Arts for Young People in Regional Victoria
5th February 2009
With arts2GO launching its first tour for 2009 into schools across Victoria it is timely to discuss the importance of engaging young people in live performing arts in regional and remote communities, particularly in these troubled times. Any thoughts?
Member Comments
Arts for Young People
(): 11th Feb 09
I think that for us to better understand how young people engage in art, we need to try and understand what a broad definition you can attach to the word 'art'.
The word 'art' stills seems to have attached to it some sort of stigma where a lot of young people would think of it as limited to more traditional visual or performing arts. For this reason, a lot of young people would understate their involvement in the arts - "I don't do drama and I hate painting, I think art is boring."
Yet the same young person will go home and create amazing images in computer programs like Illlustrator or Photoshop to decorate their MySpace page, film themselves or their friends as they injuure themselves trying new tricks on their skateboard or even listen to some nu-wave-punk-metal-jazz-fusion-emo music they have just downloaded from iTunes.
The point is, at some point the question has to be asked - when do we stop trying to engage young people in art, and starting letting them engage us in art?
I think by broadening our definitions, we might get some insight into what role the arts community can play in developing young talent through more non-traditional means.
young people, what do they want in arts?
Jo Grant: 16th Mar 09
We have to understand what our competition is when it comes to trying to engage young people in the arts (especially in a regional area) - I agree with the previous comment, young people don't tend to categorise their 'doing', they just do it and it comes in many forms. Some kids might find the most creative thing is their committment to surfing every morning or learning manouvres at the skate park (at least in my area they do). We have to ask them what they want and then find a creative way of engaging them so they don't feel awkward working with a bunch of adults.
As far as performing arts experiences for them, I'd like to see some interactive shows or teaching kids through performance skills. There's a need for that I think. Workshops in performing arts or projects that have a real contribution from the kids, to give them a bit of what is possible for them, would be great.
