Art Advocacy Begins in Your Classroom
Lee Darter
Spring/May 2016
I am thrilled to be the new Arts Advocacy chair for the
Virginia Art Educators Association. I think I was born to do this job. Art has
been such an important part of my whole life. My mother was an artist, and when
I was little I watched her marvel at things that may have seemed ordinary to
others. She noticed the tiny
details, the texture, the colors and object relationships of things. She was fascinated
by how color looked in clouds and in the grease of her frying pan. The best
part about these moments was that she would share them out loud with me. I
learned so much by watching, listening and appreciating the fact that she took
the time to notice all these things that made up her world. Her extraordinary
search for the beauty in all things has carried over into my life and in doing
so has made me appreciate the true value and importance of art education--not only
because it ties to other core subjects, but because a quality art education in
and of itself is important and has value.
As a professional art educator, you know and
understand the importance of art in children’s lives, but do those around you?
As an artist I sometimes just assume art is as important to everyone else as it
is to me, but that is not always the case. As art educators we all need to be
strong advocates for our chosen field, especially in this day and age when art
programs seem to be pushed aside for subjects that are tested, measured and
data driven.
Arts advocacy starts at home, and in our case, in our
classrooms. When we hear the words Arts
Advocacy, we sometimes turn a deaf ear to such a lofty goal, believing it
to be an issue best left to others. But stop for a moment and consider where
art is taking place…right in your classrooms. Each child you inspire, and each life you touch, can be another
person who will proudly advocate for his or her own art education right now and
in the future. Start by sharing your own passion for art with your students.
Let your students see how important art is to you. If you see something that is
fascinating in a work of art, share it with your class. Your students will pick
up this enthusiasm and carry it throughout their day and their lives.
The next step in art advocacy is to celebrate and
share with others those times when art makes a different in a child’s
life. Create a newsletter for your
art room to let parents and administrators know about the changes you are
making in students’ lives. Share
art information and projects in your school’s morning announcements. Add an informational poster
or learning statement to your hallway art displays that include the lesson objectives,
art history, STEAM connections and the artist studied. You can also include a
QR code that will take the viewer directly to a web link related to the art or
artist being discussed.
When you are ready to take another step, get your
School Board involved. Make sure you are keeping them up-to-date on any art
shows, exhibits or awards your school has won. Arrange to have art on display
at board meetings. Invite members to your student shows and make sure to send
them the newsletter you created. Ask parents to speak on behalf of their
child’s art education and the importance of a quality art program in your
school. Contact your state and federal lawmakers. These are important people to
reach out to. You may think you are only one person but you are one person with
a vote, so let your representatives know you vote for people who support the
arts.
Artists are the visionaries who imagine answers to
questions that are just now being asked. “The arts make vivid the fact that
neither words in their literal form nor numbers exhaust what we can know,” said
Elliot Eisner. The creative mind is not limited to information that is measured
or purely data driven. As Ellen
Winner writes, “Cultures are judged on the basis of their arts. The arts are a
fundamentally important part of culture, and an education without them is an
impoverished education, leading to an impoverished society”.
