THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES
Authors: Gunawan Iwan , Aviandy Mochamad 
Published: May 2020

The world of Visual Arts developed basically from the practice of art creation. From the practice of art creation, the method is increasingly advanced, revealed new concepts and approaches in art creation that are unique. Certainly from the work of the artists and designers, will later arise theories that support the process of new art creations. The studies of Arts appeared after the Art itself created. After there are works, a study of the works or the process of artwork is carried out. There is a need to introduce the arts to the wider community, bridging the gap between the expressions complexities of the artists and people's appreciation. There are also interests of the education field to pass on the knowledge to students or develop new approaches in art education. This understanding of the visual perspectives will also support other sociocultural research. Earlier studies on Visual Arts are generally carried out in the framework of History, and Art Criticism. As the sciences of humanities increasingly developed, the nature and form of art studies became more varied, becoming more interdisciplinary. The study of Visual Arts and Design may involve an analysis of contemporary culture, the media, and society. The cultural activities produce images that are important in understanding the dynamics of society. This special issue, "The Arts and Humanities" covering research topics in the field of Visual Arts and Design, encompasses a diverse range in Visual Art and Design study areas as well as different objectives of the writings. Written by scholars that also practitioners in the field of Visual Arts and Design from a variety of disciplines, the creative and critical research findings problematize critical issues based on art practices, policies, productions, and the aesthetic aspect of the art itself.Most of the topics discussed the fields of "science" which had formally been part of the discourse disciplines in Visual arts schools: Fine Arts, Design, and Crafts, while two of them explored issues in visual culture context that were part of the performing arts and culinary arts. These varied research topics and approaches show the many interests in Visual arts studies, especially in Indonesia.Madia Patra Ismar (2020) with Rayahu Pertiwi (2020) discussed the artistic gaze of two Papuan choreographers; Visual Perspectives Rooted in the Oral Traditions of the Kamoro and Asmat Tribe. Those choreographers based their work on their traditional roots and the choice of visuals and dramatic bodily expressions created by them was based on their deeply ingrained roots as indigenous Papuans. Sonya Indriati Sondakh (2020), realized that when food is served in high-end premises or special places for tourism purpose, the visual aspects become an interesting marker to read. She explores the visual perception in Indonesian food, discusses the negotiation of the visual and gustatory perception.The following three articles select topics around textiles and fashion works, with a gender perspective on the discussion. Lucky Wijayanti (2020) has done research on the resilience of Sasak women. This research concludes that art activities functioned as a 'liberation room' for Sasak women to express themselves. Adlien Fadlia (2020) researched the tradition of making batik in the Rifa’iyah community in the village of Kalipucang Wetan, Batang, Central Java. Batik with a characteristic motif of the Rifa’iyah can be sustainable until now because of the role of women in regenerating batik skills. Mangesti Rahayu (2020) also explored the clothing custom in Indonesia. She found that hijab is also part of the Muslim warriors identites in the era of Indonesia independence struggle. Hijab also had its role in fighting for the dignity of women at that time.