MASLOW'S HIERACHY OF NEEDS AND ARTS

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory created in 1943 in the psychology area which is part of his paper A Theory of Human Motivation. This theory believes that humans have basic needs which seek to satisfy higher needs. 

"Abraham Maslow viewed humans as having tremendous potential for personal development. he believed it was human nature for people to seek to know more about themselves and to strive tho develop their capacities to the fullest. He viewed human nature as a basically good and saw the striving for self-actualization as a positive process because it leads people to identify their abilities, to strive to develop them, to feel good as they become themselves and to beneficial to society."

Acording to Charles Zastrow and Karen Kay Kirst-Ashman "When people fulfill the most elemental needs, they strive to meet those on the next level, and so forth, until the highest order of needs is reached."

Below we have the image of Maslow's hierarchy which is divided by 5 categories. In descending order of needs we have Self Actualization, Esteem, Love/Belonging, Safety and  in the last point Psychological. 

Relating to this theory where can we introduce art? 

As art can be seen as a self expression could we say that by creating art there is a need and by this it could be included in the Self Actualization need? 

In can also be said that creating art is a way to build social audiences, relate with society. In this case we could include art in the Love/ Belonging category. 

On the other hand we can say that who creates art might do it to achieve respect from others. 

In your opinion is there a need felt by people  to create art?

References:

Zastrow, Kay Kirst-Ashman, C., K. , 2008. Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment. USA: Brooks/Cole

ARTS UMBRELLA

Here is a very interesting program from Canada which stimulates children lives through art to help them with other issues in their life

"Arts Umbrella is a not-for-profit arts education centre for children and youth ages 2 to 19. Arts Umbrella is committed to delivering the highest quality visual and performing arts education to young people, regardless of their socio-economic circumstances."

Parents don't have to worry about having to pay the institution so there won't be the issue of elitism on who will attend or not.

"Arts Umbrella programs have a powerful impact on children. They help children learn to appreciate the arts and to develop their own creativity but even more valuable is the impact on the rest of their lives.

Numerous studies indicate that people who receive arts education early in life reap many tangible, long-term, life-changing benefits. From enhanced critical thinking, improved self-esteem and ability to collaborate, to improved scores in math and science, children gain skills that can help them well into adulthood."

This is another successful program which in my opinion every country and city should have. So that even ethical minorities and children from lower social classes could attend without worrying if their parents have money.

Reference: Arts Umbrella | . 2013. Arts Umbrella | . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.artsumbrella.com. [Accessed 29 April 2013].

BAFTA TELEVISION AWARDS 2013 HIGHLIGHTS

ARE 'REAL TALENTS' BOYCOTTING AWARD CEREMONIES?

Recently it has become evident that artists feel that there is no space for genuine talent at award ceremonies.

With the number of award ceremonies growing in Bollywood, actor Aamir Khan says "I don't see any value in any of these award ceremonies I see around me nowadays. The ones I don't have value from my heart for, I don't go there,". 

Ajay Devgn has also joined him stating "I don't attend award ceremonies. They give awards to those who attend the function. So they keep their options open. If all attend the ceremony then the award gets divided into three categories," Ajay revealed. "They also have to market it; they also have to sell their awards."

Victoria Wood also recently took a snipe out of The Only Way is Essex winning a BAFTA award, saying “put a bunch of real people into situations and get them to act something out”. She added: “To me, that is taking the bread out of the actors’ mouths.”

Do you think they have a point or should they be supporting their own industry whether it's real talent or not? 

Bollywood losing faith in award ceremonies?. 2013. Bollywood losing faith in award ceremonies?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.masala.com/28413-bollywood-losing-faith-in-award-ceremonies. [Accessed 29 April 2013].

ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TODAY TO BUILD AUDIENCES FOR TOMORROW

In March 2009, a survey was undertaken by the Arts Council to explore the relationship between childhood arts experiences and arts engagement patterns in adulthood. The analysis was reported in the publication 'Encourage children today to build audiences for tomorrow'.

"Our analysis indicates that encouragement to attend and participate in the arts when growing up is associated with significantly higher chances of being an active arts consumer as an adult. Being taken to arts events when growing up significantly increases the chances of both adult attendance and participation. Similarly, receiving encouragement to participate in the arts when growing up makes one more likely both to participate in arts activities and to attend arts events as an adult.

These effects are present even after a range of other socio- demographic factors (the respondents’ age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, health, age of children in household, region, education, social class, income, social status) as well as the social status of the respondents’ parents (head of household, usually father) have been taken into account."

It is also said in this document that " children who are encouraged to engage in the arts when growing up are likely to learn to consider the arts an appropriate activity for ‘people like them’. Early exposure can demystify the arts and make them an attractive, or at least not unusual, possibility for one’s leisure time. Parental endorsement of arts events and activities as beneficial might have a particularly strong impact on children, since, in the period when children live at home at least, parents

tend to be a key influence on the development of child’s knowledge, values and sense of social norms. For those children who do not receive such parental endorsement of the arts and have fewer or no opportunities to experience the arts as a child, then, the arts remain a more distant sphere – for some, a sphere that they actively associate with elitism, pretence and exclusion."

In your opinion do you agree with this study?

Do you think that if children engage with arts early in their lives would they be more encouraged and confident to participate in arts?

An other point that has come up in this study suggests also that ethnic minorities and lower social statuses are a great influence in children not participating in arts. And a solution for this would be "Providing more opportunities for children to engage in the arts outside the family context, might be one way to ensure that a larger number of people have a chance to experience and become familiar with the arts when growing up."

Do you agree that families have a great influence in their children's participation in arts and that this would affect them in their adult life?

References: . 2013. . [ONLINE] Available at:http://users.ox.ac.uk/~sfos0006/papers/children.pdf. [Accessed 27 April 2013].

ARTS AWARD

This is a program managed by the Trinity College London and in association with the Arts Council England which has an award program for anyone aged between 7 and 25. 

" Through Arts Award young people learn to work independently, helping them to prepare for further education and employment."

Arts Awards has been inspiring young people to produce art and to let them see that they can have a professional future in the arts world. With the help from the Arts Council England, Arts Award has been able to help 1,680 young people.

‘The Arts Award celebrates young people’s creativity and recognises their commitment to the arts. But it also demonstrates how successfully young people lead one another to get involved and participate. It is a leadership born out of passion – the passion to express yourself, the passion to bring others with you on that voyage of discovery which the arts makes possible and so exciting’ (Rt Hon David Lammy MP,

Minister for Culture speaking at the launch of the Arts Award, October 2005)

As it states in the Arts Award pilot document ' The Arts Award offers Arts Council England a new way of working with young people. It enables us to celebrate individual development through the arts and help young people to explore personal pathways in the arts world. It also creates new opportunities for us to work in partnership with the education and youth sector to demonstrate the impact of the arts on young people.'

Arts Award incentives young people to choose their own art, they should express themselves in a way they feel more comfortable either if it's photography, fashion, film, writing, plastic arts or even dance.

In conclusion their mission is ' to support any young person to deepen their engagement with arts, develop creativity and leadership skills, and achieve a national qualification.

REFERENCES:

Arts Council England, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Arts Award.Online; http://www.artsaward.org.uk/site/?id=1977

HOW TO MANAGE AWARD CEREMONIES

Here's a great post from Cooler Insights for 'How to Manage Award Ceremonies'. Follow his tips to ensure a successful event.