The Many Uses of Art

 

Blog 4

 

If you have visited my website, you have noticed that aside from my artworks and art courses, which reflect my love for nature and art, I also teach German. When I first started teaching, I started teaching German before teaching art. As a German citizen with a degree as a Foreign Language Correspondent, I took the opportunity to teach German beginner classes at one of the City of Ottawa recreation centres. It was a chance to share my language and traditions with people who wanted to learn German. Later, I also started teaching government employees for a private company.


I loved teaching German as much as I love teaching art. A couple of years ago, I realized that I had an advantage over other German instructors to distinguish myself from the crowd. I could combine my skills as an artist with my language ones. The result is my programme Learn German Through Art. Did you know that 65 Percent of the population are visual learners? Therefore, it is no surprise that art is used in many different areas to visualize content.


When we talk about art, we think of the masters or the fun we experience pursuing a creative hobby. Visual art allows you to express yourself in a non-verbal way. However, art is not only used to capture the beauty of our environment, our dreams or visions or images of our imagination. Art helps people deal with a traumatic experience. Frida Kahlo is an artist that comes to my mind when I think of a famous artist who expressed her pain and trauma openly through her art.


Many cultures use art to visualize the content of their beliefs and rituals with symbols. This custom was even crucial to pass knowledge when many people lacked the education to read. Now is part of the heritage and culture of a society.


When many people think of art, they don’t consider the everyday use of drawing and sketching as artistic. However, when you create a map for someone, a drawing to describe an object, a pattern for a sweater, or illustrate mathematical divisions or collections in set theory, these are all based on visual communication using art. 

 

My programme Learn German Through Art is based on the same principle of visual expression to visualize and memorize new content. The result is that my students learn faster and have lots of fun creating their sketches. It does not matter if they have any previous art skills. We can all draw lines (and no, they don’t have to be straight) and simple shapes that are the basis for every artwork. The art part of the class helps to relax and from time to time creates some comical entertainment.


If you are intrigued by my method and want to learn German, please reach out to me by contacting me at info@KerstinPeters.ca.