Art isn’t just something that looks pretty. In fact, art may not even look or sound good. But, it most definitely will make you feel. Maybe it will make you feel good, bad, sad, angry, inspired or discontent. Sometimes the art is for you, sometimes it is for the artist. Sometimes it exists to send a message or sometimes to say nothing at all besides “I exist.”
The problem we all seem to be having lately is a big voice telling us who can and cannot do things. As a future educator, I have to be extremely aware of boundaries for each individual student, whether physical, mental, legal or sometimes requested by parents. But, as most educators believe, that awareness of boundaries must also come with an extra awareness that some of these boundaries can, and most likely will, be broken. It’s a fine line teachers walk, but having a philosophy that all students are capable of extraordinary things because they are extraordinary people is essential.
This is where art is an extremely powerful tool to utilize. Art has no right or wrong answer. It has no boundaries—in fact, the less boundaries there are, the more interesting, meaningful and impactful the art is for all. We are seeing more and more art programs taken away but simultaneously an increase in public belief that art is necessary. So, this is just one more thing classroom teachers need to do meanwhile trying to keep their jobs by administering tests and keeping those scores high. Teachers may not always have an idea of how to incorporate this right away either. But, it can be very simple. Doing artist studies and understanding the people behind artwork or the techniques they use and learning that way is fun and an easy thing to do for teachers.
A great place to start looking for artists that inspire is a kick-butt organization with a philosophy rooted in “art that transcends and connects” and a mission “to connect people through art.” Not only are they firm believers in art as a universal language, but they also want to harness that as a power to grant everyone access to share their stories. This organization is called We Are Lions. You can wear and put up their artwork all around to remind you to #roarloud, share your story, and look for inspiration everywhere you go.
And the greatest part? They live up to this mission everyday by giving people a chance to share their stories and feelings who truly need it—artists young and old, from all over the U.S. and Canada, and are diagnosed with a disability or mental illness. This is HUGE people! And not only are these artists finally getting a chance to make a living doing something they love that is so cool, but now students everywhere get a chance to identify with their artistic storytelling and feel like part of something huge. And students who really identify with the artists now have a plethora of role models. If they thought they couldn’t do it—if anyone thought they couldn’t do it—they now have proof that they can.
This is excellent for students everywhere who identify with the artists, but for those around the artists it gives a window into the artist's world. People who have Autism or Aspergers have unique ways of perceiving the world around them that can be very different than others. Using art as a way for the artist to express what they see and feel offers those around them a small glimpse into their world, like offering us a small gift from their exceptional mind.
So, if you are going to be a future educator of any kind or just a human being living in the world, check out We Are Lions at http://www.wearelions.org/ and support some extraordinary people who are making some extraordinary art. Bonus: you will look really good while feeling really really good, too.
P.S. BIG shout out to Gabriel Flippo at We Are Lions for providing information for this article, sharing insights, and working so hard for these amazing artists. You are a hero.
