As Thomas Merton once said, “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” This quote holds not only special meaning for myself, but for many other students around the world; it is this meaning which has provoked the subject of fine arts education refinement. Fine arts education is a valuable part of the school curriculum that should not be thrown away as easily as it has been. What many school budget voters do not see about the arts program is that it is much more than simply a creative outlet. In addition to the freedom allowed for creativity, art education offers many benefits in other areas such as academic achievement, social and emotional development, and civic engagement. Fine arts education needs to be a higher priority for the school systems than it has been for the past thirty years. I believe this decline in education to be for the worst because the positives offered outweigh the supposed negatives.
Art education is imperative to the education of students of all ages. This education offers benefits, it is proven, in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill (Smith, Why arts education is crucial, and Who’s doing it best). I’ve discovered, through experience, that there are many more students interested in the arts, both musical and physical, than those who are not. Art education can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence and teamwork. I speak once more from experience; as a shy person, creating art has given me confidence, winning awards has provided motivation, and setting up for an art gallery requires teamwork. The arts are a vital part of school curriculum and often show stunning results with their occasionally eccentric methods. For example, using the arts as a learning tool by incorporating their methods into other core classes (writing and performing a play about, say, slavery), creating a school environment rich in arts and culture (perhaps Mozart in the hallways every day) and hands-on arts instruction.
This cause is very dear to me, as it was to the woman who originally inspired me. Linda Johansen was my introduction to ceramics teacher during my sophomore year of high school- as well as a fellow artist, a second mother, a devoted teacher, and an inspiration. Mrs. Johansen taught with such a passion and love of art that even those not interested in her subject could not deny this claim. Fondly called Mrs. Jo by her students, Linda is the kind of woman who was meant to be a teacher. Despite the fact that I took her class with impure intentions, it quickly grew to be my favorite class. Before that year, I never considered myself an artistic person- any previous artwork of any medium looked as if it had been done by a five year old. Shortly after starting Mrs. Johansen’s class, I realized that the old sayings, ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’, and, ‘Art is subjective’ really do ring true. Yes, my early creations were less than ideal, but with practice and these sayings in mind, ceramics became my new passion; it was too late, I was hooked- only, I had no intentions of letting go.
After that one class, I went back for more; my junior year I took the second year ceramics course for half a year, and the second half of the year I used my free period for a continued study with Mrs. Johansen, and senior year I took jewelry one and two as well as an AP course in ceramics. I lived and breathed art that final year as I helped prepare for shows, galleries, and fund raisers. Thanks to this wonderful woman, I finally realized what I wanted to do with my adult life. Originally, I only had a creative mind- in other words; I was plenty capable of seeing what I wanted my end product to look like, but incapable of making it happen. I had grown to realize that I had to make the change I wanted to see. With this thought in mind, I realized that I want to be an art therapist; in other terms, a therapist who asks their patients to use art in order to express what they find difficult to say.
What Mrs. Johansen taught, what I have realized in college Human Behavior, and what the research has reinforced is that all art forms come as a part of each individual’s cultural heritage. The arts are what make us human and, therefore, unique from each other (The Importance of Fine Arts Education). Is it not common belief that the more sciences and math are practiced, the better one does in those subjects? Research shows that the same holds true with art; Random exposure to art forms does not create an artist or an understanding of past cultures (The Importance of Fine Arts Education). For many, the classes made available in school are the only exposure to the arts some students get. I was fortunate enough that the schools in my hometown offered such extensive art courses, meanwhile I know plenty of schools that don’t; to me, this is unfathomable and unacceptable. Personally, art was so helpful to me that I want to share that feeling with others. Research shows that the children of wealthy, well-to-do parents get this exposure to art whether or not it is offered by the school, while low-income families generally do not get this exposure. A 2005 report by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit institution for policy decision making about visual arts demonstrates that the pleasures and stimulation provided by the art experience do more than affect someone individually, they, in fact, connect people more deeply to the world and open up new ways of seeing it (Smith).
The subject of visual arts specifically, is a topic of mass appreciation in my hometown, as shown when the entire community comes together for our Spring Showcase and during the winter when we have our fundraisers. The No Child Left Behind Act, an education act promoting annual testing, has since raised the pressure on increasing test scores, thus reducing the amount of times spent on the arts. It is true that this 2001 act limits time on everything else except for reading and math, even other core curricula (No Child Left Behind). In my opinion, this is the result of tight budgets and lists of state mandates that proclaim the arts as lovely but not essential. My high school art teacher thought it was important that we, as art lovers and as the next generation, have a say in what we learn and what our children will one day learn. It is this belief that had her alerting us to every budget vote and arts-related decision made by the head of the art department. I was one of dozens of students who, as I passed the art director in the halls, was inquiring about the latest budget cuts or the status of teacher lay-offs. Linda Johansen had created a special variety of students who cared, who were informed, and who wanted to be the change that the community saw. Being a devoted art student, I was always the first one to sign up to volunteer on course selection day. The art students realized that it was the day that we had to try our hardest to show what we could do and entice future high school students to join our ranks. I would spend the entire school day, tour group after tour group, imploring the future freshmen to give these classes the same chance that I did, insisting that they would not be disappointed and could actually make a difference if they let this class, and its teacher, help them. A 2005 report from a school in Illinois showed no opposition from principals and district superintendents to arts education (Smith). However, this was not what the state curriculum showed. Basically every state offers, to a degree, some arts instruction, yet in the 2007-08 survey, only 45% of elementary schools and 33% of middle schools provided education in all required art forms (Smith). According to the New York City Department of Education, only 34% of high schools offered classes in excess to the ones necessary for the minimum graduation requirement (Smith).
The fine arts are an area which needs some reform. The arts, both musical and physical, act as not only a refuge to some students, but as a guide and aid to others. It acts as a category for academically challenged students to excel in, and holds a direct link to parental interest. In-school courses and after school programs of the arts are not only desired by many students, but are beneficial as well.
Works Cited
“Art Education: Why Have Art Education?” Art Education: Why Have Art Education? N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
“Katy Independent School District.” The Importance of Fine Arts Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
“No Child Left Behind.” Education Week. N.p., 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
“Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who’s Doing It Best.” Edutopia. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
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