Art projects, a way for students to express their creativity and take a break from the never-ending flow of homework, essays and other types of projects that typically make up most of a student’s course load.
Art is linked to psychological well-being, thus allocating class time for creative work can lower stress, improve memory and increase social connection, according to a literature review by Frontiers in Psychology. These benefits are significant considering many students are under pressure to perform well in their challenging classes.
“They’re so focused on that track of academics that maybe they lose sight of how much more there is to life,” visual arts teacher Mat Pace said. “There’s this yin and yang of life, and so we have to have the academics, but we also want that artistic edge to be able to express ourselves.”
In some cases, art projects help students learn as well, by utilizing students to use their creative and emotional sides, rather than using just logic and memorization to get through their workload.
Integrating art into core classes helps students develop creative problem-solving skills and engages students who might otherwise not be paying attention in class, according to an article by Seneca Academy.
“Anytime you have a chance to be creative, you’re able to think outside the box,” Pace said. “Even if it was thinking about history, math or science, we have to have a new way of looking at things and being creative in order to understand maybe what the questions were the generation before us because no generation has figured out everything right. That’s why we’re excited for you all to have a new way of thinking, and the diversity of that thinking is just like the diversity of us as a whole on this planet.”
However, opinions can be split on art projects in classes where the main subject is not art. Some feel that art projects in their non-art related classes can be a distraction, taking away from the main focus of the class and abruptly changing the workflow.
Yet art projects do not have to take up a lot of class time and can be implemented simply once or twice a year for each class, allowing for a refreshing break.
”I think art allows students to apply math in a way that makes them feel free, and I get to see a lot of artistic ability,” math teacher Rachel Schneble said. “We don’t get to do a lot of art projects in math, so it allows people to have a little bit of freedom and put themselves into their work, which doesn’t always get to be seen.”
Ultimately, art projects, even in non-art classes, do indeed bring a greater benefit to students than potential downsides. If each class took the time to liven up their coursework with the use of the arts, students would gain educational and psychological benefits, not to mention a fun experience in an otherwise difficult environment.
