Don’t let curtain fall on arts education
Filed Under Shower Curtain | Posted on June 11, 2008
As a foundation for practicing imagination, the arts are a critical ingredient to forward-thinking change. When widely applied, the inherent concepts taught by the arts lead to progress in every arena of life — from advances in medical technology to transformative public policy. The arts are not superfluous to society; they are an underestimated force that is driving it forward.
Slashed funding for the arts is the product of an erroneous perception that they are decorative “extras” with little value beyond aesthetics. Many, including our political leaders, have been misled into believing there isn’t much more to the arts than a beautiful melody, a good use of color or a stellar performance. This is why hundreds of arts programs in Florida’s public schools face extinction.
The primary challenge of any arts educator is to first compel community leaders to see the true value of the arts. When the perceived value of the arts increases, so does a community’s investment in them. And even when times are hard, leaders will fight to protect the source of our collective development. As it stands, the arts are in a critical state of emergency, somewhere between life and death, and as a result, our foundation for progress is crumbling at our feet.
Arts educators in Florida and throughout the United States are working hard to undo the damage done by policies that convinced a nation the arts are merely child’s play. The arts challenge, inspire and change people. They encourage us to answer profound questions about life and the legacies we are creating. Know yourself is the titillating dare whispered by the arts. When we understand our power to create, we know how to purposefully attend to the world in which we live. It is for this reason the arts are essential to our progress as a community.
Tags: advances in medical technology, aesthetics, arts education, arts educators, collective development, community leaders, critical ingredient, critical state, curta, curtain, curtain fall, educator, face extinction, legacies, life and death, political leaders, profound questions, public policy, public schools face, state of emergency, stellar performance, true valueRelated posts
Leave a Reply