Art and Memory: An Examination of the Learning Benefits of Visual-Art Exposure

Abstract

Education sometimes seems to be a matter of analysis of statistics and test scores. In order to gain a more personal perspective, let us consider a little boy named Oscar. Oscar is having difficulty in his studies at school. His teachers say that he is very disruptive and that he is not interested in his studies. The only activity that Oscar seems to be interested in doing is drawing. It is important to note that drawing is not a valued skill where Oscar is from, and the curriculum does not offer any art classes in which he can express his creative interests. This frustration in Oscar's life came to a climax when he decided to skip his finals and head off to pursue his dreams. Had Oscar been provided a creative outlet in school, he might have been able to more easily express his creative abilities. In spite of all the odds against him, Oscar did become a great artist, whom we all know better as Oscar Claude Monet (Losiowski, 2009). Although Monet was able to overcome the odds against him, how many great artists have been lost to history because they had no creative outlets in school? Education is one of the most important experiences in a child's life, and learning is often emphasized as the primary means by which one is able to excel or achieve success. Not surprisingly, there is substantial emphasis placed on subjects that can be assessed in standardized tests such as mathematics and English (Roher, 2005). Alternatively, when one considers important educational goals, the arts may not be perceived as a priority. Indeed, the arts may often be the first areas to be cut in times of budget crises (Deforge, 2009). The famous Jacques-Louis David argued that To give body and perfect form to your thought, this alone is what it is to be an artist (Artquotes.net, 2009, para. 2). If people assume that David is correct, then it is not unreasonable to say that art and thought are inter-connected, and consequently art may be a critical component of education. Modern research has provided support for this claim. For example, studies have found that the longer children are involved in visual art, the more complex their artwork becomes (e.g., Hanline & Milton, 2007). Interestingly, Cherney et al. (2006) suggested that greater complexity of artwork reflects greater complexity of the underlying thought processes. Notably, surveys have found that 93% of Americans do feel that the arts are vital in terms of contributing to a well-rounded education, and 86% agree that the arts improve children's attitudes toward school (Ruppert, 2006). Given these viewpoints, it is understandable if school systems were to stress art education as part of their curriculum. However, as noted above, this is often not the case, and art programs are often vulnerable to budget cuts (Russell, 2008). Russell (2008) noted that the federal No Child Left Behind law, for example, requires students to participate in the arts, yet there are no state exams for art education as there are for areas such as math or science. These findings might suggest that, although the arts may be valued, art education may not be emphasized in practice, as tangible educational benefits may not be apparent. Studies do suggest, however, that the arts may be a beneficial component of the educational curriculum, and can promote positive outcomes in academic achievement, as well as perseverance in learning tasks (Darby, 1994). Young (2005), for example, speculated that art programs facilitate the acquisition of critical thinking skills that are applicable to other subject areas. Winner (2007) found that several skills are shared by both the arts and the sciences, including observation, envisioning, reflection, expression, and exploration. Winner also speculated that by encouraging development of these skills through the arts, these skills may then be transferable to other areas such as the sciences. A recent study by Finnan-Jones (2008) found that children who were learning English as their second language while involved in an art-education program displayed greater gains in both mathematical achievement and their language learning than those who were not involved in an arts-education program. …

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