Towards An Integrated Understanding of Art, Spirituality, and Well-Being

Abstract

This paper explores how art and spirituality are connected and examines how art-based pedagogy, including art appreciation and art making, can facilitate not only developing emotional skills, but also cultivating spirituality and spiritual wisdom in management education. It further proposes that art appreciation is a virtuous activity, as it can facilitate the learning of spiritual values in a more personally meaningful way. By presenting an integrated model of art appreciation and sharing pedagogical examples of art appreciation, I propose that art appreciation can provide a more intuitive and immediate approach for developing spiritual values such as empathy and interpersonal care in management education. The primary purpose of this paper is therefore to explore the pedagogical potential of contemplative art-based practices in cultivating not only the students’ emotional skills, but also their understanding of spirituality, thereby contributing to a heightened sense of their personal empowerment and overall well-being.