors, sought to promote
ethical journalism through the establishment of a non-profit multimedia theatre
troupe, whose target market consisted of middle schools in our state of
Student Response
to Course
What Worked?
Real-world examples that were given for both topics, but
more so the business examples, helped me remember key concepts. The examples
brought home the ideas and showed how textbook themes relate to the real world
in many different forms. (This also
helped me when I began to brainstorm for my own project – I was able to think
outside of the box, for I learned from class how, for example, business ethics
do not include just the rights and wrongs of CEOs.)
I thought the guest speakers were helpful – especially
Peter Bruun [Director of Art on Purpose—one of the field trip speakers],
because his projects were the first ones that had me thinking of smaller,
different ways that art can impact the community, even if it’s just including
the elderly in community art projects.
His lecture gave me insight into the many different audiences a single
project can impact as well as good advice about fundraising techniques.
Observations,
Suggestions and Critiques:
I
enjoyed Professor Hostalka’s PowerPoint slides that
went along with her lectures, but I was also comfortable with Professor Ellis’s
lecture format. However, I think because
I had some business background from other classes that I took in the fall, I
could follow the business information better than some of my classmates. Perhaps some handouts or worksheets for the
business lectures would be helpful to some who are not as interested in the
business aspects or who cannot grasp the concepts as easily.
Showing
future students some examples of projects and/or sketchbooks would help them
better grasp where the class is headed. With
our class being the first class ever, examples were not available; however, had
they been available, I think everyone would be able
to firmly grasp the concepts much earlier in the semester.
Quality and
Quantity of Content and Assignments:
We may not need the art text if the concepts of design and
fundamental art elements were introduced and discussed among ourselves in
class. Perhaps a fun “art” project could
re-enforce the concepts, assess our understanding of them, and break up the
lecture while stirring up our creativity needed for the brainstorming
assignments that come later in the semester.
The
sketchbook assignments were practical and creative at
the same time. I really think you should
keep this facet of the course next time you teach it as a great creative outlet
as well as a great place to refer to when studying for tests and preparing our
project. For some reason, in the
beginning, the word “sketchbook” which I attributed to “art” kept hanging me up
and it wasn’t until after the first grading of the sketchbook that I felt more
comfortable with the content I was including in the sketchbook. I thought adequate time was given to complete
the sketchbook assignments.
I felt like some of the business concepts weren’t as
important as others. For example, business ethics and social responsibility
were most intimately related to the overall goals of the course and the
projects, while the specifics of accounting and law
were not as pertinent. Leadership topics
and teamwork sections were helpful.
In closing, I hope that my comments are helpful; they are a
mix of my own thoughts and the comments that I heard other students make. In the end, I do think that you accomplished
what you set out to do. I think the
overarching project blends art and business well and encourages students to
“think outside of the box.” Encouraging
them to solve a current social issue is important, too, for it tunes them into
the world and makes them more aware of the issues at hand. Reiterating that the artistic solution is not
meant to change the world, per se, nor necessarily come in the form of art
galleries and paintings will remind the students to continue to think at a more
abstract level.
Personally, I entered the class ignorant of the many forms art AND business can take and the class showed me how to see the art and business in nearly every aspect of life. Thanks for opening my eyes and teaching me to look at things in different lights. I certainly took a lot away from your class and I think, with a few adjustments, many students will be taking away the same lessons I learned.
Analysis
When the course ended, we considered our own reactions as well as those of the students. In response to our own observations, the course evaluations and Ms. Bory’s comments, we drew several conclusions:
Overall, the course was successful and met our objectives. Students redefined art, learned that business concepts could be used for more than making money, improved social awareness, practiced abstract thinking and were clearly challenged. Students also developed their research skills as they worked on their projects, which in turn enabled them to draw a correlation between their individual majors and society.
We will make a few changes, such as to increase the number of real world experiences through additional field trips. Initially, we had thought that because the students were not art or business majors that we had to give more lectures on each topic until they knew enough to make viable judgments; now we realize that this approach reinforced their dissociation rather than their connection.
While the two texts are used only partially, they are both needed for students’ reference. On the other hand, we plan to use four case studies to demonstrate the integrated idea of the course from the beginning. Using the AIDS quilt, for example, as one case study, students could research and discuss its art aspects and the creativity used to design the squares, the fund raising required to move it around the country, the leaders who controlled the process from start to finish, and the influence it has had on the artists and the communities, as well as its political and social justice implications.
We discovered that team teaching such an interdisciplinary course was more difficult than we had anticipated, but led to greater rewards at its conclusion. We found as did Letterman and Dugan, that “collaborative or team teaching can engage professors in more philosophical discussions than the usual discourse over class materials” [7]. This seemed especially true since our disciplines are so disparate, and this experience enhanced our own teaching styles as we learned from each other.
Finally, while we knew what we wanted to achieve, getting those thoughts across to the students was quite a challenge: encouraging them to ask questions and see connections required careful shepherding and consistent focus on the outcomes. Students had to develop their critical thinking skills and challenge their basic assumptions about art and business and the roles they can play in society. In the end, the students were able to realize the benefits of looking deeper into their subjects. The projects and presentations reflected their success and gave us our own sense of accomplishment.
Notes
1]Barisonzi,
Judith, and Michael Thorn. "Teaching Revolution: Issues in
Interdisciplinary Education." College
Teaching 51.1 (Winter 2003): 5-8.
Letterman, Margaret R., and Kimberly B. Dugan. "Team Teaching a
Cross-Disciplinary Honors Course." College
Teaching 52.2 (Spring 2004): 76-79.
[2]Barisonzi,
Judith, and Michael Thorn. "Teaching Revolution: Issues in
Interdisciplinary Education." College
Teaching 51.1 (Winter 2003): 5-8.
[3]Letterman, Margaret
R., and Kimberly B. Dugan. "Team Teaching a Cross-Disciplinary Honors
Course." College Teaching 52.2
(Spring 2004): 76-79.
[4]McGuire, Saundra Y.
"The Millennial Learner: Challenges and Opportunities.
[5]Letterman, Margaret
R., and Kimberly B. Dugan. "Team Teaching a Cross-Disciplinary Honors
Course." College Teaching 52.2
(Spring 2004): 76-79, cf Harris, S. A.,
and K. J. Watson. 1997. Small Group Techniques: Selecting and Developing Activities Based on
Stages of Group Development. To Improve the Academy. 16:399-412.
[6]Payne, B. K. and E.
Monk-Turner. “Benefits of Writing with Students.” Academic Exchange Quarterly. 9:1
(2005): 282.
[7] Letterman, Margaret
R., and Kimberly B. Dugan. "Team Teaching a Cross-Disciplinary Honors
Course." College Teaching 52.2
(Spring 2004): 76-79.