Six benefits of investing in art for your family
More than ever, museums, schools and children’s organisations are talking about the rewards of investing in art. In this blog, we consider why children can benefit from an early appreciation of art, and how to encourage this through investing in art for the home.
- Making art a family experience
Displaying artworks in your home can make art more accessible for families.
Lauren Kelley, Associate Director of Curatorial Programs at Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling, recently told Artsy that by challenging “the sense of sacredness associated with what it means to be a viewer,” children can also be encouraged to engage with art.
“You’re tapping into a demographic that usually feels excluded,” she says, “limited by a museum experience of ‘please don’t touch.’”
By investing in art and showing it in communal spaces, you can help children to feel comfortable around art.
You can even strengthen familial bonds by encouraging children and adults to develop powerful shared experiences through artworks.
- Regulating emotions
Other benefits of investing in art are scientifically proven. Several studies have shown a link between creating art and regulating emotions. This is why art is often used in a therapeutic capacity.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has found strong evidence that art can have a positive influence on childhood development. Connections have been found between artistic activities and social or emotional qualities such as helping, caring, and sharing.
By displaying contemporary art around the home, you can celebrate different forms of creativity and build children’s confidence in experimenting with creative pursuits.
- Encouraging creativity
“You don’t instil an appreciation of art in children, children already have it,” explains Barbara Hunt McLanahan, executive director at Children’s Museum of the Arts.
When it comes to children, curiosity comes naturally. It’s not hard to encourage this a little further by investing in art for the home.
Art education programs encourage a relationship between looking at art and creating it. Following this logic, viewing art in the home can also encourage creativity and help to inspire a child’s imagination.
- Helping academic learning
According to Jessica Hamlin, a professor of Arts Education at NYU Steinhardt, making art “correlates with development and brain science.” As she explains, “it’s nurture and nature, not versus.”
The integration of arts with other disciplines can help children develop their understanding of the world. Rather than art being a purely creative pursuit, it’s often used as a way to approach other academic subjects and help children to make sense of new topics.
- Growing up
It’s easy to sometimes underestimate what young children can understand or appreciate.
“No art, no matter how abstract or supposedly ‘difficult,’ is off-limits for children,” notes NEA arts education specialist Terry Liu.
“That said, some artwork, because of style or content, might resonate more at different stages of life.
For example, artwork that engages with questions of identity might be great for teens, and highly experiential, abstract works can be a hit with very little ones.”
- Promoting diversity
Now to consider the benefits of investing in art by contemporary names in particular. Contemporary art offers a way into a more expansive, diverse understanding of the world.
“Artists should be real human beings for kids, not just mythical characters,” says Hamlin.
How to begin investing in art for your family
Here at Maddox Gallery, we always tell visitors to invest with their eyes. You should always buy art that you enjoy, and that you will be happy to display in your home.
However, according to various sources, the potential rewards of investing in art can also be emotional, intellectual and even social.
To hear more about what investing in art can do for you, contact Maddox Gallery. Our art investment consultants are happy to offer expert advice and help you find your perfect purchase.
Written by James Nicholls, Managing Director and Curator, Maddox Gallery.
