Philosophy of art education....

A visual arts education is an important part of developing culturally tolerant and intellectually versed students.  I believe that all students should have access to an arts program that introduces them to a wide variety of techniques, materials, and historical precedent, in order that they may develop their own artistic sensibilities. 

 

The visual arts provide students with an unequivocal opportunity to explore new ideas and create images and ideas beyond what is traditionally explored and accepted.  Art challenges an adolescent to break free of the norms assumed by themselves and their peers, and asks them to explore and understand beyond what is easily digested. 

 

Art serves to connect other fields of academic study.  It is an interdisciplinary bridge that can link history, social studies, literature, even mathematics and science, together.  If a student is taught to question, explore, perceive, feel, and emote, in the arts, that student will then be capable to doing the same in every other subject.  That student will no longer sit idly by and absorb rote information without questioning its deeper meaning, its value to them as an individual, and to society as a whole.  The visual arts provide this enriching opportunity….for the child as a whole.

 

Beyond aesthetic valuing and creative development, the arts can provide an emotional outlet for students at a crucial point in their development.  Adolescents are faced with a number of challenges, and can easily feel isolated from others, namely adults, but even peers.  Art can serve as a therapeutic activity that allows for self-expression, appreciation, and acceptance. 

 

Art serves as a uniting tool that can be used to join human beings together, across disciplines, cultures, genders, and race.  It is one of the most beautiful ways of celebrating our differences and educating and appreciating one another.