1.3.2 The power of the arts
The power of creative disciplines cannot be understated. The arts help us to ‘say what words can never say’ (Eisner, 2002, p. 205) and to have experiences we can have from no other source. As arts educator Elliot Eisner proposes, ‘through the arts we learn to see what we had not noticed [and] to feel what we had not felt’ (2002, p. 12). They allow multiple perspectives to be expressed simultaneously and can support both cognition and emotion.
The arts leave a space for the human imagination that can support empathetic understanding and achieve great emotional impact. This, in turn, can be a catalyst to achieve change. Through the arts we can not only know, but also feel possible futures, and this makes them particularly powerful both as a form of climate-related activism, and as a means of increasing understanding about the impact of the climate crisis.
One way in which the arts, in their many forms, can help educators and learners address the climate emergency is by supporting ‘radical empathy’ in the interests of climate justice. Givens (2020) explains that:
Radical empathy is moving beyond walking in someone else’s shoes and requires taking actions that will not only help that person but will also improve our society. Practicing radical empathy can provide real change in people’s lives, but I would emphasize the word practicing – having empathy is different from practicing empathy.
Visual art, creative writing, theatrical performance and music can:
- help convey climate science data in an accessible way
- communicate the extent and consequences of environmental collapse and the urgent need for action
- spark dialogue and encourage critical thinking about the complex and interconnected issues surrounding climate change
- inspire, motivate and provoke emotions that are sufficiently strong to drive the immediate action needed if we’re to avert catastrophic environmental collapse that will render our planet uninhabitable.