Sustainability and the creative arts

Abstract

THE ARTS AND SUSTAINABILITY The power of the Arts in promoting education for sustainability (EfS) lies in the affective nature of children’s learning when they are engaged in artistic pursuits. As noted in Chapter 1, research shows that having knowledge is not sufficient to create behavioural change. Also needed are an awareness of our connections with and in the world and an attitude of caring (Fien, 2003). Sustainable living is a disposition that can be communicated and understood through engagement of the affective in an artistic or creative project. Teaching through the Arts links the emotional to the cognitive; it engages the heart as well as the mind and provides opportunities for children to explore issues, solve problems, collaborate and develop their ideas through creative experiences. The importance of this approach is well articulated in an early National Curriculum Council (NCC) document from the United Kingdom: Without curiosity, without the inclination to question, and without the exercise of imagination, insight and intuition, young people would lack the motivation to learn, and their intellectual development would be impaired … Were they not moved by feelings of awe and wonder at the beauty of the world we live in, or the power of artists, musicians and writers to manipulate space, sound and language, they would live in a spiritual and cultural desert. (NCC, 1990, p. iv) The Arts offer universal languages that connect people with big ideas. They enable us to see the world around us in new ways and give us a rich set of tools for envisioning a better future for our world.