Why is it important to understand and engage with art in a meaningful way

The founding director of Flow India, an organization that runs innovative art appreciation programs, Katherine Rose, penned a thought-provoking essay that proclaims the importance of understanding and engaging with works of art in a meaningful way:

The writer notes in an article published in The Hindustan Times: “India's art market is thriving; its museums are not. Nor is the way art is taught in most schools. We need a more democratic view of the value of art and not keep it as something esoteric. We need more opportunities - for all of us, not just our children - to engage with art in a meaningful way.

Many may argue that India faces a bigger challenge of improving the lives of hundreds of millions. But to leave art out of the picture not only leaves us with a grey, expressionless world, but it also deprives our future generations of a vital opportunity. Art, after all, is not just for art's sake.

My experience of working with families and school children around India tells me that when art is explained in an appropriate language and via engaging in activities, even 10-year-old boys can forget their football games and plead with their mothers to go back to 'the class about art'.

For children, using art as a starting point to explore the world taps right into the heart of their innate talent for learning. Children are often the most dazzling interpreters of art, much more open to a combination of the intellectual, sensory, physical and emotional experiences that art offers.

The purpose of exposing children to art, however, is not to drill them with names and dates, but to teach them how to think critically, question and analyse. These are skills that policy-makers and top school leaders in India, understanding the future we face, are now prioritising.

Then there are language and social skills, as well as a whole host of subjects, from history to science, which can be taught through art. Seen this way, art becomes a resource that we cannot afford to ignore.”