Expanding Minds Through Art
How did you learn your ABCs? Was it by song? Did you learn you were left or right-handed through drawing? Did a nursery rhyme teach you about poetry? There is little doubt that art is one of the most effective tools for development.
Through programming designed to inspire creativity in all its forms, ICAN allows kids to experience music and literature from all around the world without having to leave their home.
Sarah Zwinklis, ICAN’s program manager, host, and producer, believes all types of art—music, literature, visual arts—contribute to the well-being of children and their families: “All the things you feel good about, all the things you think are comforting—like your blankets, your toys, your art, music…even the food that you eat or the drinks that you’re comfortable with…would not exist without the idea of art,” said Sarah.
People of all ages use art as a tool to process the world around them. “For kids, it opens up a conversation that they can have with their parents about these other cultures and talk about other people and what they experience,” said Sarah.
Parents and children alike naturally gravitate towards using artistic tools to expand knowledge and awareness of self and those around them. In this way, creating art is an inherently human, natural skill that broadens what we believe is possible for ourselves.
“Music can paint a picture in your mind and [inspire] kids to go to museums or to make their own art, and having kids talk about their own poems that they’ve created…maybe kids didn’t think that they could be poets, but hearing other people who have created their own poems can inspire [other kids].”
Hearing or seeing art created by someone like you, such as a child experiencing another child’s art, can be uplifting and inspirational—this leads to children thinking, ‘if this person who is like me can create something, why can’t I?’
Experiencing art created by others builds a connection and understanding between people of all ages, nationally and internationally. Tune in to ICAN and experience music and poetry that infuses daily life with creativity and possibility.
