PART 3: Involvement of the Community 

“We must make art the base of education. Until man is not used to beauty, he cannot reach the level of spiritual freedom he needs to perceive what is good and what is beautiful. No education is more efficient or profound than what we can learn from contact with beauty and perfection” (Jiménez Fraud, A. (1971): Historia de la Universidad Española. Alianza Editorial, Madrid).

A country full of artistic wonders, and an immense resource for arts education activities in community setting - Spain means travelling back and forth in time and being surprised by a whole host of monuments ranging from an ancient Roman aqueduct to medieval castles and the most avant-garde, futuristic architecture. Centuries and mixed cultures have left their fascinating mark on Spain with some of the most amazing artistic heritage in the world, masterpieces created by Velázquez, Picasso, Dalí and Gaudí are here.

Spain is a country where cultural and linguistic diversity is a founding principle enshrined in its constitution. Spain focuses on sensitivity to the arts (perhaps implying aesthetic appreciation) as a part of preparation for adult life, according to the Arts and Cultural Education at School in Europe study (Eurydice, 2009). In Spain, the purpose of primary education is to provide a global education and pupils have to practice and take active part in performance of the arts as well as developing an appreciation of the arts. The purpose of the secondary level is to provide an integrated education and, through participation in artistic education, pupils develop an appreciation of the arts in the social science area of studies. Culture was one of the main reasons for travelling for 29% of the Spanish population in 2015. Among the countries with a value much higher than the European average (EU-28: 26%) were the Netherlands (39%) and Austria (37%).

Arts subjects are taught by specialist teachers and the development of students' creativity is encouraged throughout the curriculum, and they are taught to make work hypotheses, to research the information from a variety of sources, to compose a coherent argument and to reach independent conclusions.

The Eurydice Study (EACEA, 2009) mentions also that nine countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Latvia, Austria, Slovenia and Finland) encourage cross-curricular links between the arts and all other subjects as part of the aims for the whole curriculum. For example, in Spain, legislation regarding the minimum national core curriculum establishes, besides the objectives for the stages, also the basic competences students have to acquire through all areas and subjects of compulsory education, these competences include ‘Cultural and Artistic Competence’.

In Spain, the Ministry of Education, Social Policy and Sport through the Higher Institute of On-line Training and Resources for Teachers (ISFTIC) and some Autonomous Communities, offer the educational community a range of resources to teach the arts using the new technologies. Some of these resources are designed for teacher use to facilitate the teaching-learning process in the classroom, and others are designed for pupils so that they can do their homework using the Internet.

Spain and Lithuania both emphasize the contribution of extra-curricular arts activities to young people’s overall development. Spain views extra-curricular arts activities as an informal method of contributing to the development of pupils, rather than as making a direct contribution to their curriculum studies.

Arts-related festivals, celebrations and competitions are routinely held in Spanish communities. The education authorities provide financial assistance for school-based initiatives specifically intended to develop cultural activities related to the arts education curriculum. It also provides financial and practical support for the celebration of arts-related anniversaries, for example to pay tribute to famous artists.

Art galleries and museum venues in Spain celebrate, also, their open doors day every year, this represents an opportunity to see works that are not usually on display, be given access to rooms that are generally closed to the public, attend lectures and talks, take in concerts and theatre performances, film screenings, workshops, competitions, games for children and dance shows.