Chapter 3: Art and Community: Visual Arts and Service-Learning Within a Democratic Framework

The title of my course is simple: Art and Community. What lies behind that relationship, however, is quite complex. What is the value of art to a community and what are the possibilities for the arts in shaping a society? More specifically, how might the arts facilitate a process of democratization where equal opportunity and a grounded education should exist for all? I interpret Májozo’s (1995) quote above as a call to artists to tie into their larger community, to draw inspiration beyond the studio walls, and to think of working in a manner that creates human connection in order to address immediate concerns of that community. Essential to this is that society value the arts beyond something for leisure and relaxation, for aesthetic appeal or beauty alone; the ability to do this is grounded in a firm process of art education (children in particular) in a manner that illuminates the myriad ways in which the arts can influence individuals and by extension their culture in positive, affirming ways.