Towards An Integrated Understanding of Art, Spirituality, and Well-Being

Abstract

This paper explores how art and spirituality are connected and examines how art-based pedagogy, including art appreciation and art making, can facilitate not only developing emotional skills, but also cultivating spirituality and spiritual wisdom in management education. It further proposes that art appreciation is a virtuous activity, as it can facilitate the learning of spiritual values in a more personally meaningful way. By presenting an integrated model of art appreciation and sharing pedagogical examples of art appreciation, I propose that art appreciation can provide a more intuitive and immediate approach for developing spiritual values such as empathy and interpersonal care in management education. The primary purpose of this paper is therefore to explore the pedagogical potential of contemplative art-based practices in cultivating not only the students’ emotional skills, but also their understanding of spirituality, thereby contributing to a heightened sense of their personal empowerment and overall well-being.

Slow art plus: developing and piloting a single session art gallery-based intervention for mental health promotion via a mixed method waitlist randomized control trial

“…Past research has shown that mindfulness practices enhance mental habits conducive to creativity ( 13 ) which may result in richer art-viewing experiences and expressive artwork among children and adults ( 14 ). The integration of art appreciation and mindfulness extends beyond the gallery, where such practices were proposed to support meaning-making and the development of practical wisdom among business students, suggesting the role of mindful art appreciation in supporting management education ( 15 , 16 ).…”