'
P eopJe
Artist-in-the-schools
Frans van Baars teaches students to see
One could say that Frans
van Baar* think* with the left
side of his brain.
tt is widely held that motor
^nd logical thought processes
^cCUr on the right side of the
brain, while the left is
reserved for the senses and
creative thinking. Frans
thinks too much emphasis is
placed on logical thought, with
too little on creative thinking.
And while serving his
semester as Perquimans
County's Artist-in-the-Schools,
he is going to try to change
that.
"Education gears
everything toward the logical
portion of the brain," said van
Baars, "and it's a problem to
turn off the logical side to let
the creative side take over."
He feels that changes in art
education need to be made.
"Most of the public schools
begin art classes on the high
school level," said Ft-ans. "I
think that's putting the cart
before the horse because by
the time a child gets to high
school, he's already locked
into a life style of his own."
He believes the ideal time to
begin a child's art education is
sometime between the grades
of 4-6 because his or her mind
is "still open."
And art, according to Frans,
needs to play a far greater
role not only in education, but
also in life. Said van Baar*:
"In our society, we have more
leisure time than any other
society in the world." But he
does not feel that Americans
utilize their free time wisely .
"I am finding more totally
bored people in this country
because they do not direct
their energies positively," i
said Frans, citing as example l
what he considers to be the
American people's increasing i
reliance on alcohol and drugs, i
"People think these things
(alcohol and drugs) are mind- |
expanding," he said, "but I
call them mind shrinking. "
And art, in any form, be it
drama, writing, drawing, or
music, is what Frans terms as
the necessary key to mental
health. "Art has a theraputic
importance in our society,"
said van Baars, who has
worked extensively as an art
instructor for the mentally
handicapped.
While considering van
Baars' thoughts on the im
portance of art in life, it is
important to note that he
really does not separate the
two: he defines art as life.
"Art is simply living and
enjoying," he said.
And part of enjoyment is
being able to recognize it. "I
try to teach people to see ? to
visualize life around them,"
said Frans.
He is working with grades 4
through 8, as well as with i
teachers of those levels. "I'm '
taking the instructors through
basically what the students
are going through," said van
Baars, "but I'm emphasizing
the 'why's' and the 'what's'
with the teachers more than I
am the 'how to's."'
His semester-length
program will concentrate on
drawing and painting. "I have
found that most people cannot
go beyond a 10 or 12 year-old
level in drawing," said Frans.
But he says this is not related
to ability, but rather un
derdevelopment. "Drawing is
not a God-given talent ? it's
something that can be
taught." I
Frans said he has already i
noted a fear of failure in his
students. "People are afraid
and say 'I cannot do this,' " he
said. "And I attribute this to :
what I call the 'Polaroid
Syndrome' ? people think
they have- to have an instant
likeness in 80 seconds or it's no
good, but it doesn't work that
way."
While Frans said it is not his
intention "to create a whole
society of artists," he did
express his desire to foster
widespread appreciation for
art.
"I just want people to learn
to see and to enjoy what they
see," he said. "In this country
we're in too big of a hurry to
take the time."
A native of the Netherlands,
Frans, 44, is a U.S. citizen and
now resides in New Bern, N.C.
He has worked as an art in
structor at Coastal Carolina
Community college in
Jacksonville, and has
exhibited widely throughout
Eastern North Carolina. He is
married, and his wife and son
ire both involved in the arts;
his wife is a musician and his
son is a drama and dance
student.
His semester with the
Perquimans County Schools
System was made possible by
a grant from the North
Carolina Arts Council and by
matching funds from the
schools' budget.
Of his own artistic style,
Frans said he enjoys painting
both realistically and "non
objectively."
"I like to deal with at
mospheric things within my
realist paintings and I also
like to paint in the non
objective ? or what most
people refer to as 'abstract,' "
said van Baars.
He said the main thrust of
his intruction in the schools is
realistic in style. "Realism
will confirm that they can
see," said Frans, "and they
need to first understand basics
of seeing things as they really
are before they dissect to put
into abstraction."
"The most important thing
is that the students learn to
see," he said.
i
, van Baars enthusiastically conducts an art class at Central Grammar
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