A visual arts degree teaches valuable job skills that students will need for work

Education experts reveal how a visual arts degree is a valuable tool for more workers than those who aspire to be a professional artist.

Visual art teaches skills that are relevant to all employment sectors and is far more than just a “bit of fun between serious classes’’.

University of New South Wales senior lecturer Dr Karen Maras says art teaches resilience, critical and creative thinking and understanding, which are important to any job role.

“What employers really value about students who have some experience of learning in visual arts is the ability to think laterally, think critically (and) come up with creative proposals for different ways of doing things,’’ Maras says.

“When students talk about a work of art, you hear them saying, ‘You can see it this way but you can also see it that way’ – they becoming really good at reasoning out different possibilities (and) adopting different points of view.

“Art is a way of seeing how other people portray the world back to us.

“That gives students the chance to reflect on a range of views and put forward their own.’’

Maras believes art education provides students with invaluable skills for a tough economy post-coronavirus and admits she has lost patience with the view that it is just “a bit of fun between serious classes’’.

Lilian Henscke believes her visual arts studies are beneficial to her engineering job.

Adelaide Central School of Art chief executive Penny Griggs says weekend and short courses in observational drawing or other art techniques offer an enjoyable way to learn a range of skills that can then be implemented in the workplace.

She says many of the school’s students are enrolled part time and report using the concepts they learn in their work life, regardless of sector.

“Visual art is about being open to other people’s perspectives,” Griggs says.

“It’s ultimately about exploring ideas.

“A lot of our education in visual arts is about self-reflection.

“The benefits to the workplace make sense but it’s not something that is widely recognised.’’

University of South Australia engineering innovation Professor David Cropley says creativity is vital to solving the problems of a COVID-disrupted world.

“Creativity is now widely seen as a vital 21st century capability,’’ he says.

“But creativity is not only about the solution.

“It is also about personal attitudes and dispositions and the surrounding environment.’’

Lilian Henscke, 54, is completing a visual arts degree part time and says her studies have been extremely beneficial to her work as an engineer and a City of Burnside councillor.

“My training in art means I can look at these built forms – the built landscapes, roads, paving and the whole layout and design – with my eyes open to the aesthetics of the environment,’’ Henscke says.

Originally published as A visual arts degree teaches valuable job skills that students will need for work