| This study was designed to explore spiritual teachers of art and to illuminate the qualities and characteristics they share. A spiritual artist/teacher may be defined as one who exhibits a deep involvement with aesthetic experiences that is personal, sustained, and purposeful. These teachers are also practicing artists for whom their students have a high regard and appreciation, as revealed by their reputation within the teaching community. The phenomenon explored in each participant can be described as “aesthetic spirituality,” which is defined in two parts: (1) a strong spirituality at the core of one's self; and, (2) a developed sense of the connection between the inner self and the person's philosophy of creating and teaching art. Various aspects of the phenomenon studied included: (a) spirituality manifested in the person's art making; (b) the process of self-actualization and fulfillment from creating and teaching art; (c) the manner in which this spirituality permeates the essence of the artist/teacher; and, (d) the manner in which the spiritual teacher's involvement with aesthetic and spiritual experiences relates to a concern for his or her students. This research consists of portraits, methodologically created from data from in-depth interviews, that reflect the inner voice or deeper reasons for the participants' intent, inspirations, and efforts expended in the creation and teaching of art.; The portraits revealed three significant conclusions: (1) there were common elements in the participants' artistic development due to a growing awareness that led to a unity, which confirmed assumptions posed by the methodology; (2) there was a connection between aesthetic and spiritual experiences within each participant revealed in his or her mode of working; and, (3) the artist/teachers manifested their spirituality in teaching art in their own distinct ways, such as through extraordinary caring for their students, expressing their mission of good will to their students, teaching about spirituality through art to a group of like believers, and creating opportunities for students to consider questions about their own spirituality. |
