This week, two ways to discuss the responsibilities of art and artists. Plus, we’re hiring — scroll down for more details!
Does Art Have Responsibilities?
I’ve been away in Berwick-upon-Tweed this past three days and have enjoyed following the Lowry trail — a sequence of LS Lowry’s artworks around the town, estuary and coastline. Each are of the place where they’ve been placed (Lowry was a frequent visitor) and are accompanied by some text about his connection to that particular spot.
Lowry is famous for his fairly bleak and lonely depictions of life. One quotes him as saying: “I’ve a one track mind, sir. Poverty and gloom. Never a joyous picture of mine you’ll see. Always gloom. I never do a jolly picture.” (which is true for most of his work, but as the curators point out, not all!)
Taking a break from the trail, and sat in a cafe in the town, I read about David Hockney’s latest exhibition in Paris, who takes a quite different view of his art. He told the interviewer how he likes to paint in bright colours to keep people’s spirits up in such an “absurd world.”
“Art has to move you,” he also once said. Which led me to wonder… Does Art Have Responsibilities?
There are lots of ways to approach this question. We suggest using Argument Zones where areas are marked out on the floor using metre rulers or masking tape (or just everybody’s sense of proximity) children stand according to their beliefs. You could either use for quotes, or similar sentences, as your provocations.
Using artists’ quotes
You might want to show a set of quotes from artists and ask children to show how far they agree with it – perhaps through Argument Zones (below), taken from Jason’s book Thinkers’ Games.
- “An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times in which we live.” Nina Simone
- “Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.” Bertold Brecht
- “The artist’s responsibility is to awaken that artfulness in others.” Ben Okri
- “The function of the artist in a disturbed society is to give awareness of the universe, to ask the right questions, and to elevate the mind.” Marina Abramović
- “All art is quite useless.” Oscar Wilde
It might be interesting to see if students think there’s any difference in the question “Do artists have responsibilities?” compared to “Does art have responsibillities?” Are they asking the same thing? Can something inanimate have responsibilities?
Using similar sentences
You could also use the same approach but with different endings of the sentence “Does art have a responsibility to…
“entertain?”
“change our emotions?”
“teach us something?”
“help us?”
“make us think?”
For older students, you might also want to cite the recent example of the Netflix series Adolescence which has won deserved plaudits for it’s impact on society’s understanding of misogny and violence against women and girls.
(For an excellent teaching resource on this topic, Tom’s former colleagues at The Economist Educational Foundation have made a 1-hr lesson, Andrew Tate and Conor McGregor: permitting public misogyny?,downloadable here).
What’s on in the Philosoverse?
Jason has been working hard getting ready for this weekend’s April Residential Weekender at P4HE.org – involving Fermi problems, flying machines, theatre, and of course the usual mix of Dungeons and Dragons and Blood on the Clocktower. This one is sold out, but the long weekender – aka the Summer School – is now open for bookings. Find more details here.
Besides wandering and wondering about art, Tom has been putting finishing touches to our raft of INSETS and workshops in the coming summer term. He’s also been preparing the Job Description and Advert for a new role we’re creating – see below!
Could you be our next Operations Officer?
We’re looking for a specialist in operations support the smooth running of the operations across our five enterprises – The Philosophy Man, Outspark, Hidden Leaders, P4HE (Philosophy for Home Education), and Debate Planet, to help grow our impact in the classroom and beyond.
Oracy for Schools is the umbrella name for these four enterprises connected by a drive to make a positive impact on young people. We deliver activities and experiences that will develop their skills, confidence and self-esteem – both inside and beyond the classroom. We also achieve this through partnering with schools – giving teachers the resources and training they need to improve their practice.
We’ve attached the job description, and you can either apply via Charity Job or directly to us — all instructions are in the attached!
Sophia European Network Meeting 24/25 May – Places Still Available!
SOPHIA is the European Foundation for the Advancement of Doing Philosophy with Children, and meets once a year somewhere in Europe. This year, it’s in beautiful Malta, and this year’s theme is Rage Against the Machine? The implications of technology and AI on philosophy for children.
It’s brings together great people, fantastic workshops and presentations from P4C experts from the UK and around Europe, with a convivial dinner on Saturday night. You don’t need to be experienced in P4C to come – it’s a perfect mix of informality, ideas and inspiration!
Best wishes,
Tom and Jason