THE ROLE OF AN ARTIST IN A SOCIETY'S HEALTH AND WELLBEING

The role of an artist needs to be taken from the historical context.History has much information for the work of writers and artists ,sculptors,macrame crafters and painters who curved stones,woven threads and painted walls. The artists,crafters and writers has the ability to show the society its various faces in terms of its beauty and ugliness.At times its worst and the best.They pretend our identity,the noise ,the exposed knowledge and the hidden knowledge of ourselves and our sorroundings,our environment.Italo Calvino says,"Society today demands that the writer raise his voice if he wants to be heard,propose ideas that will have impact on the public, push all his instinctive reactions to extremes."All important is to identify them their roles in society ,their work speak for themselves.Never mind of the bitterness and self-centredness.It seems we run short of our capacity to doubt our perspectives.As writers ,crafters and artists society realised that life can be lived differently guided by new invented values and morals which give more dignity to human life.The landscape of our emotions, our hearts, might not be always an enjoyable sight ,especially when drawn or sculpted by fingers that are informed by conscience and commitment.Art deep into the recesses over memory to identify what is lost.The idea of history repeating itself is a noble as the human beings has the tendency to forget and disregards the history of their scars.
A Mexian ,Octavio Paz once says, civilisation is equate to culture the style of living and dying.It shows that the erotic and culinary arts, dancing and burial,,courtesy and curses,work and leisure, ritual and festivals ,punishments and rewards,dealings with the dead and with the ghost people who our dreams ,attitudes towards women and children old people and strangers , enemies and allies, eternity and the present, here now and the beyond.
Perspectives , dreams , a cosmovision , a way of being the world ,organising it and being organised by it.That is culture and our cultural identity is born out of that.We search for meaning and art is what it searches.
Given the expression that art and culture are regarded as synonymous.Art include various forms ,such as ,painting ,macrame,sculpture ,drama ,music ,and advertising.Art is also defined in broad sense as specialties such as, fine arts,visual arts,performing arts(some of which are perceived to be more prestigious than others depending on who is producing the art and their relationship to the domint culture.)Some of the arts became extinct as it was regarded as produced by illiterate who believed to use media which were not recognised as aesthetically pleasing and not determined what is appropriate in a society.
Art represents various roles of culture which encode in symbols.These symbols are used to portray culturally specific meanings.For example in Zimbabwe stone sculpture can convey messeges through the symbols they used symbols which only understood by specific group of people in a culture.
Artistic methods have been used to promote health and avoid particular diseases .The awareness campaigns for disease outbreak has used posters ,leaflets ,videos and images to convince the population that certain forms of behaviour are more healthier than others.The artists in various specalties are invited to produce works on particular theme related to health.
Partcipating in art forms such as , music,dance and drama can profoundly contribute to a person 's sense of well being and spiritual health.The audience have only to look for people who are dancing wearing happy faces responding to the messege conveyed.Music can be used in the same way to promote heath .For example in Zimbabwe musicians produced songs which played on various shows in plight of HIV AND AIDS, CHOLERA among other disease outbreaks.
There are many ways in which different art forms are currently being used to maintain health .For example ,refexology, massage ,aroma therapy,color therapy,,dance and drama..Some people consider to take part in the activities for the health of their bodies.
In addition looking at beautiful objects is much believed to be a good contribution to the wellbeing.This is part of reasons why people visited art galleries,sculpture gardens,purchase paintings ,weavings,basketry and scupture to adorn their houses.Some of the decorated houses are found in Zimbabwe 's rural areas.
There are some ways people create art forms which bring health to their homes through use of tranquil interior colours,soothing music and cheerful paintings on the walls.
This article has attempted to illustrate the ways in which art and health are inextricably linked.it also referred to the involvement of artists in the production of health messeges and images.Where attempts have been made to involve the artists in their creative work and eye catching images have produced.
In Zimbabwe context these images are culturally appropriate taking concidence that the artist use the social background from the community the images are directed.
Finally ,it is important for artists themselves to be aware of negative aspects of the production process,both in terms of their own health and longevity ,and the potential for creating images which may be offensive and consequently damage the health of others.