Art as a Tool for Social Connection

Art is a powerful tool for social change, and it can capture people’s attention and inspire them to actual actions. It occurs by employing art to address social and political issues, connect communities, and encourage sustainability. Socially engaged art can positively stimulate social change if steered in the right direction. It has the power to change narratives by initiating vital conversations and discussions through the message it conveys. Art can be employed to increase awareness of social issues and promote positive change in society. Historically artists used their art to articulate political and social issues for example, in United States during the civil rights movement artists created powerful art that challenged the prevailing political and social structures of the time.

Using art as a tool has many benefits such as bringing people from different backgrounds together and creating a sense of shared experience and knowledge. It can also be used to reveal the stories of marginalized communities, giving them a platform to share their perspectives and challenges. Another benefit is that art can be utilized to highlight the effect of people’s activities on environmental and sustainability issues and inspire them to protect the earth.

Art has emerged as a potent tool for fostering social connectedness and reducing loneliness, particularly among older adults.

The significance of participatory arts in strengthening relationships, enhancing self-worth, and promoting feelings of belonging. Community-engaged art programs have been shown to facilitate reciprocal relationships among older adults, caregivers, and the wider community.

Empowering Artists as Agents of Change

Throughout history, artists have used their creativity to address social and political issues, raise awareness, and inspire change. From Shakespeare’s plays to contemporary murals, art has been a powerful tool for social justice. Artists like Hassani, who uses her platform to speak out against women’s oppression, demonstrate the impact art can have on promoting social change.

Public Art as a Tool for Social Justice

Public art has been instrumental in reshaping public narratives of justice and challenging historical invisibility. In Alabama, artists are depicting honest histories, countering a legacy of erasure, and shaping public sentiment. The Black Arts Movement and its contemporary manifestations, such as the Black Lives Matter murals, demonstrate the artistic lineage of social justice movements.

Collaborative Art Ideas

Here are a few collaborative art ideas for when your students need a change of pace. For example, after a long lesson or a project that requires a lot of focus and concentration, a collaborative lesson is a perfect reset. They give students a chance to think quickly, be creative, and most of all – collaborate! Not only does collaboration help prepare them for the real world, but these activities end up being some of my students’ favorite lessons.

I like to do this activity after we finish a painting lesson and we have leftover paint. I give each student a piece of tagboard. The students paint a base painting or underpainting. I encourage students to apply in a thin layer so it dries quickly. While it is drying, I explain the directions. They pass there painting to the next student and the that student gets five minutes to add to the painting, but not cover or erase what others have added. I remind them to keep an open mind and not dictate how they want their painting to look in the end. That is the fun part. Provide students with a variety of paint brushes and tools and set a timer every 5 minutes. Once they have swapped 4 times, the original owner gets their turn to add to their painting. This is my favorite of the collaborative art ideas!

Students work in table groups for this challenge. Similar to the tv show, I give students a basket of ingredients with materials to create a sculpture (aka. junk found in my art room). I give them a time limit and access to other materials and tools to create their sculptures. Usually, I give them two class periods and in the third class period we announce the winner. I select a winner using the following criteria: originality/creativity, craftsmanship, use of basket ingredients and teamwork/collaboration. My students really enjoy working together and stay very focused because of the time limit. The energy and excitement is high with this activity.

This works best with three or less artists to a group. Students make a series of Model Magic spheres and allow them to dry. They can make them colorful with markers if desired. Next the students create tetrahedrons, similar to pyramids. The students dip the toothpicks into liquid glue before sticking them into the spheres. They create several tetrahedrons then work together to join them with additional toothpicks and make their sculpture grow. You can make this a contest of the tallest sculpture or the most creative. The results are fun and the kids are totally engaged and working collaboratively.