Human Values through the Arts

Human Values through the Arts

The Multipurpose Space Art & Values, situated in Canton Ticino (Switzerland), hosted an inspiring exhibition from 10th May to 10th June 2023, dedicated to Human Values. Over 200 people visited the exhibition with extreme interest, each for almost 2 full hours, and returned to their homes after picking a value to take home with them.

The exhibit was the outcome of a one-year school process which triggered group sharing, deep reflections and creative excellence among over 270 students, (mostly adolescents), and their teachers. This uplifting school project, entitled “ViviValori”, and consequent community event, was coordinated by two public school teachers and encouraged and supported by the Vice-director of the Institute of Sathya Sai Education of South Europe (ISSE SE), Suzanne Palermo-Carenini, also co-founder of the Multipurpose space “Art & Values”, among whose objectives is to sensitize on the need to promote Human Values at all levels of society.  By nourishing exhibition visitors with the Beauty of the Arts, which when “true comes from the Heart”, the space aims at gently “re-orientating” their attention towards the true nature of humanness, thus cultivating a deeper, more spiritual outlook.

The question “What is the difference between material values and Human Values?” was the first step of the school journey, which guided the youngsters to move inward to grasp the presence of values within themselves and realize their worth and importance in day-to-day living. Their exhibition artwork emphasized individual value themes and class cooperation, and was enriched by three interactive “value-stations”: The Value Watch-Compass; the Values Staircase, the Character Flower, and by a unique video highlighting how “we bring human values to life by embodying them”.

The year-long process culminating in the exhibition promoted this message. Life is a journey, a continuous learning process, and the ray of hope that helps us face the journey is knowing that Human Values reside within us, like invisible seeds. But it's not enough to look at a seed to see it grow, you have to cultivate it with care so that one day a plant that bears flowers and fruit will sprout from the ground. In the same way, inner values must also be cultivated, and the soil of one's heart made fertile and free from weeds. Deepening their importance and experiencing their universality is vital for each of us, young and old, as individuals and as a society, because they are the thread that unites us. Promoting them and manifesting them in our daily lives brings us closer and helps us live together, and give meaning to our humanity. The presence of Human Values in our lives also allows us to be able to believe in a tomorrow in which they are alive, bearers of harmony, peace and brotherhood.