The social function of art design

The Philosophical Review, 2007

Ironically, but not surprisingly, contemporary interest in theories of art blossomed in response to arguments given some fifty years ago to show that art cannot be defined. So-called anti-essentialism continues to thrive and must be taken seriously, although optimists about the project of definition outnumber the skeptics. Gary Iseminger's book contributes to the dispute largely by changing the subject. To understand art, we do not need a definition of art. What we need instead is an account of the function and value of art. With that thought in place, Iseminger sets out to show that the function and value of art are aesthetic. The book's two main arguments are stated directly. The first concerns the function of art: (AF) If something is good at doing something that it was designed and made to do, then doing it is its artifactual function, (Fact) The artworld is good at promoting aesthetic communication, which it was designed and made to do, So (F) the function of the artworld is to promote aesthetic communication.

2020

As society changes rapidly, it is important to balance material and mental (cultural) aspects. In particular, as the environment of the times changes and the citizens' value for art changes, the social function of effective arts and culture is strengthened only if cultural arts-based public services are developed and spread. This study identifies how important the contribution of arts activities to the development of citizens and social culture is as the economy grows. It analyzes the case of the Seoul Arts Center, Korea’s representative art center, to derive specific success factors and know-how about what role and development process should be sought. In order to examine the impact of artistic activities on the society and its citizens, a case study was conducted based on the AGIL model in Parsons' structural functionalist approach. As a result, Seoul Arts Center concretely showed the social positive function of art by strengthening classical cultural arts in Korea and rea...

2017

Since the earliest civilizations, art has become an essential part of society. Back then, people were not allowed to express their opinions and insights, especially about the things that were controversial in society. Thus, some choose to express their beliefs through works of art. Artists, who existed in a period when citizens were given limited freedom of expression, successfully communicated their thoughts via paintings, sculptures, songs, and other art forms. Today, art continues to play a major role in social change. Until now,

Fu, Pin-Hui.(2008). Impact of Art:The Social Role and Critical Function of Art Works. Paper Presented at the The 32nd InSEA World Congress, Osaka, Japan.

International Journal of Education through Art, 2010

Fruit of the work of our research group, set up 10 years ago at the Faculty of Education of the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, this paper will show a review on how art can help and empower children and adults with risk of exclusion in different settings. We have been working with an intercultural, gender-equity and social inclusion perspective. From this standpoint, we will show how our group has developed a methodology than can be validated in several domains. We will show the foundations of our proposals, and we will present experiences in educational and social areas, showing how can we work on gender and interculturality; in clinical areas, where we have been working with art therapy and empowerment, and in cultural areas, where we show, from a new museological perspective, how it is possible to reconstruct new narratives that help marginalised groups to get stronger, and that transform museums in social agents for change.

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ: JYVÄSKYLÄ STUDIES IN HUMANITIES 242, 2015

Over the past half century, numerous art practices have expanded the field of art production across disciplinary boundaries and become more involved with non-art social institutions and organizations. These practices are often undertaken beyond the conventional venues such as galleries and museums. Focusing on dealing with social and political issues, these practices depend on, and value, the collaborative participation of people in communities. This unprecedented tendency has changed all aspects of art making, perception and distribution. These practices together demonstrate a multiform and contingent nature. Under the umbrella term “socially engaged art”, there are a variety of projects that differ from each other based on their purposes and, consequently, working methods. This dissertation sets forth the concept of benefit-oriented socially engaged art (BOSEA). Based on in-depth case study of the Art for the Disabled Scheme, and the Art and Culture Companions, this dissertation develops a better understanding of benefit-oriented socially engaged art practices within the framework of socially engaged art and their position within the whole scene of contemporary culture and art. Benefit-oriented socially engaged art practices aim at bringing benefits to individuals and communities through art-based services. These practices are often ignored and excluded from art discussions due to their practical purposes and functional mechanisms. This research reveals that although situated on a fuzzy territory between art and non-art, between art and social work, benefit-oriented socially engaged art practices still embody aesthetic value. The blossom of these projects reveals a new thinking about the relationship between contemporary art and society—art is used as a service to enhance the well-being of people, and a new way for artists to adopt creativity for providing holistic solutions in order to make social change on the grassroots level. The study of benefit-oriented practices points to an open future for art, and reveals the possibility to synthesize different research paradigms into a more unified worldview based on new understanding of the function of art and artists. Keywords: benefit, socially engaged art, service, social disciplines, social work, aesthetic tension, artworld

The following five themes are crucial factors for the development of art museums as a factor of local development. (1) Local community involvement and supports, (2) Locations and architectural structure, (3) Types of art and cultural activities, (4) Stakeholders mapping and collaboration, and (5) Develop a long-­-range plan and strategy.

International Journal of Education Through Art, 2010

The fruit of the work of our research group, set up ten years ago at the Faculty of Education of the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, this article will present a review on how art can help and empower children and adults at risk of exclusion in different settings. We have been working from an intercultural, gender-equity and social inclusion perspective, introducing methods of art therapy practice. From this standpoint, we will show how our group has developed a methodology that can be validated in several domains. We will show the foundations of our proposals, and will present experiences in educational and social areas, showing how we can work on gender and interculturality, in clinical areas, where we have been working with art therapy and empowerment, and in cultural areas, where we show, from a new museological perspective, how it is possible to reconstruct new narratives that help marginalized groups to become stronger, and that transform museums into social agents for change.

2005

The belief that art stands independent of the social process and that the artist is free from the obligations and standards that are part of the cultural ethos is both misguided in theory and false in fact. Yet the claim of freedom for art, not for artists alone but for the functioning of the aesthetic sphere of culture, captures the vital core of that activity. This is because the arts have the ability to engage us in experience that is rich in perceptual awareness and in resonance of meaning, and such experience always has a social aspect and social content. What the arts offer society in achieving this experience, however, can only be realized when artists are free to pursue their own course, to explore their creative perceptions and to embody them in their work. The value of a work of art, then, has a social dimension, yet it leads to a paradoxical conclusion: Only when art is free from social constraint can it make its unique social contribution.