Why Is Art Education Essential to Every Student's Education?
With today's economy everyone, including schools, is finding ways to cut costs and save money where they can. Sometimes this means cutting out courses. The arts are usually the ones who draw the short straw in this respect. To put it simply, cutting the arts is not in the best interest of students. Art is becoming more a part of our daily lives and cultures than many of us realize. On top of this fact, art education provides students with many skills they will use throughout their lives. Below are listed some of those skills and ideas.
Innovation. With constantly changing industries and technologies it is difficult to nail down exactly what skills, programs, or processes will be necessary for the future or our nations’ youth. There is one thing which companies always ask for: adaptability and creativity. These are core goals of any art classroom. Innovation comes into play every single time a student steps into the art room. As art teachers we do not ask students to copy others work: we require them to create their own unique piece as a response to others work. The students’ products may compliment, contradict, or alter the entire meaning of the original artwork that is being studied.
Confidence and self-expression. What other classroom asks students on a regular basis to put their beliefs and desires into a visual format and display it for all to see, interpret, and even critique? In the art room students are challenged to become more familiar with their own ideas and beliefs and find meaningful ways in which to present those ideas to others. The art room teaches this integral part of basic communication in ways that other courses may have difficulty with. Over time students will be able to achieve greater levels of confidence in themselves and a better understanding of others by way or the critique process and constantly viewing and creating personal creations.
Cultural diversity and sensitivity. Ever since global trade and especially the internet, cultures have been intermingling more and more. Through art education students are exposed to a variety of cultures, art forms, and different points of view. By studying these various cultures and the art which they create we are able to better understand one another. In the art room students learn how to appreciate one another not despite our differences, but because of them.
Incorporation of all subjects into a visual product. Lessons which cross the boundaries between subjects allow students to make meaningful connections between seemingly disparate information. In the art classroom many lessons are combined into one final product. Math is used when mixing colors, creating a proportionate figure, deciding on what f-stop will create a proper exposure in the camera, firing a kiln, and more. History comes into play when learning about artists and what was going on in the world when they were inspired to create their work and what parallels can be drawn between then and now. English is displayed when writing about your own work or that of other artists and seeking inspiration for your own pieces from books. Science comes into play when creating the proper glaze for a ceramic vessel, understanding the composition of the clay, knowing the photographic chemicals and materials to be used, and following the scientific process when making projects using new materials and ideas. These examples are just a few of the multitude. The bottom line is that it all comes together in one class.
Art creates jobs. In today’s economy a common complaint is that businesses are outsourcing labor to cheaper countries and leaving America without jobs. There are always jobs to be had, however. In the art field there are so many things that require manpower, and with varying levels of complexity. _ The sheer quantity of jobs in art related fields is staggering. Let’s think about this. When you woke up this morning and got out of bed, what was on your sheets? Most likely a design, created by an artist. When you put on your clothes, each of the choices you had were created by a fashion designer, marketed by a graphic designer, and created by a printing or textile company. When you ate your breakfast cereal there was a cartoon character there on the box. The newspaper you read had photographs in it and comic strips as well. The car you drove to work was dreamed up by a product designer. The billboards you saw on your way to work were made by a graphic designer. The parks and public statues you passed were made by a landscape artist and sculptor, respectively. All this was just in the few hours between waking and working. Each design that is created requires many people to ensure that the product gets from the mind of a designer and the hand of an engineer to the client. Art Education means jobs for America.
Innovation. With constantly changing industries and technologies it is difficult to nail down exactly what skills, programs, or processes will be necessary for the future or our nations’ youth. There is one thing which companies always ask for: adaptability and creativity. These are core goals of any art classroom. Innovation comes into play every single time a student steps into the art room. As art teachers we do not ask students to copy others work: we require them to create their own unique piece as a response to others work. The students’ products may compliment, contradict, or alter the entire meaning of the original artwork that is being studied.
Confidence and self-expression. What other classroom asks students on a regular basis to put their beliefs and desires into a visual format and display it for all to see, interpret, and even critique? In the art room students are challenged to become more familiar with their own ideas and beliefs and find meaningful ways in which to present those ideas to others. The art room teaches this integral part of basic communication in ways that other courses may have difficulty with. Over time students will be able to achieve greater levels of confidence in themselves and a better understanding of others by way or the critique process and constantly viewing and creating personal creations.
Cultural diversity and sensitivity. Ever since global trade and especially the internet, cultures have been intermingling more and more. Through art education students are exposed to a variety of cultures, art forms, and different points of view. By studying these various cultures and the art which they create we are able to better understand one another. In the art room students learn how to appreciate one another not despite our differences, but because of them.
Incorporation of all subjects into a visual product. Lessons which cross the boundaries between subjects allow students to make meaningful connections between seemingly disparate information. In the art classroom many lessons are combined into one final product. Math is used when mixing colors, creating a proportionate figure, deciding on what f-stop will create a proper exposure in the camera, firing a kiln, and more. History comes into play when learning about artists and what was going on in the world when they were inspired to create their work and what parallels can be drawn between then and now. English is displayed when writing about your own work or that of other artists and seeking inspiration for your own pieces from books. Science comes into play when creating the proper glaze for a ceramic vessel, understanding the composition of the clay, knowing the photographic chemicals and materials to be used, and following the scientific process when making projects using new materials and ideas. These examples are just a few of the multitude. The bottom line is that it all comes together in one class.
Art creates jobs. In today’s economy a common complaint is that businesses are outsourcing labor to cheaper countries and leaving America without jobs. There are always jobs to be had, however. In the art field there are so many things that require manpower, and with varying levels of complexity. _ The sheer quantity of jobs in art related fields is staggering. Let’s think about this. When you woke up this morning and got out of bed, what was on your sheets? Most likely a design, created by an artist. When you put on your clothes, each of the choices you had were created by a fashion designer, marketed by a graphic designer, and created by a printing or textile company. When you ate your breakfast cereal there was a cartoon character there on the box. The newspaper you read had photographs in it and comic strips as well. The car you drove to work was dreamed up by a product designer. The billboards you saw on your way to work were made by a graphic designer. The parks and public statues you passed were made by a landscape artist and sculptor, respectively. All this was just in the few hours between waking and working. Each design that is created requires many people to ensure that the product gets from the mind of a designer and the hand of an engineer to the client. Art Education means jobs for America.