When UMass established the General Education Curriculum, the provost invited us to create a model course—The Lively Arts—the university’s first interdisciplinary arts course, designed so you can meet guest artists in person and attend their performances and exhibitions. A unique feature of The Lively Arts is the opportunity to ask artists questions during lectures. Learning how artists think when they are performing or creating provides insight into their lives and work.Evidence shows that employers are looking for creative problem-solvers, effective communicators, and productive contributors in a diverse workplace. Throughout The Lively Arts, you will improve your skills in writing, critical thinking, and working with diverse perspectives. The goals of The Lively Arts are:
• Describe concepts and techniques that artists use in their everyday work;
• Situate your personal encounters with art within broader historical and cultural contexts;
• Articulate the significance of artistic expression and experience for the world we live in.
The performances and exhibitions that you attend are central to the course, and most assignments involve writing about them. The cumulative final exam includes live performances. When you bring the arts into your personal world, you gain access to ideas and forms of expression from other places and times. Our course will provide opportunities for you to deepen your understanding and appreciation of some of the diverse art forms of our world. You also will learn how many arts professionals use performing and visual arts to persuade us that the issues, causes, and problems they care deeply about merit our attention.