Artistic training within associations for individuals with functional diversity represents a crucial pathway for personal development, inclusion, and empowerment. At present, various artistic approaches coexist, all aimed at promoting accessibility, active participation, and the recognition of diversity as a social value. From this premise, the present study examines artistic activities as a means of social inclusion, considering gender and the roles carried out by professionals from different associations for people with intellectual disabilities in the Region of Murcia, as well as their perspectives on the influence of these artistic activities on the social inclusion of individuals with intellectual disabilities. An exploratory, mixed-methods, cross-sectional research design was implemented. The findings show that professionals describe art and artistic activities as a resource that simultaneously fosters personal, social, and functional development, thereby constituting a meaningful pathway toward full inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities—provided that such practices are reflective, inclusive, and intentional, despite the limited transfer of knowledge and dissemination of artistic projects undertaken in these associations. Overall, the study concludes that art should be regarded not merely as a therapeutic or recreational tool, but as a legitimate instrument of social justice, participation, and the recognition of difference.
Introduction. Following the current concern about students' mental health and bullying, it was decided to start this research with a group of student teachers. The research question is: can music be an appropriate tool to combat and improve mental health generated by toxic environments in educational settings? Material/method. A qualitative methodology was used with the online questionnaire tool for data collection. And a sample of 36 students of the teaching degree. Results. The perception that students, future primary school teachers, have regarding music education is surprising in that only 47% give it much importance. When asked about the relationship between the benefits of music and mental health, more than 70% of students think that music is very beneficial. While the relationship between the benefits of music and bullying, the perception that music is very important is 60%. Conclusion. In conclusion, first of all, the research question has been answered, although it is acknowledged that higher values were expected. Music education, although not a highly valued subject by future primary school teachers, is considered a good resource for improving students' mental health. The musical genres that future teachers usually listen to range from pop to reggaeton, so it is not surprising that music is suffering a deterioration as an art and as a culture, and both teachers and students have limited musical preferences and knowledge.
The artistic-educational proposal presented here is framed within the project El clima en la cuerda floja: imaginando extremos futuros, funded by FECYT, and aims to make visible the atmospheric phenomenon of desertification through the exploration of urban soils. Based on an interdisciplinary collaboration between art and science, the project translates scientific concepts into creative artifacts for children from different schools in the Community of Madrid. Through active listening and observation, participants are encouraged to shift their gaze toward the ground they walk on daily, addressing global issues such as climate change from a more immediate and situated scale. Student participation unfolds through the reception of personal narratives -constructing their own routes- and culminates in collective artistic action, highlighting the potential of art-based educational experiences to foster collective bonds in the face of climate urgency.
Based on the philosophy of art, this article problematizes the aesthetics of contemporary Spanish artist Lupo Sol. His moving expressionist style predilections grotesque characters and nonexistent infrahuman beings. Based on a kind of historiography of expressionism, it is hypothesized that Sol's expressionism should be understood as a neo-baroque expressionism, in the sense that both styles (expressionism and neo-baroque) would constitute, in their combination, essential stones of the aesthetic manifestation of Spanish art. A case study is adopted, selecting two oil paintings and an acrylic painting by the Spanish artist through theoretical sampling. The article's main conclusion it that Sol's expressionism functions as the emotional and chromatic outlet in the work, while neo-baroque serves as a sort of cultural shield, almost definitively separating it from the early baroque and surreptitiously bringing it closer to more contemporary forms of art, such as anime, naive art, surrealism, and even pop art.
This study explores, through a literature review, the role of creativity as a therapeutic process by examining Art Brut and art therapy. Through the analysis of both approaches, it seeks to understand how artistic creation can support individuals experiencing psychological distress. This perspective integrates clinical, theoretical, and cultural sources with the aim of offering a comprehensive framework on the links between creation, subjectivity, and therapy. Additionally, this review aims to explore the potential of creativity in the clinical approach to psychological suffering, reflecting on the extent to which art may serve as a means of access to the inner world.
