Why do we need art? What do we gain by being creative? And other big questions / Rosen, Michael.

What is this book about? -- What is art for? -- Why do we need art? My experience: Michael Rosen -- My experience Annemarie Young -- Where do artists come from? -- My experience: Andria Zafirakou -- How is art transformative? -- Where do we find art? -- My experience: Lemn Sissay -- Do you need training to become an artist? -- What use is imagination? -- My experience: Preti Taneja -- What do we gain by being creative? -- My experience: Peter Beard -- Can art speak truth to power? -- Can art change anything? -- My experience: Mathilda Crompton and Meri Wells -- Is comedy art? -- Why do we create music? -- My experience: Kate Clanchy -- What do you think? -- Over to you! -- Glossary and further information -- Index

A highly topical look at the role of art and the importance of creativity in our lives and the wider world. Art, in its widest sense, encompasses many different forms, from painting and poetry to dance, pottery and quilting and much else besides. Creativity is an essential part of what makes us human as well as being crucial for a range of disciplines in the world of work, including science, architecture and technological innovation. This book asks many questions relating to the importance of art in our lives, such as where is art and where does the impulse to make art come from? Who are artists? What is art for? Can art change anything? What use is the imagination and what is the point of daydreaming? It includes pieces from a range of contributors, including Kate Clanchy, Lemn Sissay, Preti Taneja and Andria Zafirakou, who write about their relationship with art and describe what being creative means to them and to others.