Artfully Learning Audio Series Episode 18: The Artful Audacity of Hope

As a writer focusing on a cross-examination of the visual art world and educational environment, in order to show the benefits art has on overall learning; it is my mission to seek out others who are also passionate about these themes. One of my proudest achievements is having Artfully Learning become a community of individuals who either are looking to learn more about integrating art and education, or are already working at the forefront of educationally themed art. I am grateful for readers and who have reached out with questions, recommendations and introductions. So thank you for continuing to interact with me through this platform.

My previous Artfully Learning Audio Series guest, Jeff Kasper, alerted me to one of his MFA students at UMass Amherst, named Sally Curcio, who cited my piece “Learning Through Play, Playing Through Art” in her thesis paper Tableaux for the Future. I was honored to be referenced in her research. The rewarding feeling was twofold, in that this experience introduced me to Sally’s artwork, and I was immediately compelled to write about it in a blog post (see: “Futurist Dreams and Artful Realities”). Essentially, the connection we had via our writing has come full circle.

Sally’s work is a vital part of the lineage that learning through play and creatively exploring with educational materials like blocks has had on shaping our overall society. Making models using educational materials and found objects has long inspired the optimistic visions of architects and artists whose work shows us what is possible in a well balanced and functioning society. What stands out from her sculpture and installations, is the unbridled optimism and playful sense of possibility, expressed through a combination of form, color, balance and scale. At large, the structures that make up the tableaux have a very unified look. This arrangement is made even more familiar and comforting when you take the time to look closely and realize that she has repurposed everyday materials like combs, ice trays and egg cartons, to represent the affordances of objects in urban spaces. By using ordinary materials in extraordinary ways, Sally’s art makes a statement that we can achieve great and beautiful things in our everyday lives, even when it seems as though the odds are stacked against us.

A better world is not out of the question, and art has a variety of answers and visionary examples that should inspire us to work towards making the idealistic elements of futurist societies a distinct possibility. In “The Artful Audacity of Hope,” Sally and I discuss some of the ways that art can help us envision and achieve our full potential.

This episode is now available on the Artfully Learning YouTube channel (please be sure to subscribe so you get notified about future episodes!).

You can also listen to it below: