Transformative arts is the use of artistic activities, such as story-telling,

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

, and music-making, to precipitate constructive individual and social change. The individual changes effected through transformative arts are commonly cognitive and emotional. This results from the way participation in a

creative process Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed literary w ...

and pursuit of an artistic practice can promote a critical re-evaluation of previously held

beliefs A belief is an attitude that something is the case, or that some proposition is true. In epistemology, philosophers use the term "belief" to refer to attitudes about the world which can be either true or false. To believe something is to take i ...

, accompanied by unfamiliar

feelings Feelings are subjective self-contained phenomenal experiences. According to the ''APA Dictionary of Psychology'', a feeling is "a self-contained phenomenal experience"; and feelings are "subjective, evaluative, and independent of the sensations ...

, which alters

perception Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system ...

of the world, oneself, and others. The social changes effected through transformative arts occurs when this altered perception manifests in new ways of interacting with others. Although engagement in artistic activities has been integral to the means by which individuals and communities have sought personal comfort,

self-reflection Self-reflection is the ability to witness and evaluate our own cognitive, emotional, and behavioural processes. In psychology, other terms used for this self-observation include 'reflective awareness', and 'reflective consciousness', which orig ...

, and

group cohesion Group cohesiveness (also called group cohesion and social cohesion) arises when bonds link members of a social group to one another and to the group as a whole. Although cohesion is a multi-faceted process, it can be broken down into four main co ...

for thousands of years, the origin of transformative arts as a modern formal concept is commonly attributed to the work of John Dewey. Dewey espoused four main ideas around which transformative arts pivot. Firstly, art is not an object but an experience, in which one or more persons participate. Secondly, every individual is potentially an artist by way of his or her capacity to participate in this experience, through any artistic activity. Thirdly, such participation inevitably precipitates some kind of transformative change to how the participants think, feel, and behave. Fourthly, art is therefore both psychological and social, transforming not only individual intrapersonal processes, but also interpersonal relationships. Accordingly, transformative arts are facilitated by artists with the psychological purpose of promoting individual

introspection Introspection is the examination of one's own conscious thoughts and feelings. In psychology, the process of introspection relies on the observation of one's mental state, while in a spiritual context it may refer to the examination of one's sou ...

, and with the social purpose of promoting

inclusion Inclusion or Include may refer to: Sociology * Social inclusion, aims to create an environment that supports equal opportunity for individuals and groups that form a society. ** Inclusion (disability rights), promotion of people with disabiliti ...

, reciprocity, and

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

.LeBaron, M. and Sarra, J. eds., 2018. Changing Our Worlds: Arts as Transformative Practice (Vol. 12). AFRICAN SUN MeDIA.

References

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External links

International Society for Transformative Arts
The arts Change Creative arts therapies Activism