Can The Arts Bring Us Together?

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Artsy

Bob Ross brings us peace

Chandler Roe, Reporter

In the world we live in everyone has this animosity within them, with the polarization that has became normal for all of us. Communities all over the world are in need of something to bring them together as one unified society. While art has the ability to help people identify with one another, and begin to truly understand our differences & accept them. It’s possible introducing more art into these social environments could begin to shift the feeling of separation into sentiments of acceptance.

Art can be beneficial in many different ways. The University College of London conducted an experiment that showed just looking at paintings increased the blood flow to the brain by 10%. Which is equivalent to looking at the loved one. There was another study done by Neurologists in Germany, it proved that creating art can actually improve the functional connectivity inside the brain, as well as increasing the psychological resilience. Both creating and observing art can create healthier, happier beings. Which can be helpful for everyone involved as a happier person is more likely to be friendly and inclusive.

Most people have been personally moved by a piece of art, whether that was a song, a poem, or a drawing. This is normally combined with a mental experience where we feel deeply connected to that particular piece. This doesn’t have to be experienced as a singular or solitary event. Art luckily is one of the few things that can be truly shared and valued as a group, with people from all walks of life coming together to create one amalgam of all their ideas, creativity and intuition. In order to create a strong connection between humans, we have many different options, we can paint murals in town, start music programs, art projects and even more. The more art that a community has the higher the cultural identity and diversity will be. It can help reduce crime rates, and increase and build social networks. There’s limitless benefits to the addition of the arts in any community.

At its simplest, art is just an enjoyable activity for people to participate in. It is a very healthy thing as well, while certain hobbies can have more reclusive properties, art doesn’t have those qualities. In fact it can actually be more beneficial when it is done as a group, with different opinions and new ideas that can blossom into a wonderful piece of creativity. Anyone can create art as well, you don’t need any experience necessary in order to participate, it is an outlet for anyone and everyone to partake in. Regardless of skill or technique, everyone can take their turn creating something.

In an increasingly distant society, we need to value the activities that can truly bring us back together. If it’s possible to unify a community with something as accessible as art, then it should be a priority to use that in any way we can. The longer it takes the harder it will be to find a common ground, in order to reunite us we must take advantage of the resources we have.