ArtsLegacy

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THE LEGACY OF THE ARTS

Melanie Richards, sounding the alarm for the arts, demonstrates how we are denying ourselves and our children an artistic way of living, thinking, and learning, thereby creating an artificial life for them and a legacy for the future that is wanting in substance.  If we ask some difficult questions about where we are as a society today and what legacy we are indeed creating for future generations, we come up short on our understanding and living of the arts, and how we expose our children to their influence.  This book brings up some hard truths about how we live today, what we need to realize about our ancient connections with the artistic, and how a true exposure to artistic living and its benefits, especially that of using process as a tool for learning, would better prepare our children for life.

Through an examination of the artistic process and how it can be applied to everyday living, we are taken through fire, earth, air, and water to the artistic realm, where we see the face of beauty and its reflection in the mirror of our lives.

By disseminating these concepts to the public, especially educators, artists, and parents, the book can be a catalyst for action. 

CHAPTERS:

Introduction

Where are we now and where do we want to be?

We are artistic beings

The artistic process

What can the arts teach us?

Where do we go from here?

Reaching for the divine

Excerpts from the book: 

"The wonderful thing is that artistic thinking is cumulative, that is, the more you do it, the easier the next goal is achieved. Skills are built into the subconscious that can be accessed each time a goal is set. And the thinking process is gradually changed over to a more integrated, focused way of

perceiving life. Working artistically reveals who we are more dramatically than one can imagine. Being creative brings out thoughts and emotions which lie beneath the surface that we are not always aware of. It starts a process that opens up a new way of thinking. Because the
emotional nature is being accessed more intensely, an artist’s path can go either way—up or down. In fact, free will becomes even more of a player. That’s why it is so important to work simultaneously on personal integration so that the new emotional environment is used for growth. What is gained is loss of rigidity and boredom. Perhaps we could say that art opens the door to new learning
opportunities for life. The study and work of the arts is not separate from the discovery of who we are and where we came from and where we are going. With this knowledge in tow, we can more easily balance the fragmentation of society by making choices instead of always “going with the
flow” of trends and styles. As Pat Allen, in her book Art is a Way of Knowing muses, art is a journey of the soul, which tells one’s own story. In order to tell it, we identify our beliefs about life and access our memory of life’s images. In dreaming our own stories, we are made aware that the
consciousness of beauty is a doorway to soul. As we venture inward through our creative work, we come to realize that we have forgotten or not known how to penetrate deeply within ourselves and can become frightened. But this process, so lacking today, can bring us stability and courage.
Having the ability to enter into artistic activity enables us to learn how to step out of our petty existence and into eternity, something we desperately need in today’s world."

~     ~     ~

"By placing ourselves within the realm of art, we are raised out of our mundane existence and get a taste of something beyond us, yet within us. We learn to think independently, not always following and being influenced, but evaluating our own perceptions.  We learn to use our imaginations with the materials at hand, which in themselves become the potential for expression. We access the rhythm, light and movement already in motion in the universe and fit our composition, form, or movement within them. This connects us in a very powerful way with everything else. Most importantly, art shows us the need to let go of fear and become aware of beauty within and without. This is truly the path to understanding and participating in the world of art."

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 Paperback, 96 pages

Published by ArtsLegacy