Blog Posts for Arts Education

Thank you to the many people who have been blog contributors to, and readers of ArtsBlog over the years. ArtsBlog has long been a space where we uplifted stories from the field that demonstrated how the arts strengthen our communities socially, educationally, and economically; where trends and issues and controversies were called out; and advocacy tools were provided to help you make the case for more arts funding and favorable arts policies.

As part of Americans for the Arts’ recent Strategic Realignment Process, we were asked to evaluate our storytelling communications platforms and evolve the way we share content. As a result, we launched the Designing Our Destiny portal to explore new ways of telling stories and sharing information, one that is consistent with our longtime practice of, “No numbers without a story, and no stories without a number.”

As we put our energy into developing this platform and reevaluate our communications strategies, we have put ArtsBlog on hold. That is, you can read past blog posts, but we are not posting new ones. You can look to the Designing Our Destiny portal and our news items feed on the Americans for the Arts website for stories you would have seen in ArtsBlog in the past.

ArtsBlog will remain online through this year as we determine the best way to archive this valuable resource and the knowledge you’ve shared here.

As ever, we are grateful for your participation in ArtsBlog and thank you for your work in advancing the arts. It is important, and you are important for doing it.


John Abodeely

The Future of Arts Education

Posted by John Abodeely, May 28, 2009 1 comment


John Abodeely

One of the session proposals that Americans for the Arts sent to Grantmakers in the Arts for their annual conference this October in Brooklyn, NY was about the future of Arts Education. Here's a brief bit:

Future Forms of Arts Education

What are trends? What's the next format? What arts education is relevant to kids versus relevant to arts administrators or teachers? Drawing on the most successful new programs, this session will illuminate now nonprofit arts education programs are empowering youth to be cultural creators to whom adult intervention is optional.

The stunning idea is that adults are optional. Kids learn and do without them and sometimes, unfortunately, in spite of them. With a computer, kids can create music, videos, and visual art. Internet platforms allow for global distribution. Folksonomies and comments become teachers, guides, and distributors, launching the most acclaimed photos, videos, or songs to the highest visibility.

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John Abodeely

NY State Senator for the Arts in Schools

Posted by John Abodeely, Jul 07, 2009 2 comments


John Abodeely

New York State Senator Jose Serrano (D-28) wrote a compelling op-ed in the Gotham Gazette about the importance of arts education, even in a time of economic distress.

It's stunning and wonderful to read an eloquent and informed piece by such a high-ranking and powerful public leader. What's better than his educated opinions in support of the arts? Reading about the actions he's already taken to help put the arts back in NY's schools.

Here are some choice bits.

Perhaps it would be prudent to teach the arts only when we are confident that our young people can read, write and count proficiently, and when our society is generally more prosperous. In other words, is arts education significant, especially in a time of economic distress?

...

The issue of arts education brings us to the basic question of what type of society we wish to build. Today's eighth graders are the next generation of civic and business leaders. The cultural heritage of the state of New York, be it visual, architectural or musical, will be in their hands. If we want future generations to appreciate and see value in architectural icons like the Brooklyn Bridge, music forms like jazz and salsa, and painters like Edward Hopper, we need to introduce young people to them now. No matter what their ethnic, cultural or class background, a sound arts education strengthens our children's connection to their communities and to broader society.

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Tim Mikulski

Arts Education: Now or Never

Posted by Tim Mikulski, Aug 19, 2009 4 comments


Tim Mikulski

As I was compiling this week’s edition of Arts Watch, I couldn’t help but notice a strange dichotomy.

On one hand, a developer in a small city, Woodbury, NJ, is planning to renovate a downtown building, turning it into a theater as a means of economic development. Citizens of Bridgeport, CT, have formed a new local arts group to recruit artists and creative businesses to their community.

On the other, some articles say that Detroit Public Schools have all but destroyed music education over the past 30 years and high school bands are becoming too expensive to operate.

While U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan may have meant well by releasing a letter this week encouraging schools to continue funding arts education programs (especially since they are part of the core curriculum under the current No Child Left Behind Act), that might not be enough.

How can the future leaders of cities like Woodbury and Bridgeport improve their communities through the use of the arts as an economic development and business recruitment tool if they were never taught the arts inside the classroom?

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Jenna Lee

What Do the Students Think?

Posted by Jenna Lee, Sep 21, 2009 3 comments


Jenna Lee

I know that most of us who are reading this blog have a strong belief that the arts are vital to education.  But as I am often asked about why I believe so strongly in the arts and about what an arts education can really do, I sometimes question my purpose.  I know that I and my like minded colleagues believe there should be more of the arts in schools – but what do the students think?

I recently surveyed 27 Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD public high school students outside of the art room.  Most - but not all - students were currently or had previously taken a variety of arts classes, including visual arts, chorus, band, orchestra, and theatre.  I asked a series of questions pertaining to their perceptions of the arts program in their high school.  The questioning included whether students felt that art should be a requirement in high school, what subject the students viewed as “most important”, and what skills the students have learned through the arts and how those skills will help them in school, in their lives and in the future.

The good news: nearly 80% of the students surveyed believe there should be an art requirement in high school.  The students had various insightful reasons about why it is important to have art in their schools.  Many students thought the arts were a valuable tool for self-expression, stress relief and an outlet for working through personal issues.

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