Our Boundless Imaginations by Janice Carter



A few weeks ago I was fortunate to see the Yayoi Kusama exhibit - Infinity Mirrors -  in my home city.  This touring exhibition by an imaginative and unusual- perhaps even eccentric - artist has had our city enthralled, judging by the challenges of purchasing tickets as well as the long lines into and through the 'rooms' of the exhibit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VwJMw_fLvI

Even the new red streetcars here sported huge black and white polka dots in homage to the show!  And the kaleidoscopic views into worlds of mirrors reminded me of those old view masters of my childhood. Anyone else remember those? :)

I'm in there...somewhere!

     I was entranced. While art critics differ in their reviews of Kusama's work, one cannot deny her boundless imagination.  For me, it was all about the experience rather than the meaning.
    Days later, I read a newspaper article about a 13 year old musical prodigy, a girl composer who began to play serious music on a toy piano at age two. She has already composed an opera and plays concerts around the world. She explained in a radio interview that she's always heard music in her head.
    These two very different and gifted artists got me thinking about the imagination and how lucky we humans are not only to have one (and I'm sure most of us do, about something!), but especially to be able - in most countries in the world - to express it however we chooser. Humans have been using their imaginations since the very beginning of their existence. Those prehistoric hand prints on cave walls alongside drawings proudly proclaim, "I was here! I did this!"
    Our imaginations are unleashed by all the arts, but the one most dear to mine is the written word. If all art is perceived subjectively, and I believe it is to a certain degree, then surely books offer the ultimate imaginative experience. In reading, we have to use all of our senses to picture what the author intends - or may not intend - us to see.
    There's an annual province-wide contest here in Ontario aptly called The Forest of Reading, sponsored  by the Ontario Library Association. It supports our country's authors and is aimed at students from K to 8. Students read the nominated books in their age category and vote for their favorite.  The cool thing is, only they can vote. No adults.  At the awards ceremonies, the finalist authors file on stage and are greeted like rock stars, with cheers, screams and applause by kids from every background from all over the province. Taking students to that celebration was the highlight of my many years of teaching.

     But these musings about imagination and the arts had a reality check with another recent article announcing more cut-backs in the arts in education.  Most schools here already do not have a full-time music teacher or librarian. As for drama and visual arts? Forget it. If we can't afford to have the arts in all our schools here, what hope do countless other education systems have in less affluent places worldwide? The arts should  not be considered 'frills' in the curriculum.
    In the meantime, we can only keep on doing what authors do and what we love to do. Write books. Read books. Buy books. Give our children and their children every opportunity to write, paint, sculpt, draw, play and sing, using their boundless imaginations.

Janice Carter


Comments

  1. And to continue your thoughts, Janice, the imagination doesn't stop with its expression in the arts. In the sciences and engineering, minds seek possibilities beyond what is to what could be.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For sure, M.K. It seems nowadays though that more school money goes into the maths and sciences. We definitely need imaginations everywhere, don’t we?

      Delete
  2. Yes! (waving hand) Me. I still have my Viewmaster and reels. And agree that art in the schools is important. Not long ago in Wyoming on a visit I saw a display of art by high schoolers, much of it amazing. My husband and I bought two beautiful paintings—maybe the start of those kids’ careers?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How cool that you not ly have the Viewmaster but the reels, Leigh! It’s also very cool to support budding artists.

      Delete
  3. I am so saddened that the arts are becoming so underrepresented in schools. We went to a school play this weekend--my daughter heads the drama department at the local high school--and were so sorry to see a crowd of fewer than 20. Even in a small school, this is tiny. Thanks for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is sad, Liz. A few days ago I attended a musical with my daughter and it was such a wonderful performance and the best part? Sharing the emotion and thrill of it with her. Kudos to your daughter...the attendance might have been sparse at the school play but the memory of it will be with those students a long time!

      Delete
  4. I remember Veiwmasters. What an unusual exhibit. My favorite on the video was the pumpkin room. Yes, imagination is a gift.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The pumpkin room was very whimsical. A Charlie Brown dream!

      Delete
  5. I hate that they cut the arts. I remember my high school art class vividly, math - not so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree Pamela. If they need to cut, find places in all the curricula, not just the arts. My favourite class was always English (since I’m useless in the visual arts) and later, as a teacher, it was sad to see school libraries under attack.

      Delete
  6. I am very lucky that my school still very much supports arts. The kids prepared for weeks for an art exhibit and several members of the community were invited to be judges. We had a huge assembly and prizes were given for each grade level. One of my little boys, who is very low academically, never wins any school awards and he won best of show. He received a huge plague and some art supplies. It was so exciting because every kid has a chance to excel somewhere.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That’s so wonderful LeAnne, to celebrate achievement like that! We do have some nice art programs in schools here but many are funded by parents through PTAs or through special grants. School administrations often use teachers to cover art or music who aren’t really qualified but they have no choice.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I hate seeing music and art classes cut...although both were always a struggle for me. But those classes keep the creative spark going. We have a lot of retired art teachers who give free or next to free lessons to the kids in our town.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment