Art As A Life-Long Learning Tool at BDAC

At BDAC, we believe education doesn’t just happen in classrooms—it happens every time we are invited to think, feel, and see differently. And in that way, art is one of the most powerful educators we have.

It teaches more than history or technique. It teaches empathy, patience, observation, and curiosity. It invites us to sit with complexity, explore new perspectives, and expand our understanding of the world—and ourselves.

That’s why every exhibition at BDAC is more than just a display of creative work. It’s a curated experience in lifelong learning.

Xi Zang Art Talk

From Healing to Thinking Deeply

In 2025, our focus was on art as a pathway to healing. Through thoughtful programming and partnerships, we explored how creativity supports mindfulness, emotional processing, and restoration.

One powerful example was Fragments to Wholeness, a deeply moving exhibition in our Annex Gallery. Through a collaboration with glass artist Sarinda Jones and trauma therapists Holly Willard and Sarah Bargar, twelve adolescent survivors of sexual abuse participated in a six-week expressive arts therapy group. Together, they created individual and collective glassworks that explored themes of resilience, transformation, and self-expression. The act of working with broken glass became both metaphor and method—healing through creation.

In another initiative, BDAC partnered with TURN Community Services to present Paradigms (A Unified Art Show) in our Underground Gallery. This inclusive exhibition featured work by individuals with disabilities, offering a platform for creative self-expression and community connection. For many of these artists, the opportunity to exhibit their work publicly was both empowering and validating, demonstrating the capacity of art to build confidence, visibility, and a sense of belonging.

These efforts reflect a core belief at BDAC: art has the power to restore, center, and connect. And this philosophy continues to shape our work as we look toward the future.

Why Critical Thinking Matters

As we move into 2026, our mission expands. While we remain deeply committed to the healing and mindfulness that art can offer, we are also turning our attention toward art’s role in developing critical thinking skills—especially in children and seniors, two populations often overlooked in conversations about cognitive growth.

Art encourages us to look closer. It challenges us to interpret, to make choices, to explore ambiguity, and to hold multiple perspectives at once. These are essential skills in a world that increasingly requires thoughtful engagement over quick answers.

Whether it's a child choosing how to respond to an abstract painting or a senior reflecting on the emotional nuances of a photography series, art nurtures:

• Choice-making: encouraging independent thinking and problem-solving.

• Perspective-taking: fostering empathy and broadening understanding.

• Interpretation and reflection: inviting deeper engagement with ideas and emotions.

• Dialogue: sparking conversations across generations and viewpoints.

  
  

These observations are backed by research. A large-scale study found that students who participated in art museum visits significantly improved their critical thinking, historical empathy, and tolerance for differing viewpoints—especially among underserved student groups. (Bowen et al., 2014)

Other research shows that students involved in art-making demonstrate higher levels of academic engagement, creativity, and even graduation rates, reinforcing that the benefits of art education go far beyond aesthetics. (ResearchGate, 2023)

Just as Fragments to Wholeness used the artistic process to support emotional healing, and Paradigms used art to center identity and voice, we believe future programs can use similar frameworks to support cognitive development—helping people of all ages become more curious, more analytical, and more connected to their communities.

Looking Ahead

In 2026, BDAC will continue to use art as a way to heal, focus, and cultivate mindfulness. These values remain central to our mission.

But alongside this, we’re asking new questions:How does art sharpen our ability to think? To understand nuance? To see things—and each other—more clearly?

We’ll be exploring these questions through new programming and seeking partnerships with educators, mental health professionals, and community organizations to help deepen this work. If you share an interest in how creativity shapes cognition, we’d love to connect.

Because at BDAC, we believe that when we engage deeply with art, we engage more deeply with the world—and that’s where real learning begins.