Bem-Estar e Educação pela Arte

Abstract

The first UNESCO World Conference on Arts Education took place between 6th and 9th of Mars 2006, in Lisbon. In a joint organisation of the Ministries of Culture and Education, the National Conference on Arts Education followed this event, and was held in Porto, in the end of October. From the papers presented at those conferences, one can perceive a major importance given to artistic creativity as a justification for arts education. My argument is that the concept of well-being should deserve the greatest attention as well as in education in general, as in arts education in particular. I also argue that well-being may lead us to the concept of ‘disinterestedness’ as interpreted in the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas. Arts may facilitate disinterestedness in the ethical environment, though that is possible to happen with any other subject. This is because in my view education is centred in the ‘process’. The ‘product’ is correlated with the more simple instruction. Finally, I look into the network of more than seven hundred Portuguese Philharmonic Associations, as a paradigm where those concepts can be recognized.